BIG RAPIDS — In the Michigan hockey team’s series sweep against Ferris State last weekend, its nine goals didn’t leave Wolverines fans sitting on their butts for long. And it was Michigan’s own back end that saved both its and the fans’ behinds.

Down 2-0 in the second period on Friday, sophomore defenseman Lee Moffie jumped down from the point after senior center Matt Rust won a sloppy faceoff. Moffie took the puck at the top of the circle and sent a slap shot into the top right corner, bypassing screened Ferris State goalie Pat Nagle.

The goal sparked a run of seven straight goals spanning both games for the Wolverines. Starting with the Moffie goal, Michigan outscored the Bulldogs 9-1 in the series, with defensemen scoring three goals and registering four assists.

“It’s part of our team,” Michigan coach Red Berenson said on Saturday of the offensive contributions from the blue line. “We’ve been stressing it, practicing it and I think we have the kind of players that can do it so it’s good. Now I don’t want to give up good defense for high-risk offense, but for the most I part I think we’re doing a good job getting pucks through.”

Recruited as an offensive defenseman, Moffie has been in and out of the lineup during his two years in Ann Arbor because of defensive breakdowns. He laid a hit in the corner on Friday, but couldn’t prevent a pass that led to the Bulldogs' first goal.

He recovered with two goals and an assist without being on the ice for any more Ferris State markers. The performance garnered him CCHA Defenseman of the Week honors. With Moffie starting the scoring, it was fitting that he helped end the scoring too.

On Saturday, with the game already at 5-1 and the Wolverines with a two-man advantage, Moffie received a pass at the right point. After faking the slap shot, he passed to junior forward David Wohlberg at the back door. Wide open, Wohlberg tapped it in.

“I’m just doing a better job of keeping my head up,” Moffie said. “Fake wind-up there and it attracted a couple of guys, the goalie came way out. He was wide open back door, no one was covering him, so it was a pretty easy pass.”

But even with all the scoring, the defensemen didn’t lose sight of their first priority — their own zone. The three goals given up to the Bulldogs are tied for the least Michigan has surrendered in a series this season. The other came against CCHA bottom-dwelling Bowling Green in the second weekend of the season.

The Bulldogs scored just two even-strength goals this weekend, but there were some breakdowns. Senior goalie Shawn Hunwick was forced to make 60 saves in the series, including multiple late in the third on Friday to preserve the one-goal lead.

The Bulldogs also had two goals waived off on Saturday — one because the net came off before the puck went in and the other because of a kick-in.

“The referees, they called two goals off that could have changed the game as well,” Berenson said. “Maybe that was the right call, but regardless, it wasn’t just a one-sided game.”

Just after Ferris State got its goal that counted, making the game 4-1, it began to control the play. Hunwick was forced to make a couple of momentum-killing stops. In that short time, both Berenson and the defensemen realized they needed to become the back end again.

“You’re just thinking defense,” Moffie said on Saturday. “You don’t want to be the guy out there to let up a two-on-one and let them back in the game. I think you would rather not let up that goal then score a goal in a game.”