Michigan beat Notre Dame 4-0 tonight, to keep their hopes of a top four finish alive. Finishing in the top four of the CCHA, will give Michigan a bye in the first round of the CCHA playoffs, and increase their chances in the postseason tournament that they'll need to win if they want to keep their streak of NCAA tournament appearances in tact.

But they may have taken a damaging hit to their playoff chances tonight when junior goalie Bryan Hogan went down with a groin injury just 10 minutes into the game. Walk-on Shawn Hunwick, who had seen just 18 minutes of game-time in his college career, replaced him, and played extremely well to maintain the shutout.

Hogan was listed as doubtful for Michigan's game on Saturday. and groin injuries can be tricky and lingering. Hunwick played well tonight and Hogan's struggles this year have been well documented, but Hunwick hadn't seen any real game action for a reason.

A week off would certainly help Hogan heal up, but to earn a top four seed in the CCHA tournament, Michigan would have to beat Notre Dame on Saturday, either in regulation or via the shootout, and hope that Northern Michigan loses at least one game to Lake Superior this weekend.