The Michigan hockey team spent the past two weekends trying to solve two of the top defenses in the CCHA.

But one thing became clear in the No. 6-ranked Wolverines' sweep of Alaska, which boasted the country's No. 5-ranked defense: Michigan better start worrying about its own.

Despite registering its fifth straight win and second straight weekend sweep, Michigan provided Alaska with plenty of offensive chances. The Nanooks, who entered the series averaging 2.2 goals and 29 shots per game, put 76 shots on goal in the two losses against Michigan.

Had it not been for goalie Shawn Hunwick, the Wolverines could be starting the week dealing with much different results.

Hunwick turned away 73 of the 76 shots he faced in the two games, earning the No. 1 star both Friday and Saturday night.

The senior net-minder stayed was busy as Michigan's defense, which has given up the majority of its 36 goals in league play over the first two periods, struggled to get in shooting lanes. That provided Alaska open looks - including on handful of breakaway chances.

"They had point-blank chances with the empty net, the puck went through the crease a couple times - 2-on-0 breakways - I mean, it was a meltdown at times," Michigan coach Red Berenson said Saturday after 4-3 Michigan's 4-3 victory.

Yet, despite its struggles and in Berenson's words, "getting exploited" defensively, the Wolverines kept their win streak intact heading into a rivalry game Saturday against Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena (8 p.m., Fox Sports Detroit).

Against Alaska on Saturday, the Wolverines offered an example of how Michigan has managed to win often despite mistakes. Despite never trailing, the Wolverines gave up a short-handed goal and then took two back-to-back penalties in the final five minutes.

The Wolverines managed to withstand the charge, feeding off a Yost Ice Arena crowd that was as loud as it has been all season.

"It's good to have a crowd that knows a little about the game, so they know how big that is for us," forward Scooter Vaughan said. "It got us going - it's a good feeling knowing the crowd's behind you. Everyone on the bench was standing up, cheering for one another. We all wanted to win that game, so we're glad we got the result."

Alaska, which had a goal waved off with under six minutes to play, had a 5-on-3 advantage for nearly a minute and then still had a skater advantage from the second Wolverines penalty.

The Nanooks got nine shots in the third period - all of which Hunwick saved, making Vaughan's second-period goal stand up as the game-winner. Despite the two wins, Berenson made it clear he wasn't pleased.

"We've got some work to do," Berenson said. "But enough of our players played well enough. ... We had a lot of guys playing well and hard, and Hunwick was obviously the MVP of that game. But still, our team did not play as well as it needed to."

Award-winning Michigan forward Carl Hagelin and defenseman Jon Merrill were both recognized by the CCHA on Monday for their play over the weekend. Hagelin, who leads the Wolverines in both goals and assists, was the league's Offensive Player of the Week after notching five assists against Alaska. Hagelin has registered points in nine straight games and has scored six goals and tallied 13 assists since the Big Chill At The Big House.

Hagelin, who finished the weekend with a plus-4 rating, had a hand in five of Michigan's six goals.

Merrill was the CCHA's top freshman, scoring on back-to-back nights for the first time in his career.

Northern Michigan's Reid Ellingson captured the league's Goalie of the Week honor, staying nearly as busy as Hunwick did. The junior stoppped 63 of the 65 shots he faced and registered a 0.98 goals against average as Northern Michigan swept Ferris State.

Moving up Michigan took advantage of a a Notre Dame loss Friday night to leap-frog the Irish into first place in the CCHA standings. The Wolverines (17-6-4, 14-4-1) lead Notre Dame by two points and third-place Miami by seven points. The Wolverines remained locked in at No. 6 in both the UCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey polls and remained tied with Boston College for No. 5 in the PairWise rankings, which mimics the system used by the NCAA basketball selection committee to determine post-season tournament participants. At 17-2, Yale continues to hold down to top spot in both national polls and in the PairWise.

Jeff Arnold covers Michigan hockey for AnnArbor.com and can be reached at (734) 623-2554 or by e-mail at jeffarnold@annarbor.com. Follow him on Twitter @jeffreyparnold.