Goals were not going to come easily. That much was certain.

So after the Michigan hockey team almost miraculously managed to dodge an early golden Alaska scoring chance, goalie Shawn Hunwick and his teammates breathed a collective sigh of relief.

On a night when Hunwick was tested repeatedly, the No. 6 Wolverines used a dose of offense from two defensemen to notch a 2-0 victory over the No. 19-ranked Nanooks Friday night at Yost Ice Arena.

The win, coupled with Notre Dame's loss against Ohio State, moved Michigan to the top of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings. The Wolverines (16-6-4, 13-4-1 CCHA) have won four straight games and eight of their last nine.

The latest came with a high degree of difficulty.

Enter Hunwick, who brushed away all 36 shots he faced, including 16 in the second period when Alaska was relentless in its offensive chances.

The senior goalie's third shutout of the season nearly didn't happen. Less than three minutes into the first period, he faced a 2-on-0 Alaska rush after a Michigan turnover just in front of the blue line.

Although Michigan has demonstrated the ability to play from behind, giving up a goal so early could have drastically changed everything.

"Luckily he missed. I don't know how he missed," Hunwick said. "But yeah, he missed a wide open net. We definitely dodged one there."

Michigan's defense maintained the shutout until the 11:09 mark of the second period, when the Wolverines found themselves with an odd-man rush of their own.

Matt Rust and Carl Hagelin led the charge before defenseman Lee Moffie took the puck from behind and beat Scott Greenham, who was screened by Rust on the play.

Moffie became the first Michigan defenseman to score in three straight games since Jack Johnson did it in 2007.

Even with the lead, Hunwick was forced to endure an active second period when Alaska (10-9-4, 7-8-4) controlled the tempo.

"They had the edge in shots and we just seemed to be turning the puck over and we were getting into trouble in our own zone," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We weren't good in the second period. We were lucky to come out with a lead."

Hunwick played a huge part in that.

"He earned this shutout more than he should have to," Berenson said.

Hunwick made Moffie's goal stand up until the 8:40 mark of the third period when Jon Merrill delivered a goal from just inside the blue line with both teams playing down a skater.

Merrill's goal - his sixth of the season - provided Michigan with sudden breathing room. Hunwick remained unbeatable, making 13 more saves in the final 20 minutes to give the Wolverines their second straight Friday night victory.

But the task won't get any easier in the series finale. Alaska is 3-0 in Saturday night games that follow a Friday night loss. The Nanooks bounced back most recently last weekend with a impressive road win at Notre Dame after dropping a 2-1 decision the night before.

"The weekend's not over," Berenson said. "We have to come back out tomorrow - I think they'll play better and I think we'll play better."

But considering how inconsistent Michigan has been all season in series openers, Friday night's shutout may have been the sign of a team that is finally turning things around. The win proved to be especially big as all the other three teams in the mix at the top of the CCHA standings - Notre Dame, Miami and Ferris State - all lost.

Striking first was critical.

"It's really big for us as a team to get out to a lead and then just keep stepping on their throats and not letting them back in," Merrill said. "That's something we've been working on as a team - winning on Friday and starting the weekend off good. We've got a lot of confidence right now."

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.