Entering its fifth game of the season, the Michigan hockey team had one noticeable blemish it couldn’t seem to get rid of.

The Wolverines’ power-play unit had been a cause for concern, as Michigan had converted a paltry 3.2 percent of its chances entering Thursday night, a far cry from last season’s 20.5 percent conversion rate, which was 12th in the nation.

But with 6:34 left in the second period Thursday, Michigan sophomore forward Aaron Palushaj momentarily quelled the doubts surrounding the Wolverines’ extra-man attack. Palushaj’s slapshot from the top of the left circle beat Niagara goalie Juliano Pagliero stick-side and ended a power-play scoring drought of nearly 154 minutes.

One of Michigan's two Tuesday practices was almost entirely dedicated to practicing the extra-man attack. Last weekend at Northern Michigan, the Wolverines were caught over-handling the puck at times, losing possession and constantly working to reset their offense. Michigan coach Red Berenson said successful power-play units treat the puck as a “hot potato,” keeping defenders in motion in an effort to catch one out of position.

“I thought we were better tonight,” Berenson said. “Our mandate to our team is we need to play harder, we need to play better with the puck and without the puck. And the goals will come later.”

Just over five minutes into the third period, Michigan’s second power-play unit provided a textbook example of the fast-paced tempo Berenson wants. Senior forward Brandon Naurato sent a quick backhand pass across the crease to senior forward Travis Turnbull, who then found sophomore forward Louie Caporusso in the slot. Caporusso then sniped the shot between Pagliero’s legs.

Michigan finished two-for-five with the man-advantage, its best power-play performance to date.

Going deep: After mixing and matching his lines in the first few weeks of the season, Berenson may have finally found a third line. While the third unit of sophomore Ben Winnett and freshmen David Wohlberg and Robbie Czarnik tallied just one combined assist last night, the trio skated well in the open ice and created a number of scoring opportunities.

“I thought (the third line) got off to a bit of a slow start, but they got better and they wound up having a good game,” Berenson said. “I think that has a chance of being a good line.”

Wohlberg and Winnett had an excellent scoring opportunity with a two-on-one rush six minutes into the game, but Winnett couldn’t handle Wohlberg’s crossing pass, and Pagliero stopped a point-blank shot with his right leg.

“I thought Ben Winnett had a terrific game tonight,” Berenson said. “And yet he didn’t get rewarded with any goals. But his team won. And when you have everyone playing hard for the team, you’re going to be successful.”

Last year’s top line of Kevin Porter, Chad Kolarik and Max Pacioretty scored an astounding 158 combined points. For the Wolverines to come close to replacing such prolific offense, scoring depth through all four lines will be critical.

Measuring Stick: Saturday’s game at No. 6 Boston University will be the highlight of Michigan’s non-conference schedule. The Wolverines will only have today to craft their game plan against the Terriers, though Berenson said Wednesday his team doesn’t alter the team’s schemes too much, even against a highly-ranked opponent. Berenson had high praise for the Purple Eagles Thursday, saying Niagara was a precursor to what awaits the Wolverines on Saturday.

“(Niagara) is an NCAA-type team,” Berenson said. “We played them last year in the tournament and they might be as good now as they were then. I can’t say we are, but that was a good game for us, to prepare us for Saturday."