|
Saturday, January 30, 1999
Saturday, January 30, 1999, Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana
Well here we are again for the second night of this very important CCHA hockey weekend for our Michigan Wolverines. After last nights tie we remain two points behind MSU in the conference standings. With MSU having the night off tonight we can draw even in the CCHA standings with one head to head game remaining between MSU and UM. It doesn’t all hinge on tonight’s game since MSU hasn’t played either Notre Dame or Ferris yet this season and all of their games against them will come from now to the end of the season. Here is an interesting fact that I heard in passing last night and was able to confirm today. The tie last night against MSU was only the seventh tie between these two teams out of the 222 that they have played against each other. Also for those of you who haven’t been paying attention, after tonight there are only five weekends left in this seasons regular schedule – nine games until the playoff’s start (we have a Friday off in February). Notre Dame had last night off and will be looking to slay some demons tonight. Last weekend they got of beat up by teams they should have handled putting their ability to claim one of the home ice draws in the CCHA at jeopardy. Michigan of course played MSU last night and really expended a lot of energy, fatigue has to be a concern for the Wolverines tonight. We get a little break tonight because both of Notre Dames top scorers are out for tonight’s game. Notre Dame has played Michigan extremely tough since the end of last season; the game before last year’s CCHA playoffs and the first weekend of last years playoff’s. Tonight we have to shake off last night, NOT commit all the penalties giving the opponent those extra scoring chances, and really dig down deep to get into this game both mentally and physically. Well it’s time to drop the puck so let’s get to it.
Notre Dame made a quick rush off the opening face off, but was turned away. Except for the quick rush neither team has been able to get any real push going. It looks to be another tough checking game. Well I spoke too soon. A Notre Dame player just danced his way around our defense and plunked the puck into the net to give the Irish an early one to nothing lead. That was not good, the Michigan defense seemed to be very lead footed. Notre Dame is putting the pressure on the UM goal, working it around, Michigan unable to get the puck and go the other way. Now Michigan pushes it into the ND zone and Koch gets off a backhand shot that just misses. Now ND has a two on one break that goes nowhere. ND still has the puck in the UM zone, but Michigan gets it and moves back to the ND zone. There was a close call, Matzka got around the ND defense, moved on the goal, and got a shot off. The ND netminder thought it got past him (he looked into the net), but it was hung up in the goalie’s pads. Michigan again pushes into the ND zone, but the drive gets broken up. Well we made it almost half way through the first period before we got called for our first penalty. Notre Dame will be on the power play after the break in action. Even though ND is on the power play UM is carrying the play to them at the moment. We’ve been pushing the puck toward their net, rather than the other way around. As Michigan was making a move to get a short-handed goal the UM player got slashed and ND was called for the penalty. That takes the ND power play away and we now skate four on four. Michigan will end up with about one minute of power play time when all is said and done with this one. Oh damn, another ND player gets behind our defense and scores another goal. We’re now down two to nothing and our skates seem to be stuck in cement. Just seconds after the goal a ND player gets called for a high stick and Michigan is back on the power play. Michigan putting some pressure on the ND net, but can’t get the puck past the netminder. Now we have a five on three advantage for the next 45 seconds. There was a big shot by Jillson, but the ND goalie grabbed the puck. Koch got off another good shot that goes over the cross bar. UM moves the puck back out in front and Van Ryn gets off a big shot that the ND goalie stops. The five on three advantage is over, but we still have about 40 seconds of power play time left. We really need to convert on this power play. ND has killed off the power play and both teams are back to full strength. ND got off a good shot off that Blackburn stopped, but he didn’t wrap up the puck and it’s bouncing around in front of the ice. We finally got things under control and avoid giving up the easy score, but both teams loose a player to penalties. There hasn’t been much in the line of offense, but Michigan almost got a goal right there, but Kosick missed the open net. Here we go; UM gets another penalty call putting Notre Dame on the power play late in the first period. For those who don’t know ND has the most potent power play in the league and you just don’t want to continue to give them the man advantage or they will make you pay. Well there we got a little break, Hayes was looking to steal the puck and take it back into the ND zone when he was dumped to the ice. The penalty is called against ND, killing off their man advantage. Michigan’s Comrie trying to work it past the ND defense when he was checked from behind putting UM on the power play. I’m not going to give the call back, but that was one terrible call by the official. UM now has about 25 seconds of 5 on 3. UM working the puck around the ND zone, Jillson a shot, Van Ryn a shot, oh the ND goalie finally got the puck in his glove. Now we’re skating 5 on 4, working the puck around the ND zone looking for an opening. ND gets it cleared out and that ends the period. Notre Dame holds a two to nothing lead over Michigan at the end of one.
Well the second period starts with Michigan in that nasty two-goal hole – come on blue I know you’re tired, but lets pick up the pace. I missed a couple of minutes at the start of the period. ND still holds the two to nothing lead. Just as I return to the action Michigan gets called for a bench minor putting ND on the power play. Notre Dame was working the puck around the Michigan zone when Michigan finally got the puck cleared out. Matzka gets free and comes blazing in on the ND goalie, gets off a shot, but the ND goalie stops the shot. Michigan got the rebound, but the goal got knocked off the moorings and play was stopped. Koch gets the puck and passes it up ice to Comrie who gets off a shot. The shot is blocked again. Here comes another Michigan rush with Kosick, Comrie, and Langfeld, there’s a shot, another stop. ND makes a rush into the Michigan zone and gets off a shot, the shot is stopped. The pace does seem to have picked up a bit in this period with both teams moving up and down the ice at a fairly good clip right now. There was a stop by Blackburn on what was a pretty good shot. There’s a shot by Michigan that goes wide. There was a quick shot that Blackburn grabbed onto and held to remove the possibility of the rebound. Both teams have been moving up and down the ice with no real scoring chances. There is a lot of checking going on out there, which is keeping anyone from really getting anything set up. There’s a penalty against ND putting Michigan back on the power play with the face off in the ND end. There was a shot by Michigan, Michigan gets the rebound, there’s another shot that also misses. There are only eight minutes left in this period and under a minute left in this power play – we could really use a goal here to get back into the game. Notre Dame kills off the sixth Michigan power play of the night and retains their two-goal lead. We have settled into this back and forth, checking kind of game with no real scoring chances either way. Michigan is keeping the puck in the ND zone right now trying to get a man free to get a shot off. There was a chance for Michigan, but Rominski’s stick broke and he couldn’t get the shot off. Oh, and here we go, late in the period and we once again we get called for the penalty and put Notre Dame on the power play. Michigan has killed off this ND power play, with just over one minute left in the period. ND got a break away with only a couple of seconds left in the period, he saw the period ending so he took a really long shot which went wide. It’s a good thing the period was all but over because he was all alone and moving toward the net. The second period ends with Notre Dame still holding the two to nothing lead. Michigan holds a slight edge in shots on goal at 19 to 17.
We come to the third period needing two goals to take this game into overtime and three to win it in regulation. We need some offense which we have not had all night and the UM players should really start feeling the effects of last nights game at MSU. Notre Dame comes out putting pressure on the Michigan net, but Blackburn has turned away all comers so far. Michigan got a pass up to Murray right in front of the goal, gets off a shot, but the ND goalie again comes up with a great save to keep UM off the board. However, ND gets called for hooking putting UM on the power play early in the third period. We need to get a goal here in our seventh power play chance. ND gets a break away and gets a shot off, but Blackburn turns the shot away. With just 25 seconds left in the power play both teams loose players to coincidental penalties. Well Notre Dame has killed off the seventh Michigan power play and they still have the two to nothing lead. Both teams have traded shots with Michigan getting the last chance with Koch trying to get a shot off, but he gets tackled. There is no power play as both Koch and a ND player are whistled for penalties and we will now spend the next two minutes skating four on four. There is a long pass ahead to Comrie who gets behind the ND defense, he gets a shot off, and SCORES!! That gets us back to one goal with plenty of time to get the tying and go ahead goal. This makes it a completely different game. There was a shot by ND that hit one goal post, bounced across and hit the other goal post, but didn’t cross the goal line. Michigan ices the puck to take the pressure off, but we dodged a bullet there (maybe the first break we’ve had all night). Comrie gets the puck to Matzka out in front of the ND goal and he just can’t quite reach it to get the shot off. That goal has put some extra energy into the Wolverine legs and they have stepped things up a notch. Michigan continues to put some pressure on the ND goal getting a couple of shots off. The ND goalie finally gets the puck in his glove to stop any UM scoring threat. We are now under ten minutes to go in the period still trailing by one goal. Crozier gets a shot off that gets blocked. UM keeps the puck in the ND zone and keeps working, they get the puck to Hayes who gets it into the net for the tying score. This is a really big goal. We still have eight minutes 49 seconds to get a game-winning goal and that was Hayes first goal since October 16. It’s good to see Bobby get back into the scoring column. Wow the games all tied up and we still have plenty of time to work for that winning goal. Matzka gets the puck ahead to Comrie who gets a shot off, but the ND goalie stops the chance. Michigan gets a bit of a break away and pushes hard toward the ND net. Michigan is really cranking up the pressure. That isn’t what we needed, we get called for another penalty giving ND a power play late in the period. The penalty kill has to step up and do the job here – a short-handed goal would be real nice right now. ND got off a great shot, but Blackburn answered with a great block. Michigan clears it out and almost got the puck ahead to Hayes for a lone break away. ND continues to work the puck around the UM zone looking for the opening. There was a great save by Blackburn, but he doesn’t handle the puck, it rebounds out, and ND punches it into the net for the go ahead goal. There are now less than four minutes left in the period and Michigan is really putting pressure on the ND goal. The ND goalie lost his stick and Michigan was able to keep the puck in, but couldn’t get it into the net. There is a penalty called against ND and Michigan will get their power play chance with around three and one half minutes left in the period. We haven’t scored on the power play in seven tries tonight and right now is the time to change that. Michigan continues to apply pressure in this power play, but they can’t get the puck in the net. Now Huntzicker gets called for a penalty putting ND on the power play. This will put us at four on four for six seconds and then give ND a power play for the remainder of the game. Blackburn with a great save there to stop a ND scoring threat and this time Blackburn holds onto the puck. There is now less than one minute left in the game and we still need a goal to go to overtime. Blackburn leaves the ice putting the extra man on the ice with twenty seconds left. With seven tenths of a second left ND gets called for icing, which will put the face off deep in the Notre Dame zone. Michigan needs to win the face off and take the shot, just that fast. The officials give us a little break here and change the clock to 1.8 seconds. Comrie goes in to take the face off. Comrie wins it clean, they get the shot off, but it just misses the goal. That ends it, we loose 3 to 2.
I just don’t know what to think about the last three games. We played a great game at OSU and end up with a tie. We played a great game at MSU last night and ended up with a tie. We started a little sluggish tonight, not unexpected after the big emotional game last night, but basically play a real good game tonight and end up loosing. So out of six possible points and a chance to take over the lead in the CCHA we end up with only two and stay right where we started – two points behind MSU. All in all I think we played very well. We played three straight games on the road in very hostile environments against three of the top teams in the country. We worked hard, we never gave up, we always had a chance to win the game. The critical problem, as I see it, is our propensity to get called for the penalty at the most damaging times possible in the game. Late in periods, late in games, just always at the most inopportune time giving the opponent the chance to score a goal – chances that more or less the opponent has taken advantage of. There is still a lot of hockey to play in the next month and we’re not in a bad position as far as the CCHA is concerned, especially when you look at MSU’s remaining schedule. MSU will be hard pressed not to drop a game or two in this stretch and we still have one more game of our own against MSU at the Joe. I’d rather be loose or tie these close games now and get the wins in March. Just a reminder Wolverine fans, on Saturday, February 20, 1999 Michigan faces off against MSU at Joe Louis. Tickets are available and can be purchased at Joe Louis or any ticket master outlet. Lets fill the Joe with a sea of maize and blue and really help our team win what could be a league championship game. Until next week – C-ya!!
|