Friday, November 12, 1999

Friday, November 12, 1999, Firstar Center, Cincinnati, Ohio

Tonight is Michigan’s first contest against a team with a winning record. They start this road trip on neutral ice against the Miami Redhawks at the Firstar Center in Cincinnati. For anyone who hasn’t made the connection this is the same building where Michigan won their first NCAA championship in 50 years. That was the overtime thriller against Colorado College back in 1996. The building was then known as Riverfront Coliseum and there are no players on the team who were on that championship team, but it’s still a special place for the Wolverines. I’m sure the coaches can impart the significance of this building to this year’s team. Miami can be expected to play a physical game tonight that’s the style of their new coach. They beat up Bowling Green last weekend and we can’t forget that both Bowling Green and Miami are in our cluster. For those that don’t know what I mean by a cluster refer to my pre-season article where I attempted to explain this new CCHA scheduling process.

There are a few stories surrounding tonight’s game. Of course the big one is the already mentioned National Championship Michigan won in this building back in 1996. Probably the next biggest story involves Jed Ortmeyer and his brother Jake. You see Jake plays for Miami and is back in the lineup after an early season injury. First, the Ortmeyer brothers were the first kids from Omaha to receive Division I scholarships for hockey and tonight will be the first time the brothers have squared off against each other – at least at this level. From all reports Ma Ortmeyer is quite nervous going into tonight’s contest. Mike Comrie comes into tonight’s game having leading the nation with 20 points, having picked up at least a point in each game this year. Let’s hope he can keep it going tonight. For his outstanding seven point weekend last week Comrie was named the CCHA offensive player of the week – way to go Mike!!

On the national front all kinds of craziness has been going on in the polls. North Dakota moved into first place after Maine tied a game last weekend. The strange thing is that North Dakota also tied a game, but they jumped over Maine into the number one spot. The next four places remain unchanged as Boston College, Michigan State, Michigan, and RPI hold steady. Wisconsin and St. Lawrence enter the poll for the first time at numbers 7 and 8 respectively. New Hampshire has now dropped to number nine and Colorado College has dropped from number 9 to number 10. Michigan is still in third place in the CCHA, but they are now only 1 point behind the Broncos of Western Michigan.

The Redhawks should give the Wolverines all they could ask for tonight so lets get to it and see how this one goes.

With just under three minutes gone in the first period the Wolverines are on the power play with the puck in the Miami zone. Miami is able to clear the puck as Michigan looks to get it back and reset. In the Michigan zone Michigan picks up a slashing penalty behind the play killing off the power play. Miami will end up with about 43 seconds of power play time when they come back to full strength. Miami is now back to full strength putting them on a short power play. O’Malley makes a great save as the power play winds down as a Miami player breaks in all on his own. The rebound goes wide ending any chance for a Miami goal off the rebound. Just as the Miami power play is going to expire Miami picks up a penalty and the Wolverines are going back on the power play in four seconds. Miami kills off the power play without giving up a goal. This will be a key match up in tonight’s contest as Miami’s penalty kill has not exactly been brilliant, while Michigan’s power play has been quite good. Not long after the penalty expires Hilbert gets off a great backhand shot that the Miami netminder just stops. The period is now about half over with neither team really getting much going. Miami has a delayed penalty pending against them as Michigan pulls their goalie to get the sixth attacker on the ice. Cammalleri almost gets a pass to Comrie out in front of the net, but it just misses. The Wolverines don’t get the goal on the delay penalty, but they are now back on the power play. Again Comrie almost gets a shot in the Miami net, but it just misses. UM gets a centering pass to Koch who was all alone in front of the Miami net, but the Miami netminder comes up with a great save. Michigan is cranking up the heat on these power play chances. Miami won’t want to give them to many of these chances. That is just what I was trying to say, with the power play winding down Shouneyia gets a pass to Ortmeyer who was all alone in front of the net. Jed takes the puck and buries it in the net, giving Michigan the early lead. Both Shouneyia and Huntzicker pick up assists on this goal. Cammalleri gets a great pass down the ice to Ortmeyer who was behind everyone. The pass was on side, but a Miami player caught up to Jed and pulled him down. Miami gets a break, if you can call putting Michigan back on the power play a break, because they came dangerously close to giving Michigan a penalty shot. Michigan is 1 for 3 so far tonight on the power play and they really need to get this one to back Miami off a little bit. So far Miami has been able to disrupt the UM power play, keeping them from mounting any real scoring threat. Miami kills off the power play and play continues with both teams at full strength. We’re down to about three minutes left in the period with Michigan still holding the one goal lead. That was a great shot as Michigan got a goal, but it got waved off calling Michigan for a man in the crease. The replay clearly shows that the referee made a terrible call on this. The Michigan player in the crease was pushed there by a Miami player. If we had replay in college hockey UM would now have a two-goal lead, but as it is we have only our lone goal. Michigan is really putting some pressure on the Miami goal right now, looking for the opening that will give them that second goal. That ends the first period with Michigan holding the one to nothing goal. They hold a big edge in shots on goal with a 9 to 2 count. It’s not a large number of shots on goal, but they do have a big edge.

Michigan starts the second period with a one-goal lead. The lead doesn’t last long as Miami gets the tying goal seconds into the period to knot this game at one apiece. With just over one minute gone in the period Hilbert shows his patience and gets off a wrist shot that blasts past the Miami goal tender putting Michigan back on top by a goal. This is an unassisted goal. Michigan gets called for interference to give Miami an early power play opportunity. About 30 seconds into this Miami power play Michigan gets called for another penalty giving Miami a two man advantage for about 1 ½ minutes. This is not the way the Wolverines wanted to start this second period. Miami got off a good shot that O’Malley got a piece of. The puck clanged off of the pipe and out of play. Swistak is doing is usual outstanding job of killing penalties. Michigan now has one player back and will get back to full strength in 17 seconds. Michigan kills off all the penalties and Michigan is back at full strength. Now the puck bounces out in front of the Michigan net with no one around. O’Malley comes up with a great save and ends the possible Miami scoring threat before it can get started. Michigan back on the power play looking to get a little cushion on the score. Well we had a power play, but now they call a penalty on the Wolverines killing off the power play. This was a tough one to take, as it was a too many men on the ice call one of those nasty little mental errors you just don’t like to see. Michigan kills off the penalty and is once again at full strength with about nine minutes gone in the period. We are under ten minutes to go in this period and Michigan still hangs onto a one-goal lead. Miami got off a good shot that just sailed over the top of the net. On the transition from this shot Michigan brings it out of their zone, moves into the Miami zone, Jillson gets a great pass to Shouneyia who punches a shot past the Miami netminder to give Michigan a two-goal lead. Assists on this goal went to Jillson and I don’t know. If there was a second assist on this goal I didn’t catch it. I’ll have to wait for tomorrow when I can see the official statistics. As time starts to run out in this period (with about 6 ½ minutes left in the period) Miami gets called for roughing putting Michigan back on the power play. Michigan works the puck around getting some pressure on the Miami goal. Michigan came close on that power play, but came away with no goals. The penalty is now killed off and both teams are once again at full strength. With just under four minutes to go in the period Michigan gets called for yet another penalty giving Miami another power play opportunity. Miami just came real close, they got off a shot that O’Malley stopped, but the puck was bouncing around out in front of the Michigan net. That was a great chance for Miami, but they are unable to take advantage. The Michigan penalty is close to expiring when Comrie gets loose with the puck and gets off a shot, but he is not able to convert. The Michigan penalty is over and we are under two minutes to go in the period. Miami gets another good chance, but O’Malley comes up big again. That ends the second period with Michigan holding the lead with a 3 to 1 score. Michigan still holds the edge in shots on goal, but just barely. Miami really out shot the Wolverines in that period cutting Michigan’s edge in shots on goal to 2 with a 15 to 13 count.

Michigan starts the third period with a two-goal lead and yet another record on the line for Michigan. Michigan has gone 114 games without a loss (110-0-4) when they have been leading after two periods. They go for number 115 tonight. O’Malley somehow lost his stick, if Miami can get loose in here they can catch Michigan at a bit of a disadvantage. Well there it is, Miami gets in on the Michigan goal, gets off a shot which O’Malley does stop, but Miami picks up the rebound and just like that Michigan’s lead is down to one goal. Again Miami starts a period with a quick goal, lets hope they stay true to form and that ends their scoring in this period. Miami has gotten off a couple of more shots and O’Malley has turned them away. Miami still the only team getting any shots and O’Malley comes up with another great save. Miami did pick up a penalty on that play, putting Michigan on the power play for the first time in this period. This would be a great chance to knock a little wind out of Miami’s sails and get that cushion back on the scoreboard. Michigan getting some pressure on the Miami goal, working the puck around, looking for that opening. They get the puck over to Hilbert who again unleashes his wrist shot putting the Wolverines back up by two. This was a power play goal with the assist on this goal going to Mink and Shouneyia. With just over five minutes gone in the period Michigan picks up a penalty putting Miami on the power play. Michigan again kills off the penalty without giving up any goals. As we approach the mid point of the period UM got the puck to Shouneyia show tries to get a shot off, but it goes right into the Miami netminder. Half the period is now gone and Michigan still holds the two goal lead in this contest. Michigan steals the puck and Matzka gets off a shot that just goes wide. The puck rebounds off the boards all the way back to center ice and now we have a couple of players tied up on the ice. Lets see who gets penalties out of this – both teams loose a player as we move under eight minutes to go in the game. Just after the face off a Miami player throws a punch at Kosick and he goes into the penalty box. Michigan now on the power play, skating 4 on 3. Michigan really putting some pressure on the goal. Comrie has gotten off a shot that was just stopped, now Jillson gets off a shot that is again just stopped. Wow they continue to work the puck in toward the Miami goal, but the Miami netminder has turned away all shots so far. Now all the penalties are over and both teams are back at full strength. With just under five minutes left in the period a bit of pushing and shoving takes place. Lets see who gets called on this one – both teams’ loose two players. All the penalties were coincidental as we continue to skate 5 on 5. Miami picks up another penalty putting Michigan back on the power play as this game begins to wind down. Things are starting to get a little ugly out there and Peach is now going into the box. That takes Michigan off the power play. This penalty comes with less than two minutes left in the game so Michigan will end this game on the penalty kill. Miami pulls their goaltender putting the sixth attacker on the ice – this gives them a two-man advantage with Miami already on the power play. Fifty-two seconds left in the period and Miami is looking to get the quick goal, but the clock begins to run out on them. Koch and Matzka come close to getting an open net goal, but they loose control of the puck. Well Michigan hangs on to end the game with a two-goal lead winning by a score of 4 to 2. Even thought they won the battle on the scoreboard Miami won the shots on goal battle by a 24 to 21 count.

Well some streaks were extended and some others ended tonight in Cincinnati. Mike Comrie failed to pick up a point in a game for the first time this year. Miami was all over him when he was on the ice, but even so he came close a couple of times. He is still having a great start to this year and I’m sure he’ll get back in the point column in short order. Miami learned the hard way what happens to you when you concentrate too much on one offensive threat on this Michigan team. While Miami concentrated on taking Comrie off his game the freshmen once again step up picking up all kinds of points in this game. Andy Hilbert was a force to be reckoned with tonight as he picks up two goals on the night. John Shouneyia picks up three points with a goal and two assists. Swistak was again all over the place on the power play and Cammalleri was working hard to set things up. The last couple of years Michigan has only had one or two real scoring threats on the ice at one time (at least consistent threats). This year with this class of freshmen if an opponent focuses on one player, like Comrie, these freshmen will hurt them where it matters – on the scoreboard. Michigan extends their undefeated streak when leading after two periods to 115 games. That record is now 111-0-4, that’s is really quite an accomplishment. At the end of the night, not a bad night by the Wolverines. They took a few more penalties than would be desirable and got outshot, but they played hard and came out on top on the scoreboard. Michigan’s power play continues to convert and their penalty kill is just as outstanding. Well that about wraps it up as we move down the road about 20 miles to Oxford where we will play these same Redhawks on Saturday night in the second game of this two game series. Look for another close one, but if Michigan plays their game they should come out on top. Until then C-ya!!