Wednesday, December 29, 1999

Wednesday, December 29, 1999, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan

It’s once again time for the Great Lakes Invitational tournament held every year for the last 34 years (this is the 35^th annual tournament). Michigan opens up the GLI against the Lakers of Lake Superior State. Lake State also recently swept the Wolverines at Yost Arena giving the Lakers perhaps a little more confidence than they might normally have going into this game. Michigan goes into this game missing five of their top line players for a variety of reasons. Jeff Jillson and Andy Hilbert are both playing in Sweden at the World Junior Championships, Geoff Koch is out with a groin injury, Josh Blackburn is out with "buckeye toe", and Mike Comrie is serving a one game suspension for fighting in his last game. Now we have played all year without Josh and we have even played a game or two here and there without one or more of these other players. However, we have not played a game with all of these guys out of a game at the same time. You have to consider the Wolverines to be an underdog in this game and certainly in this tournament. As a Wolverine fan I see three keys to our winning this game. First, Scarpace has to have an outstanding game in net – I have not yet heard the starting line up, but I am assuming that Scarpace will start in goal. Second, the line with the seasoned veterans – Mark Kosick, Josh Langfeld, and Scott Matzka – has to step up and lead the way. Kosick and Langfeld have been in a bit of slump most of this year, but they seemed to break out in the last weekend of 1^st half conference play. Let’s hope that wasn’t a one-weekend break out and they are really ready to have a great second half; starting today. Finally, we need to see a freshman or two step up. Perhaps Cammalleri or Shouneyia or Mink, well you get the picture. One of two of these younger guys needs to step up and have a great game. I like Michigan’s chances in this tournament precisely because they do have their backs to the wall. Lets go blue and bring the GLI hardware back to Ann Arbor.

That’s the kind of start Michigan needed. Michigan was working the puck down toward the net (the seasoned veterans) where Matzka got off a shot. That shot was blocked, but Kosick was right there to pick up the rebound and put it in the net. With less than one minute gone in the period Michigan takes the early 1 to nothing lead. Assists on this goal were given to both Matzka and Langfeld. Lake State has beaten Michigan the last four times they have met. In each of those games Lake State scored first and went on to win. With Michigan getting on the board first this might mean a difference in the game outcome. The Wolverines continue to put pressure on the Lake State goal forcing Lake State to ice the puck just to relieve pressure. Michigan has gotten off a couple of decent shots that have been turned away. There is big shot from out by the blue line (after a turn over by Michigan). Scarpace knocks it down, but it rebounds. Before a Laker can put it into the net Scarpace grabs it off a Laker stick and ends the scoring threat. With five minutes gone in the first the Lakers get called for the first penalty of the game putting Michigan on the power play. Michigan has been putting some pressure on the Laker net during this power play, but so far they have been unable to get any shots into the net. Well that ends the power play; behind the play Murray gets called for a slash putting both teams at even with four apiece. I stand corrected, there were offsetting coincidental penalties called leaving Michigan on the power play. The power play expires with Michigan unable to draw any fresh blood. Great save by Scarpace; it looks like L.J. is picking up where he left off. With around 11 minutes left in the period Lake State will now get their first chance at the power play as Michigan got a little sloppy with their play and got called for interference. After a series of penalties Michigan is now going back on the power play as they return to full strength. While on the power play Huntzicker gave the puck away and Lake State had a golden opportunity, but they were unable to take advantage. Michigan now back on the attack, but Michigan is once again called for a penalty ending their power play and setting up Lake State to have about a minute and fifty second power play. Wow Lake State got a couple of good chances on that power play, but Michigan was able to kill off the power play and hold onto their one goal lead. Another great save by Scarpace to maintain Michigan’s lead. Late in the first period coincidental penalties are called one to each team. Wow, what a play. Lake State got a two on one break and Scarpace came up with yet another great save to end another Laker scoring threat. Inside one minute to go the Lakers put a final furious attack on the Michigan net, but they get called for a penalty. Michigan will get 22 seconds of power play time to finish this period and if they don’t score they will start the second period with just over 1-½ minutes of power play time. Michigan just got close to scoring their second goal of the game, but just missed. That ends the first period with Michigan leading by a score of 1 to nothing. They also hold the edge in shots on goal with a 16 to 10 count.

The Wolverines start the second period with about 1-½ minutes of power play. A goal on this power play would be a great lift for Michigan so let’s hope they come out flying. Well there won’t be any power play goal, with about one minute left in the power player Langfeld gets called for hitting from behind putting both teams at even strength for about a minute and then the Lakers will get a one minute power play. The Lakers now on the power play looking to even up the score. Michigan is now back at full strength after killing off the latest Laker power play. The Wolverines left a loose puck out in front of the net and this time the Lakers took advantage to draw even at one goal apiece. Michigan needs to get it back right now so Lake State doesn’t get any real momentum going in this game. That’s just what we needed. Shouneyia got loose, fed the puck down to Merrick, who blasted the puck home to put Michigan back out in front. Merrick got his only goal of the year last year in the GLI and here he is scoring yet again in this tournament. Shouneyia got the lone assist on the goal. Shortly after the goal Michigan gets called for another penalty giving the Lakers their fourth power play opportunity of the game. Dang it all, that didn’t take hardly any of the power play time as the Lakers get the score back to even. It might have gone off a Michigan stick, but none the less this game is once again tied at two apiece. Again Michigan needs to get back on the board to take any wind out of Lake States sails (and end these bloody penalties). The Lakers really putting some pressure on the Michigan net as Michigan is looking to get a line change. Michigan doesn’t seem to be doing anything right at this time. They have missed a couple of chances and now with around ten minutes left in the period they get called for yet another penalty. Let’s hope they can kill this one off without suffering any more damage. This time Michigan kills off the penalty, but the Lakers had the puck and almost got a score just after the penalty expired. One of those obstruction-hooking calls is made and the Wolverines will get their fourth power play chance of this game. They haven’t connected on a power play yet and they could really use one right now. There was a great chance and shot for Murray, but the Laker netminder comes up with a great save of his own. Michigan cycling well, but they can’t get a good look at the net. Well Michigan is unable to do anything with this power play, they came close but couldn’t convert. We are down to the last minute of this period with the Lakers looking for a late charge, but Ortmeyer breaks it up. Well the second period ends with the score all tied up a two apiece. The Wolverines still hold the edge in shots on goal with a 22 to 14 count.

Well we are ready to go in the third period and the score, for all intents and purposes is zero to zero. Whoever wins this period wins the game, unless of course we go to overtime – which we don’t want to do. So far both teams have been up and down the ice with no real scoring threat as we move under 17 minutes to go in this period. Michigan gets called for yet another penalty and they must kill this off. Scarpace comes up with a great save as the power play is almost killed off. Another save by Scarpace, but the Wolverines have killed of the penalty. With half the period gone (10:44) we are still all tied up a two apiece. Both teams have had a couple of good shots, but neither team has been able to find twine. Just as we move under seven minutes Vancik is hauled down putting Michigan on the power play. If ever there was a time for Michigan to convert on a power play this is it. A wild scramble for the puck in front of the Laker net, but no one is able to get at it. There is a huge shot from Sean Peach from the right point that gets through everyone and the Senior Captain comes up with a gigantic score to put Michigan back on top. Peach gets the power play goal with assists going to Ortmeyer and Cammalleri. Big, big power play goal lets GO BLUE. Let’s kill off the last six minutes of this game. We are now under five minutes to go in the game and both teams are skating hard up and down the ice. We just slid under four minutes to go in this game and it looks like a couple of penalties are going to be called. It appears that the only penalty being called is against Langfeld putting Lake State on the power play late in this game. Just like we needed that last power play goal badly we need to kill this one off. Michigan clears the puck out of their zone taking the pressure off for a minute. The Lakers turn it around quick, then Michigan gets the puck, but they give it away right in front of the net and the Lakers tie the game up once again on their second power play goal of the game. The STUPID penalty by Langfeld costs the Wolverines big in this game, he should know better. Now Michigan has to play with desperation and retake the lead in this game and end it in regulation. Scarpace comes up with a huge save, as the Lakers are able to pass it way ahead and get behind the Michigan defense. We have 1:45 left to go in this game and so far the Lakers are keeping the puck in the Michigan zone. Scarpace comes up with another great save as the defense breaks down again. We are under one minute to go in regulation with Michigan trying to get a charge. Michigan has a face off in the Laker zone with 40 seconds left in regulation. That ends the regulation time in this game and it’s all tied up at three apiece. Michigan still holds the edge in shots on goal with a 31 to 22 count.

The overtime period is up. Since this is a tournament and they need a winner it will be a twenty-minute sudden victory overtime period. If still tied at the end of this there will be another break and we will play another twenty minutes. We will keep doing this until one of the team’s scores. You have to hope for a quick Michigan score so we don’t have to skate to far into this overtime period. After being off for two weeks we don’t have the legs to go into a long overtime and then come back tomorrow and play another game. Michigan needs to score quickly, if they let Lake State hang around in this game they will just get more and more confident. The Lakers get called for icing right off the bat in the OT period and there will be a face off in the Laker zone. So far the Lakers have been all over the puck keeping the Wolverines back on their heels. Mink with a couple of good shots, they were turned away, but at least we got some pressure on the Lake State goal. We’ve gone through almost five minutes of this overtime period and we are still tied up. There will be a face off in the Michigan zone, they get the puck, get a centering pass, and a shot, but it goes just wide. Michigan dodged a bullet on that one. Michigan gets called for icing, bringing the face off back into the Michigan zone. Michigan just misses a scoring chance and the Lakers come back the other way in a hurry. With half the overtime period over both teams are just going back and forth, up and down the ice. Each team has had their chances and so far there haven’t been any goals. It would seem the officials aren’t going to call any penalties unless blood is drawn. A couple of Wolverines have been dragged down when in scoring position and there have been no calls. Michigan dodges a bullet as Gassoff gives the puck away right in front of the UM net. Now there is a face off in the Laker zone, each face off in an overtime is important. Michigan just missed a golden opportunity. Now Huntzicker gets off a big shot, the rebound comes out, Matzka gets the puck, takes a shot that hits the post and falls right on the goal line. Kosick, once again in the right place at the right time, bangs the loose puck over the line, into the net and scores the winning goal. Assists were given to Matzka and Huntzicker. Wow what a finish, it took about 14 minutes of overtime to do it (which is way more than we wanted to play), but we got the win. Michigan wins the game in overtime by a score of 4 to 3. Michigan ended the game with a ten shot advantage in shots on goal with a 36 to 26 count.

Well Michigan fans I guess the hockey team has been watching the basketball team and decided that a little heart failure would do Michigan fans good (I don’t agree). Well I almost got all three of my key items met for tonight’s game. The line of Kosick, Langfeld, and Matzka came up big tonight accounting for the first and last goals of the game. Scarpace had a pretty good night, he gave up three goals, but a couple of those goals you can lay at the feet of the defense (or lack thereof). A couple of the freshmen had some decent games. I was looking for a goal or two from them, but I guess they were in there mixing things up. So kind of a 2 ½ out of 3. How about some statistics – we all like statistics right? Michigan is now 15-0 when they score 3 or more goals in a game (this year). This was Michigan’s seventh overtime game in the GLI, the last one coming back in 1988. The overtime game in 1988 was in the finals, against North Dakota, after North Dakota had won the National Championship in 1987. Michigan is now in their twelfth straight GLI final. Michigan’s last semi-final loss in the GLI was back in 1987. Michigan ends the Laker winning streak over Michigan at four, beating the Lakers for the first time in five attempts.

That’s all for tonight, I’m spent, they won the game, but it certainly wasn’t easy. Michigan plays in the championship game tomorrow night against the winner of the game between Michigan State and Michigan Tech (on tap next). Until tomorrow, C-ya!!