Friday, February 16, 2001

Friday, February 16, 2001, Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

After another weekend of low scoring the lines were shifted again with the starting line up for tonight’s game consisting of seniors (Matzka, Kosick, Langfeld, and Huntzicker). The fifth player filling out the defense was Jillson, but overall it was a fitting lineup since tonight was senior night. While it was the Wolverines who carried the play in the early going of this game it would be Notre Dame who would draw first blood. The Irish found themselves on the power play after the Wolverines took the first penalty of the game. While on this power play Notre Dame found the net and scored the games first goal, just about one-minute into this power play. It appeared that Blackburn would stop the shot, however, it deflected off another player in close to the goal and Blackburn could not stop it.

The period would be half over before the Wolverines would get their first chance on the power play. Even after going on the power play Michigan was unable to mount any offensive push and the power play expired without a Michigan goal. The Wolverines would get a couple of decent chances at the Notre Dame goal during this period, but when all was said and done the period would end with Notre Dame holding the 1 to nothing lead. Shots on goal were very even, but Michigan held the slight edge with an 8 to 7 count.

A Notre Dame penalty late in the first period led to the Wolverines starting the second period with 1:47 of power play time. While both Langfeld and Kosick came close to scoring (with great chances) Notre Dame was able to hold the line and hold onto their one goal lead. However, shortly after the Irish killed off the initial power play they once again found themselves killing off a power play. This time the Wolverines did not waste the opportunity, scoring their first goal of the game just seconds into the power play. The goal went to Jillson with assists going to Cammalleri and Hilbert.

Michigan would give the Irish a power play chance of their own shortly following their tying goal, but the Wolverines were able to kill the Irish power play. The Wolverines would continue to apply pressure on the Irish goal and this time it would be Langfeld and Matzka who would come close to adding to the Wolverines lead. Finally, as the midpoint of the period approached the Wolverines were once again able to beat the Irish netminder. This goal went to Langfeld with assists going to Matzka and Roemensky.

The Wolverines would find themselves killing off another penalty, a really bad call against Gassoff, who for once got called for a penalty that really wasn’t deserved. Michigan was able to kill off the penalty, when, with time running out, the Irish would get hit with a penalty of their own. Just ten seconds into this power play the Irish were called for a second penalty giving the Wolverines a five on three advantage for 1:50. After making some great passes the Wolverines finally worked the puck around to Jillson who blasted the puck into the net to extend the Wolverine lead. The shot went top shelf, over the Irish goaltenders right shoulder, with assists going to Shouneyia and Mink.

Notre Dame would get back within one goal with just under five minutes remaining when the Wolverines suffered a defensive break down. An Irish player, coming out of the sin bin, was able to take the puck in all alone on Blackburn and score the second goal of the night for the Irish.

It would again be the power play that would move Michigan back to a two-goal lead. This time, after skating on a long delay, Notre Dame was called for obstruction tripping to give the Wolverines a late power play chance. With just 34 seconds gone in the power play Michigan was able to get the puck toward the net where Langfeld re-directed it into the Irish goal. Assists on this goal went to Cammalleri and Hilbert and the Wolverines were again up by two. The second period came to an end with Michigan on top by a score of 4 to 2. The Wolverines also took a commanding lead in shots on goal as they out shot the Irish 24 to 7 in the period to take a 32 to 14 lead in shots on goal.

Notre Dame would get an early power play chance in the third period that would almost prove beneficial to the Wolverines. While Michigan held off the Irish power play attack, Matzka got free on a break that almost led to a short handed goal by Michigan. However, it would be Notre Dame that would continue to put pressure on the Michigan goal. With just over fifteen minutes left Michigan again found itself killing off a penalty. While on the power play Notre Dame worked the puck around the Michigan zone to set up a wide-open back door shot. This goal got Notre Dame back within one goal and gave the Irish quite an emotional lift.

As the period moved under the mid-point it would be Notre Dame killing off a penalty and the Wolverines looking to extend their lead with a power play goal. However, it would be the Irish would take advantage while on special teams. While trying to move the puck out of their zone the Wolverines mishandled the puck, turning it over, and giving the Irish a clean break on the Michigan zone. Blackburn blocked the initial shot, but another Irish player, following the original charge, was right there to poke the rebound into the goal. This short-handed goal by Notre Dame tied the game and that’s the way regulation time would end, the score all tied at four goals apiece. Michigan still held their lead in shots on goal with a 41 to 24 count.

A five-minute overtime period was played, but neither team was able to score a game-winning goal. The game came to an end with the score still tied at four goals apiece. Michigan ended the game with a 44 to 26 edge in shots on goal.

This game can be added to the ever growing list of games that Michigan has let slip away over the course of the year. A team that has a total of eight wins this year hasn’t seen the winning side of the ledger in Yost in years, and yet they come into Yost on senior night no less and leave with a tie. The Irish have to consider this as good as a win, while the Wolverines should see this as a loss. Michigan not only gave away the chance to gain two points on the Spartans, who lost to Western; they gave a game away in the third period. None of these things can be considered confidence builders as Michigan prepares to take on the Spartans on Saturday night. This game could well be another of those that the Wolverines look back on at the end of March and wonder what if. What if we hadn’t lost or tied those games against teams that we should have beaten? What if indeed.

Week in Review

Even though the Wolverines had a less than stellar outing last weekend they still moved into fourth position in the Pairwise Power Rankings. If this truly mirrors the actual power rankings used by the NCAA this would give Michigan a first round bye in the NCAA tournament. This year the top four teams in the power rankings automatically get the byes in the first round of the tournament. Michigan State continues to hold down the number spot in the power rankings, while Western Michigan has fallen to number fourteen (putting them out of the NCAA tournament). The CCHA has four more teams between sixteen and twenty-five, but they would all be out of the tournament.

Going into this weekend the Wolverines are still in second place, trailing the first place Spartans by five points. Miami and Nebraska are tied for third with Ohio State and Western currently tied for the fifth and final home ice spot in the CCHA tournament. The race, especially for spots three through nine, continues to be tight and a lot of changes can take place over the final five games of the season. While Michigan State, Michigan, Miami, Nebraska, Ohio State, and Northern Michigan have all clinched playoff spots, only the Spartans have clinched home ice. The final five games will decide many things as no team is currently eliminated from playoff contention.

While no Wolverine received player of the week awards there were several Wolverines who were tabbed as notable performers after last weekend. Josh Blackburn was the first notable performer for his 43 stops (.955) on the weekend against Northern. Joe Kautz also made the list for his play on the Michigan penalty kill, responsible for shutting down the Northern power play unit all weekend. The last Wolverine to be tabbed as a notable performer was Mark Mink for his scoring punch during the Friday night contest against the Wildcats.

Friday night’s game against Northern was the 700^th for coach Berenson behind the bench of the Wolverines. For the fourth game in a row Michigan had three different players involved in goal scoring, with Mink, Kosick, and Hilbert all scoring for the Wolverines. The Saturday night shut out by the Wildcats was the second time this season that Michigan has been shut out at home.

Going into this weekends action Notre Dame plays just one game, the Friday night contest against the Wolverines. Michigan beat the Irish 9-0 in their first meeting of the season back in January. Notre Dame hasn’t won at Yost during the regular season since 1982. Notre Dame is 1-17-0 at Yost since 1982 and the January defeat was their worst at Yost since 1996. Michigan has won three straight games over Notre Dame and has 7-2-1 in their last ten against the Irish.

Saturday night’s game against Michigan State will be the third meeting of the season between the Spartans and the Wolverines. The last meeting between these two teams was January 27 at Joe Louis Arena, which the Wolverines won by a score of 4-3 in overtime. This win by the Wolverines snapped a 23 game unbeaten streak for the Spartans. Michigan State has not lost consecutive games to Michigan since the 1995-96 season.

It goes without saying that this Saturday night’s game against Michigan State is the big game of the weekend for Michigan. That being said the Wolverines cannot afford to look past the Irish on Friday night or they could once again find themselves on the loosing end of a game they should have won. The game against Michigan State on Saturday will go a long way toward deciding the CCHA regular season champion. A win by Michigan State will, for all intents and purposes, hand the championship to the Spartans. A win by the Wolverines and Michigan stays in the hunt.