Saturday, December 2, 2000

Saturday, December 2, 2000, Berry Events Center, Marquette, Michigan

Going into this weekend I viewed this game as a test for Michigan to see if they could put two solid weekends of hockey together. Last night they passed the first half of the test, now it comes to Saturday. Saturday night, after a big Friday night win, was a problem for the Wolverines for most of November. Can Michigan stay focused against Northern tonight after beating them as badly as they did last night? I don’t believe it’s a question of talent, just a question of coming prepared to play. If the Wolverines come to play, they will be just fine; if they don’t it could be a long night. Burnes is definitely out for tonight’s game, but his ribs appear to be severely bruised, not cracked. While he is probably out for the next couple of weeks we should get him back by the end of the month. To pick up the slack Bob Gassoff should see more playing time. As these injuries mount the desire that crosses my mind is to get to the mid-season break so the players can heal. In other injury news Wyzgowski returned to practice this week, but did not make the trip to Marquette. We’ll know shortly how the Wolverines will respond to last nights convincing win and how the Wildcats will respond to that resounding defeat.

The Wildcats start a different goalie for tonight’s game as they put their more experienced netminder in the game. Michigan has gotten a few shots off in the first few minutes of this game, none of them really excellent, but they are pushing the puck toward the net. Gassoff gets tangled up with a Wildcat and gets himself two minutes of penalty time – the Wildcat player also joins Gassoff in the penalty box for two minutes. While Gassoff is a player who will mix it up, he has to keep his cool with Michigan playing just five defensemen. Michigan had taken a shot that was blocked, but the Wildcats picked up the rebound. With the puck the Wildcats rushed into the Michigan zone when the Wolverines picked up a hooking penalty to put Northern on the power play. The teams will skate four on three until the first penalties expire, then five on four. The first penalty is now expired and the teams are skating five on four. Northern is working the puck around the Michigan zone quite well, but then it gets cleared out as a shot bounces off a player and down the ice. Michigan has killed off the Northern power play and the Wolverines are again skating at full strength. We are now half way through the first period with no score in this game as both teams have had some scoring chances, but so far no one has been able to capitalize. Michigan almost got the opening they needed as Michigan got a clearing pass down the ice to a streaking Koch. Koch took the puck in and got off a shot that got past the Northern netminder, but it hit a post and bounced clear. Ortmeyer has now picked up a penalty to put Northern back on the power play. This is the kind of thing that Michigan has been pretty good at avoiding the last few games – taking penalties. Now with an even thinner defense they seem determined to give Northern as many man advantage situations as they can. Michigan is again able to kill off the Northern power play, but we cannot give them to many chances or it will hurt us. We move into the final five minutes of this period with both teams continuing to battle up and down the ice. Both teams just miss making big plays as people in scoring chances miss passes to keep the score tied at zero. We are in the final minute of this first period with both teams looking for a late period opening. The first period comes to an end with the score tied at zero. Michigan holds a very slight lead in shots on goal with a 9 to 8 count.

Blackburn is having to keep Michigan in the game in the early going of the second period as Northern is bringing the heat to start this second period. With the majority of the play taking place in the Michigan zone in the first few minutes of this period, it comes as a bit of surprise to see Michigan on the power play, but that’s what we have as Northern gets called for a penalty. Michigan working the puck trying to find that opening to get a score, but the power play comes to an end with no goals being scored. Even though they didn’t score on the power play, it does seem to have put a little more zip in their legs as Michigan continues to put some pressure on the Northern goal. As we started to approach the mid-point of this period Hilbert got a shot off after the Wolverines won a face off. This shot was blocked, but Cammalleri was there for the rebound and he put the puck in the net to give Michigan the one goal lead. Assists on this goal went to Koch and Hilbert. It didn’t take long for the Wildcats to answer as they get a screen shot past Blackburn just seconds after the Michigan goal. Both teams battle up and down the ice for almost thirty minutes and then suddenly we have pucks going into the nets at both ends of the ice. We move under the mid-point of this period with the score still tied, but this time at one goal apiece instead of zero. A close one there as Blackburn came up with a save, but the puck dropped down in the crease. Trainor was able to clear the puck out, as Blackburn had to retrieve his stick, which had gotten away from him on the prior stop. Shouneyia breaks in on the Northern goal and gets off a shot, but it is blocked. Then Swistak gets the rebound and gets a shot off, but that goes wide. Then Michigan gets another shot, but still can’t find twine. Then on a line change Michigan gets called for having too many men on the ice and Northern goes on the power play. With the Northern power play about to expire the Wildcats pick up a penalty of their own and the Wolverines will have a power play chance of their own in about 15 seconds as we approach the four-minute mark of this period. Michigan now on the power play looking for the go ahead goal late in this second period. Langfeld has had a couple of good chances in this power play, but both of them have been turned away. Michigan continues to keep the pressure on, but so far they have not been able to crack the Northern goal a second time. We move under the two-minute mark of this period and now Northern moves into the Michigan zone. We are in the final minute of play with a face off coming in the Northern zone to the left of the goal. The second period comes to an end with the score tied at one goal apiece. Michigan continues to lead in shots on goal, barely, with a 17 to 14 count.

Michigan hasn’t gotten as many shots on goal as they normally do so it would be good to see them crank it up a notch in this final period. Of course some of that is due the much better play of the Wildcats in this game. The winner of this game will be decided in the final twenty minutes of this game, so let’s get to it. Cammalleri took the puck away and he had Hilbert with him, but Hilbert got tied up and couldn’t get a shot off. Hilbert just missed on a shot from a face off that was just tipped causing it sail over the cross bar. We have moved under the fourteen-minute mark of this period and the score remains tied at one goal apiece. Both teams continue to battle up and down the ice. Michigan has probably had the better scoring chances so far in this period, but so far they have been unable to get the puck past the Northern netminder. Michigan continues to get shots right from the face off as Ortmeyer gets his chance, but like everyone before him he cannot connect. Hilbert gets loose again and just misses the top corner. Then Jillson gets a shot off that gets blocked, but this time Hilbert is right there for the rebound and Michigan takes the one goal lead with just over eleven minutes to go in the game. Assists on this goal went to Jillson and Roemensky. Now Michigan needs to keep the heat on and get a little breathing room. Northern got a little break away, but Blackburn comes up with a great save to preserve the Michigan lead. Blackburn comes up with another save as Northern is putting a little pressure on the Wolverine goal as we move under the nine-minute mark in regulation time. Northern isn’t going to go away tonight as they work the puck right down on the Wolverine net and once again tie the game on a little give and go. Mink got free on a break away got off a shot, but it just went wide of the goal. We are now under the seven-minute mark in this period with the score still tied at two goals apiece. Michigan was moving into the Wildcat zone when Koch gets called for boarding to give Northern a power play chance late in the period – this was a bad penalty to take with just under six minutes to go in regulation time and the score tied. There was a shot that went off the side of the goal, whew! There was another shot, but Blackburn covers it up to stop the threat. With one second left in the Koch penalty additional penalties are called, two Wildcats and two Wolverines head to the sin bin. One of the Wildcats picked up an extra penalty so when Koch comes back Michigan will be on the power play. Michigan working the puck around the Wildcat zone with about three minutes left in regulation time. With about 20 seconds left in the Michigan power play there will be a face off in the Northern zone. With the power play expiring Michigan got a shot off, but both teams will skate full strength with 1:49 to go in regulation time. We move into the final minute of play and Northern gets a shot off that Blackburn blocks, but lets the rebound get away. Blackburn also stops the rebound shot and now we have a face off in the Michigan zone. The game comes to an end with the score tied at two goals apiece; we have overtime for the third time in four games in Marquette. Northern out shot the Wolverines 12 to 7 in the final period giving Northern the edge in shots on goal at the end of regulation with a 26 to 24 count.

We will have five minutes of sudden victory overtime, if nobody wins we end up with a tie in conference play. Michigan with the puck in the Northern zone to start this overtime period looking for the game winner. Langfeld gets a backhand shot off that the Wildcat netminder grabs onto and we will have a face off in the Northern zone. We are now down to the final three minutes of the overtime period with both teams looking for that opening. Another face off coming in the Northern zone with 2:15 left in overtime. Northern gets called for icing with exactly one minute to go in overtime and the face off will come back to the right of the Northern goal. Northern takes a time out that will give everyone a little time to rest before going into the final minute of play. Cammalleri won the draw got it back to Hilbert who got a shot off, but it was blocked. Michigan has had a couple of good shots in the late going, but so far they have all been turned away. The game comes to an end with the score still tied at two goals apiece. It was all Michigan in the third as they get seven shots on goal, but they cannot get one in the net. The game ends with Michigan holding the edge in shots with a 31 to 26 count.

Not exactly the way the Wolverines would have liked to see this weekend go as they get the win on Friday and have to settle for a tie on Saturday. Certainly the Wildcats played a much better game tonight after getting man handled by the Wolverines last night. Michigan played a hard game, but certainly didn’t take advantage of some scoring chances that they had, both in regulation and overtime. When you look at the number of shots they allowed in this game you can’t help but wonder if the loss of all those defensemen is starting to catch up with the Wolverines. Well that’s the last of the CCHA games for the first half of the season. Michigan has just three games left before the Christmas break. Next weekend we have two games against St. Lawrence and the final game of the first half is an exhibition game on December 12^th against the US development team. Next weeks games against St. Lawrence are important because they are out of conference and we want to do well against non-conference teams to improve our NCAA tournament position. Until next week, C-ya.