Michigan Out Lasts Bowling Green

Saturday, January 26, 2002
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

After losing to Bowling Green last night in embarrassing fashion Michigan was looking to get back in the win column tonight. They started this game with more intensity than they showed in the entire game last night. Through the first five minutes of play Michigan had kept the puck almost exclusively in the Falcon zone, but they only managed to get two shots at the goal. Michigan circled and passed, constantly looking for an opening, but could find few of them.

After basically dominated play through the first seven minutes Bowling Green got the puck off a Michigan turnover, pushing deep into the Michigan zone. In a strange turn of events a Falcon found himself all alone with the puck to the right of Blackburn and taking the Falcons first shot on goal scored the games first goal. After all that work, keeping the puck in the Falcon zone for all that time, and Bowling Green comes up with the first goal of the game on their first shot of the game.

Both teams would battle up and down the ice with neither team getting any real good scoring chances until Michigan finally got on the board with about six and a half minutes left in the period. Coming out of their own zone a cross ice pass got the puck to Komisarek skating hard up the press box side of the ice. Entering the Falcon zone he found himself all alone and let fly a monster slap shot. The Falcon goal tender stopped the shot, but it bounced off his pads right back to Komisarek who banged it again, putting the puck in the wide open net. Assists on the goal went to Ryznar and Vancik.

There were a number of penalties called as the clock moved under the four minute mark of the period with the end result being a Bowling Green power play. Michigan killed off the power play and the period came to an end with the score all tied up at one goal each. The Wolverines held a slight edge in shots on goal with an eight to four count.

The action continued in the second period with Michigan once again applying pressure on the Falcon zone in the early going. Michigan came close to scoring a couple of times in the early minutes, but was just off target. Just over three minutes into the period Bowling Green was called for a penalty putting Michigan on the power play. With forty five seconds gone in the power play Bowling Green was called for a second penalty giving Michigan a two man advantage for over one minute. Working the puck around the Falcon zone Michigan came close to notching their second goal of the game several times, but again were turned away. Finally, with one second left in the two man advantage Michigan would find the opening and fire the puck into the net for their first lead of the weekend. The goal was scored by Nystrom with assists going to Woodford and Komisarek. Since the goal with time still left in the initial penalty the Wolverines stayed on the power play and it looked like Ryznar was going to score the puck lay right in front of the goal with nothing but net in front of it. However, the Falcon defenders were all over Ryznar and he could not get his stick down to take the shot.

Michigan's lead would be short lived as Bowling Green would once again tie the game with just under thirteen minutes left to play in the period. Making a great pass to get the puck down deep and in close the waiting Falcon quickly lifted the puck up and over Blackburns shoulder before he could react and once again the game was tied.

It looked like Michigan might end the period with the lead when once again the puck ended up sitting on the ice right in front of the goal with just forty seconds left to play in the period. However, once again Michigan couldn't get to the puck and the seemingly easy goal was never realized. The period came to an end with the score all tied at two goals each. Michigan continued to hold their slight edge in shots on goal with an eighteen to twelve count.

Michigan got a great chance to regain the lead when Bowling Green was called for a penalty just eighteen seconds into the third period, but things didn't work out very well for the Wolverines. With about half the power play over Michigan turned the puck over, giving Bowling Green a clean break on the Wolverine zone. Blackburn came up with a great save to turn away the Falcon scoring chance, but the Wolverines were called for a penalty ending their power play chance and setting up Bowling Green for a power play of their own. In the end all of the penalties were killed off and the action resumed up and down the ice.

Both teams continued the battle up and down the ice and it was looking more an more like the game was going to overtime when Bowling Green made a late mistake to put Michigan on the power play. With just over six minutes left in the game Michigan found itself on the power play, looking for a goal to win the game. Try though they might the Wolverines could not find that goal and the power play ended.

With three and a half minutes left to play and both teams at full strength Michigan would finally get that game winner. Once again the play would start in the Michigan zone. Bringing the puck up out of their own zone with some crisp passing Michigan would once again get the puck to Komisarek who was skating down the bench side of the ice. Once again skating the puck into the Falcon zone, Komisarek set himself in the slot, wound up, and sent another blistering shot toward the Bowling Green net that beat the Falcon netminder clean giving Michigan the lead. The lone assist on the goal went to Shouneyia.

Bowling Green would pull their goalie with about thirty seconds left in the game, but the extra attacker would do them no good as the Komisarek goal held up as the game winner. The game would end with Michigan getting the win by a three to two score. The Wolverines ended the game with a very slight edge in shots on goal with a twenty five to twenty three count.

The Wolverines got back on the winning track tonight after playing a hard working game. They didn't score a lot of goals, but they worked very hard for the entire game. Even with Bowling Green getting goals after Michigan controlled the play in both the first and second periods Michigan never gave up or got down. They just came back and kept working hard. While there is certainly room for improvement the Michigan hockey team at least showed up for this game and got a hard fought and much needed win. There was a bit of a scuffle at the end of the game, but I'm not sure if anything will come of it. There was some pushing and shoving, heated words, and some helmets came off, so I suppose there could be a game disqualification or two handed out, but that information was not available at the end of the game. Next up for Michigan is Lake Superior with a game on Thursday at Lake State and a Saturday game at Joe Louis.