Michigan Falls to North Dakota

Friday, December 28, 2001
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan

Michigan opened the Great Lakes Invitational (GLI) with a game against the Fighting Sioux from North Dakota. As you might expect the action was fast and furious right from the start. North Dakota carried the play in the first ten minutes of the opening period forcing Blackburn to come up with some outstanding saves to keep the Wolverines in the game.

Even though North Dakota seemed to be getting the better of the Wolverines it would be Michigan who would tally the first goal of the game. Stealing the puck in the neutral zone Murray charged into the Sioux zone with two fellow Wolverines creating an odd man rush. Murray made a nice pass over to Ortmeyer who wasted no time blasting the puck into the North Dakota net from the top of the left face off circle. Ortmeyer got the goal with the lone assist going to Murray.

The action continued up and down the ice with the Wolverines gaining some ground on the Sioux. With about five and a half minutes left in the period North Dakota would be called for the first penalty of the game giving Michigan first crack at the power play. The Wolverines came close a few times, once just thirty seconds into the power play, but they would come up empty.

With just under two minutes left in the period Michigan was called for a penalty giving North Dakota their first power play chance of the game. However, they never saw the end of that power play. With 1:07 left in the Sioux power play North Dakota was called for a penalty, ending their power play, and leaving both teams skating with four men each. The period would come to an end with Michigan holding the slim one to nothing lead. The Sioux would have the edge in shots on goal with a fourteen to twelve count.

The second period started with both teams skating with four men for four seconds, then the Wolverines received a fifty-one second power play chance. All penalties were killed with neither team able to score a goal. North Dakota came close to scoring the tying goal with just over seventeen minutes left in the period, but Blackburn came up with a tremendous save to keep the Sioux off the board.

With about thirteen and a half minutes left in the second period Michigan would again be called for a penalty, putting North Dakota back on the power play. This time the penalty would prove costly. With just thirty-three seconds left in the power play North Dakota was able to punch the puck into the goal to tie the game up as the puck just dribbled through Blackburns five hole.

Once the scoring began for North Dakota it just wouldn't quit. With just over ten minutes to go in the second Michigan would turn the puck over. North Dakota skated into the Wolverine zone and sent a blistering shot to the net that beat Blackburn clean over his glove side shoulder. North Dakota would get their third goal of the period and game just as the clock moved under the three minute mark. This time it was a shot from the blue line that should have been stopped, but inexplicably Blackburn missed the puck and North Dakota had a two goal lead.

There were matching penalties called with just over two minutes left in the game, but nothing would result from these penalties. After scoring three goals in a span of about ten minutes North Dakota headed to the locker room at the end of the second period with a three to one lead. The Fighting Sioux continued to hold the edge in shots on goal with a twenty-nine to twenty count.

Michigan needed to get things going right away in the third period, unfortunately they elected to start things off with a penalty rather than a goal. Just twenty-three seconds into the third period Michigan was in the penalty box and North Dakota was on the power play. Michigan was able to kill off the penalty and made a break of their own with just over seventeen minutes to go. Michigan stole the puck and Swistak crashed into the North Dakota zone on a clean break. A North Dakota player caught up just enough to hook Swistak to the ice. Then, in a move not seen often in college hockey, rather than call the penalty, putting Michigan on the power play, the Wolverines were given a penalty shot. While he gave it his best Swistak was cleanly beat by the North Dakota goal tender, leaving Michigan without the power play and without a goal.

About one minute later, with just over sixteen minutes left in the period, Michigan would get their second goal of the game. Working behind the net with the puck Moss would get a shot off that would deflect off the goal tenders stick, then his pads, and finally end up in the goal to get the Wolverines back within one goal. Assists on this goal went to Gajic and Henderson.

Michigan would get called for a penalty with just over thirteen minutes left to play, but the Wolverines would successfully kill off that North Dakota power play. With just under ten minutes to play it would be North Dakota going into the sin bin, putting Michigan on the power play. Michigan started this power play a bit shaky, unable to get any cohesive attack going. However, after that slow start they settled down and brought the puck into the North Dakota zone with some nice passing. A nice little pass to Murray near the blue line allowed Craig to get off a shot that beat a nicely screened North Dakota goal tender. The assist on this was given to Ortmeyer and some sort of assist should go to Ryznar who set the great screen.

With the game all tied at three goals each Michigan would once again fall behind, this time with just over five minutes left to play. North Dakotas top scorer, Bayda, got into the Michigan zone with the puck and put a move on Blackburn that left him sprawled on the ice, leaving a nice open net for the easy go ahead goal.

Needing one goal to tie and two goals to win Michigan was called for another penalty with 4:25 left in the game. With Shouneyia in the box and needing scores Michigan was up against the wall. The power play was killed off and Michigan immediately started looking for a way to get back to even. That chance would come when Gajic came flying down the ice in front of the player benches, got just inside the left face off circle, and let a shot go that beat the Sioux net minder. This goal was unassisted.

Michigan would get one final chance to win the game in regulation when an icing call was made with 1.1 seconds left in the game. With the face off in the North Dakota zone Michigan pulled Blackburn to get the extra attacker on the ice. Getting the puck off the face off Michigan got off a shot that looked like it was going to make it into the net but the North Dakota net minder just tipped it with his stick. The game came to an end in a four to four tie, sending the contest into overtime. North Dakota ended regulation time with a thirty-eight to thirty-four advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan came out working very hard in the overtime period and they got an extra boost when North Dakota was called for a penalty just thirty-one seconds into the overtime period. The Sioux had dragged Ortmeyer to the ice to end a break away scoring chance. On the power play Michigan came close to scoring on several occasions, but just missed notching the game winner.

All that hard work in the early going of the overtime would be for nothing as North Dakota scored the game winning goal with 17:05 left in the overtime period. Michigan once again turned the puck over near the blue line. North Dakota charged into the Michigan zone and got off a shot that Blackburn stopped (their first shot of the overtime period). While Blackburn did stop this shot he did not cover the rebound and North Dakota was right there to put the puck into the net over the top of Blackburn as he was once again sprawled out on the ice. The game ended with North Dakota winning the game by a score of five to four.

Too many mistakes at critical times in the game cost Michigan dearly in this game. A couple of bad defensive plays, a couple of real soft goals, and a terribly flat second period were enough to undo the Wolverines. They clearly missed the four players currently playing in the World Junior Championship, but this was a game that they could have and perhaps should have won. Hopefully they can regroup and get back on the winning side of the ledger tomorrow in the consolation game which will be played at Joe Louis at four in the afternoon.