Michigan Completes Redhawk Sweep

Sunday, January 5, 2003
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Tonights game started out much the same as last nights with both teams pushing the puck up and down the ice. As each team tried to get some kind of scoring chance generated both net minders continued to come up with some great saves to keep the game scoreless.

It would be Miami getting the first break of the period when Gajic was sent to the sin bin putting the Redhawks on the power play. Michigan did a decent job of keeping the Redhawk power play at bay during this Miami power play. With sixteen seconds left in the Miami power play a Miami player was whistled for a penalty ending the Redhawk power play and setting Michigan up for a power play of their own.

As Michigan transitioned to the power play it would not take much time for the Wolverines to strike. With just over nine minutes to play (9:01) Martens fed the puck down to Moss and Moss made a great cross crease pass to Ebbett. As he received the puck Ebbett banged it past the Miami net minder to give Michigan a power play goal and the early lead. Assists went to Moss and Martens.

Down the stretch of the first period both goalies continued to come up with some great saves to keep it a one goal game. With just over two minutes to play Miami was whistled for a penalty to give Michigan a power play, however, the Wolverines would be unable to get another one past the Miami net minder. With just .3 seconds left in the period Michigan was whistled for a penalty, but the period would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of one to nothing. The Redhawks got the bulk of the shots in the period as they out shot the Wolverines eleven to six.

Miami started the second period with essentially two minutes of power play time and they didn't let the opportunity go by. With barely five seconds left in the power play Miami comes up with a shot that beats Montoya to tie the game with just 1:55 gone in the second period.

The Miami lead wouldn't last very long, however, as barely one minute later Kaleniecki would take the puck away from the Miami goal tender when he was unable to properly cover up. With the puck on his stick Kaleniecki spun and shot, squeezing the puck into the Miami goal to once again put Michigan in the lead by a score of two to one. The goal was unassisted.

As play continued in the period Michigan would get a little pressure on the Miami goal and Miami would get some pressure on the Michigan goal. Both goalies were equal to the task and turned away all scoring chances. Around the mid point of the period both teams were hit with penalties and skated for two minutes with four men each on the ice.

With just under nine minutes to play in the period Miami was once again on the power play as Tambellini was sent to the sin bin for cross checking. Picking up the intensity of their penalty kill Michigan killed off the Miami man advantage to retain their slim one goal lead.

Miami would once again find themselves on the power play with just under six minutes to play when Michigan was once again called for a penalty, this time it was against Montoya for roughing. The Miami team has been charging Montoya on pretty regular basis during this weekends games. About half way through the power play Miami got off a flurry of shots and Montoya turned them all away in a fantastic series of saves. In the end Michigan killed off the penalty and continued to hold that one goal lead.

With just over three minutes to play in the period a rare defensive lapse on this weekend would lead to Miami's second goal. Allowing a Miami player to essentially carry the puck into the Michigan zone uncontested he set up from a circle and got a shot off that squeezed between Montoya and the post. A defensive break down and poor positioning in goal by Montoya and the game is all tied at two goals each.

With 1:59 left in the period Michigan would be whistled for their fourth straight penalty to put Miami on their fourth straight power play. As the period came to an end the game was still tied at two goals each. Miami really took it to the Wolverines in that period ending the second period with a twenty-six to twelve advantage in shots on goal.

Miami started the final period with one second of power play time, but as you would expect that wasn't enough time to mount any kind of scoring threat. In the first five minutes of this period Michigan put some great pressure on the Miami goal as they were really working hard for that go ahead goal. It wouldn't take to long as Michigan got that go ahead goal with 6:37 played. Once again it would be Tambellini who would shoot a blistering shot at the Miami goal that simply beat the Miami net minder cold. It appeared as though the Miami goalie never saw the shot as he never made a move. The lone assist on the goal went to Shouneyia.

With around twelve minutes to play it was once again Montoya's time to shine as he came up with an almost unmakeable save as it looked like Miami was going to tie up the game. Less than a minute later Montoya came up with another fantastic save to maintain the Michigan lead.

With just over nine minutes to play in the game Miami would be whistled for a penalty to put Michigan on the power play. Michigan really put some pressure on the Redhawk goal, coming close on several occasions. They got close, but they didn't get a goal and Miami managed to kill off the penalty.

With just under five minutes to play Miami was once again whistled for a penalty, as Gajic went to the ice in obvious pain as he was slashed by the Redhawk player. As Michigan looked to add to their lead Miami all but ended their chances of winning this game when a Redhawk player just hammered Shouneyia from behind, garnering a five minute major, putting the Wolverines on the power play for the remainder of the game. This also gave Michigan a two man advantage for 1:41. Michigan wasted no time putting pressure on the Redhawk goal as Tambellini took a shot that bounced off a post and just missed going into the goal. The physical play continued as both teams would lose another player to a penalty, but these penalties were coincidental and the teams continued to skate five on three. Michigan continued to work the puck around the Miami zone, collapsing the box around the Miami goal slowly but surely. They finally got the puck down to Moss who slid it home to give Michigan a power play goal with the two man advantage. The assists on this goal went to Werner and Martens.

Michigan continued on the power play and continued to get some pressure, but Miami was holding the Wolverines at bay. As the clock moved under a minute Miami pulled their goal tender to get back to even strength. With 38.7 seconds left to play in the game and a face off coming in the Michigan zone Miami took a time out to discuss their closing strategy. The time out would do them no good as Michigan would score an empty net, power play goal, with just six seconds left in the game. It was fitting that Ryznar should get this goal as he almost single handed kept the puck in the Miami zone to allow him the chance to score the goal.

The game would come to an end with Michigan gaining the sweep with a five to two victory. Miami once again out shot the Wolverines in this period and finished the game with a thirty-six to twenty-one advantage in this category.

While the score surely didn't show it this was another close game between these two teams. Miami picked up some ill advised penalties down the stretch in this game that really allowed Michigan to put the game away as they spent the final five minutes of the period on the power play, almost two minutes of that with a two man advantage. In many ways Michigan was probably lucky to be in the game after two periods as Miami had doubled the Wolverines shots on goal through two periods. With some outstanding goal tending by Montoya Michigan stayed in the game and finally came away with the win. Michigan has to be happy with the sweep, but again they finish the weekend with plenty of work to do during the next week of practice. Next weekend the Wolverines will take on Western Michigan in a home and home series.