Wolverines Salvage Tie

Friday, March 7, 2003
Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio

The Wolverines hit the ice flying tonight, but so did the Buckeyes. While Michigan was looking to skate, the Buckeyes were also skating, but they were also hitting. The very physical play to open the game ended up with both teams losing a man to the sin bin with barely one and half minutes gone in the game. While the teams skated four on four for two minutes, neither team was able to score.

With about fifteen and half minutes to play in the opening period the Buckeyes drew the first lone penalty of the game to put Michigan on the power play. The Wolverines continued to pressure the Buckeye goal and with the extra man that pressure finally paid off with a Wolverine goal. Tambellini got things going with a blast from the point that the Buckeye net minder was able to block, but he did not cover the rebound. With 53 seconds left in the power play and with bodies in front of the net Michigan was able to chip the rebound into the net for the early lead in this hotly contested game. Nystrom received credit for the goal, while Tambellini picked up the lone assist.

With about eleven and a half minutes left to play in the period a face to the Buckeye net minders right side would lead to Michigans second goal of the game. From the face off the Wolverines got the puck in front of the net and once again through plain perseverance they manage to chip the puck into the net and were suddenly up by two goals. The goal went to Ryznar with the lone assist going to Moss.

Just seconds after the Wolverines second goal, with just over eleven minutes left to play, it looked like Michigan would once again be on the power play, but some after the whistle activities by Michigan led to both teams losing a player each and the game continued with both teams skating four on four. The penalties were killed off with neither team able to draw blood.

With just under six minutes to play Michigan would put Ohio State on the power play as they were whistled for another first period penalty. Just one second after the Buckeye power play ended the home standing team was able to chip the puck past Montoya for their first goal of the game. Attempting to clear the puck from their own zone Michigan passed the puck up the ice right to a waiting Buckeye. With the puck in their possession just inside the Michigan blue line the Buckeyes were able to walk in and take a good shot at the Michigan goal. Montoya got the first shot blocked, but he didn't cover the rebound and a waiting Buckeye was right there to punch it back into the net.

With just under two minutes to play Michigan was whistled for a penalty that put Ohio State on the power late in the first period. With 1:36 left in that Buckeye power play Ohio State was whistled for a penalty of their own to end the power play and return the teams to even strength, four on four. The first period would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of two to one. Michigan would also hold a slight edge in shots on goal with an eleven to ten count.

The teams skated four on four for eighteen seconds to start the second period and then Michigan moved to the power play for a short twenty-five seconds. The Wolverines were unable to score on this power play and Ohio State returned to even strength.

With just eighteen minutes to play Ohio State would once again put Michigan on the power play when they got a stick up under the face mask of Moss. The Wolverines had a great deal of difficulty getting anything going on this power play and in fact ended their power play when they were whistled for a penalty with just under seventeen minutes to play. Eventually all of these penalties would be killed of and the game continued.

With just over sixteen minutes to play both teams sent a man to the sin bin, leaving each team with four men each. Again neither team was able to take advantage of the extra ice and the penalties eventually expired with the score still two to one. That would end when Michigan was once again sent to the penalty box with just under thirteen minutes to play in the middle period. This time the Buckeyes didn't squander the opportunity as they create some traffic in front of the net, get the puck bouncing around, and pick up their second goal of the game. This was a goal that sure looked like Montoya could stop easily, but it appeared that he just didn't get his pads down to the ice, providing the necessary room for the puck to slide home.

With just under six minutes to play Michigan would once again turn the puck over in a very bad place and once again the Buckeyes would take advantage. Once again the Buckeyes got the puck down in front of the net and got it bouncing around in front of Montoya. As Montoya scrambled to get control of the puck, it was a Buckeye that finally got enough stick on it to send it home for their second of the period, third of the game.

With just over one minute left in the period the Buckeyes would be whistled for a penalty putting Michigan on the power play. Michigan would be unable to take advantage of the extra attacker and the second period would come to an end with Ohio State leading by a score of three to two. The Buckeyes also passed the Wolverines in shots on goal as they ended the second period with a twenty-four to twenty advantage in that category.

The Wolverines started the third period with forty-one seconds of power play time, but the Buckeyes were able to disrupt the Michigan power play and the Buckeye penalty ended with no damage done. With just under seventeen minutes to play Ohio State would be whistled for a penalty to put Michigan on the power play, but again the spirited play of the Buckeyes really kept Michigan from generating any type of flow and the power play ended with no damage suffered.

With just under thirteen minutes to play in the period the Buckeyes would pick up their fourth goal of the game. This time the Buckeyes shot the puck from behind the net, but they hit Montoya either in the back or in the back of his head and the puck deflected off Montoya and into the net. The strange bounces that the Buckeyes were getting to score goals in this game were eerily reminiscent of last Friday's game against the Spartans. However, no matter how they got their the Buckeyes suddenly found themselves with a two goal lead with a little more than half the final period yet to play.

With about ten and half minutes left to play some persistent work by the Wolverines would lead to their third goal of the game. Making several fantastic plays to keep the puck in the Buckeye zone the Wolverines were able to keep pressure on the Ohio State net. Getting the puck down low and bouncing around in front of the Buckeye net, Michigan was finally able to punch it home for number three. Nystrom got the goal, while Rogers got the assist.

The teams battled up and down the ice as the clock started to run down. With 1:25 to play Montoya came out of the game as the puck moved into the Buckeye zone. With 1:06 left to play and a face off coming to the left of the Ohio State net minder Michigan called time out to review their options. While they kept the puck bottled up in the Buckeye zone for most of this final 1:06, it looked like the Buckeyes would escape with a hard fought win, but that all changed with just one second left to play. As he was falling down Rogers got his stick on the puck and pushed it low toward the Buckeye net. In position in front of that net Ebbett got his stick on the puck and chipped it past the OSU net minder to give Michigan their fourth goal of the game and a tie in regulation time. Rogers got the lone assist on the goal.

Regulation time would come to an end with the game all tied up with each team showing four goals on the board. The Wolverines regained the lead in shots on goal as they ended regulation time with a thirty-three to twenty-nine advantage in this category.

The overtime period was physical and up and down, but neither team wanted to take that one risk that might cost their team the game. When all was said and done the game ended in a four to four tie. The Wolverines ended the game with a thirty-eight to thirty advantage in shots on goal.

While the Wolverines would have liked to win the game, from their point of view a tie was just as good as it locks up second place for them in the CCHA. Ferris won their game tonight to lock up first place. Should both teams advance to Joe Louis in the CCHA tournament they will receive the quarter final byes. This was a game that Michigan could have and perhaps should have won, but the Buckeyes played a spirited game from start to finish. Once again Montoya seemed to have a lot of trouble with bouncing pucks down in front of the net, but at least this time the offense showed up to negate the couple of soft goals that he gave up. While tomorrow nights game doesn't mean to much in the CCHA race, you can bet that both teams will be giving it their all. Michigan would like the win to keep from losing ground in the Pairwise, while the Buckeyes would like the win to give them some momentum going into the tournament. No matter the motivation the final regular season game for these two teams should prove very entertaining.