Michigan Grounds Eagles

Friday, October 11, 2002
HSBC Arena, Buffalo, New York

Michigan starts their regular season at the Xerox College Hockey Showcase being played in the HSBC arena in Buffalo, New York. This is the same arena that will play host to this seasons edition of the Frozen Four when April rolls around. The Wolverines would surely like this to be the first of two trips to this arena this season.

Michigan starts the weekend out by playing Niagara, one of the favorites in the CHA conference; the sixth conference to receive an automatic bid to the NCAA Hockey playoff, starting this year. Just a couple of years ago at Yost Arena Niagara gave Michigan all they could handle in a pair of games that saw the teams each win a game over a weekend of intense hockey. However, this Niagara team is much different than that team, with a line up flush with young players. Michigan gets to test themselves in their first real NCAA game this weekend and it will be interesting to see just how the Wolverines respond. Facing a faster, stronger team will the defense hold up? Will Montoya be able to keep up with the faster players? Will the offense be as prolific as expected even with one of their best centers out with an injury? The Wolverines have looked good in their short exhibition run, but tonight we get to see them against a fellow NCAA team. If things go, perhaps as expected, Michigan will square off against North Dakota tomorrow night (Michigan needs to win their game, North Dakota beat Canisius by a score of eight to nothing in the days early game). The winner of this game will meet North Dakota for the showcase championship; the weekend as a whole should be a good measuring stick for the Wolverines.

Michigan starts this game out flying around the Eagle zone, putting pressure on the Niagara goal right from the start. Just a couple of minutes into the period Helminen gets an up ice rush to start Michigans first good scoring rush. Even with the extra jump it would take Michigan around five minutes to get their first goal and that would come on the penalty kill.

After getting called for the games first penalty the Wolverines were really shutting down the Niagara power play, when they gained control of the puck. Rushing out of their zone with a three to one man advantage Michigan charged into the Niagara zone. Passing the puck well Moss gets off a decent shot, while the Niagara goalie comes up with a big save. Trailing the play, Werner picks up the rebound and bangs it right into the net to get Michigan on the board with a short handed goal. The assists went to Moss and Woodford.

Michigan continued to apply the pressure through the middle of the period with both teams trading power plays. With Michigan unable to get another score, even with the extra pressure, the Eagles finally got some pressure of their own. In the closing minutes of the first period Niagara got some consistent pressure on the Michigan goal. Like his counterpart, playing for the eagles, Montoya came up with some great saves as the period came to a close to keep the Eagles scoreless. The first period would come to an end with Michigan holding a one to nothing lead. Michigan held a slight edge in shots on goal with an eleven to eight count.

Just like the first period, Michigan starts the second really buzzing the Niagara goal. Even while applying the offensive pressure it would be Michigan picking up the first penalty of the period, giving Niagara the first chance at the power play in this period. Michigan was successful in killing off the penalty and just as that penalty kill period came to an end the Wolverines would strike for the second time.

With Woodford coming out of the penalty box he picks up the puck and heads into the Niagara zone. Making what looked like a fantastic pass he got the puck over to Mink who made short work of the easy shot. While the pass wasn't bad, it was a deflection that got the puck over to Mink, but no matter how that happened it would count for Michigan's second goal of the night. It was Mink from Woodford and Moss.

With about twelve minutes left in the period it would Montoya who would come up with a great series of saves to keep the Eagles off the score board. Just when it looked like the Eagles would get on the scoreboard, Montoya rises up and shows some great moves stopping all the shots.

Niagara would see perhaps their best scoring chance of the night with around ten minutes left to play. Michigan would be in the box serving time for a penalty the Wolverines were playing some great defense, just shutting down the Niagara power play. Niagara finally got the puck in position and was able to get off a great shot that banged off the post, but it bounced harmlessly away.

Just as the Michigan penalty was ending Niagara would get called for a penalty to give Michigan their first power play of the period. While the Wolverines were unable to find the twine while on the power play, they would slam one past the Niagara goalie just as their power play came to an end. Getting the puck to Tambellini, in close to the goal, he would let loose a wrist shot that just exploded into the goal to give Michigan their third of the game and Tambellini the first of his career. The assists on this goal went to Ortmeyer and Werner.

The period would come to an end with Michigan on the power play and really sending the puck at the Niagara goal, but the Wolverines would be unable to notch another goal. The period came to an end with Michigan leading by a score of three to nothing. Michigan would end the second still holding a slight edge in shots on goal with a twenty-one to seventeen count.

Michigan would start the third period with about forty seconds of power play time, but they would get called for a penalty just eight seconds into the period. The teams would skate with four men apiece for about thirty-two seconds and then Niagara would move to the power play. Michigan was able to kill the Niagara power play without giving up a power play.

With just over sixteen minutes left to play in the period Michigan would get a great chance to score when the Niagara goalie lost his stick. The Niagara defense rose to the occasion and worked the puck out of their zone to give their goalie a chance to recover his stick.

Montoya would come up with another great series of saves just a couple of minutes later as the Eagles got another barrage of shots off. Montoya would weather the storm and keep the Eagles off the score board. Both teams would get power play chances over the next several minutes (Michigan their fifth, while Niagara got their seventh), but neither team would be able to score.

With just 2:46 left to play Niagara was called for a penalty to put Michigan on their sixth power play of the game. The Wolverines would come close about 1:30 into the power play when they would get the puck down low on the back door to Ryznar, but he was unable to keep control of the puck and the scoring chance was gone. With just over one minute left to play Michigan would get called for a penalty putting ending their power play and setting Niagara up for a power play to end the game. Niagara would be unable to take advantage of the man advantage and the game would come to and end with Michigan winning by a score of three to nothing. The game ended with Michigan holding the thirty to twenty-nine edge in shots on goal.

A solid win for the Wolverines tonight over Niagara. The defense was solid, including the penalty kill as Niagara was unable to score on eight power play attempts. I don't want to say they were great because they allowed twenty-nine shots to get through to Montoya, but Montoya was able to turn them all away. Speaking of Montoya he was also real solid in goal making all the easy saves and coming up with some outstanding saves in a couple of stretches.

If there was any real problem in the game it was in the scoring department. They ended up with three goals, but should have probably gotten a couple more. Although full credit to Niagara who was a better team on both sides of the puck than was perhaps expected. The other thing that wasn't as good as you would hope was the power play. Michigan failed to convert on any of their six power play chances and that could come back to haunt them against teams like North Dakota, who they will play tomorrow night.

All things considered a workman like win for Michigan and a decent way to start the season. The team got their first win of the game and Montoya got his first win and shut out of his career, but the Wolverines can expect a whole different style of hockey tomorrow night as they take on North Dakota. It should be a great game tomorrow night and by the end of the night everyone should have a much better idea of where the Wolverines are as a team at this point in the early going.