Wolverines Sweep Nanooks

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

Both teams hit the ice skating hard as they moved the puck up and down the ice in fast paced opening period. Michigan seemed to maintain pressure on the Nanook goal for most of the period, but both teams ended up with a surprisingly low total in shots on goal through the first period.

Michigan would give Alaska first crack at the power play in tonights game as they were sent to the sin bin with just over seventeen minutes to play. The Wolverines killed off the penalty without giving up a goal. After the penalty was killed off both teams continued play, up and down the ice.

With just under eleven minutes to play the Nanooks drew first blood when they were given the puck in the Michigan zone and took advantage of the situation. Trying to clear the puck, Michigan didn't get it past a Nanook out near the top of the right circle. Intercepting the clearing pass the Nanooks charged the net, bringing the puck down the right side of the ice. Montoya moved to his right to counter the move and a pass over to his left gave Aaron Voros a nice open shot at the Michigan net. This goal was very similar to the first one given up by Montoya last night as he got caught moving one way, while the puck was moving the other way. In any event the Nanooks staked a claim to the lead.

Michigan would get a power play with just over four minutes to play in the period, but they were unable to even the score. The first period would come to an end with Alaska leading by a score of one to nothing. Michigan would have the slight edge in shots on goal with a seven to four count.

While there were a relatively low number of shots actually taken in the first period, the Wolverines started the second period by shooting early and often. Digging and scraping for the puck at every turn Michigan would finally get on the score board. Some gritty work and a couple of sharp passes later Tambellini would punch the puck into the Nanook goal to tie the game at one goal each. Assists on the goal went to Helminen and Nystrom.

With exactly five minutes gone in the period Michigan would find itself once again in the sin bin and the Nanooks would once again find themselves on the power play. In the middle of the penalty kill Michigan got control of the puck and with less than a minute gone by in the Nanook power play, the Wolverines were on the board a second time with a short-handed goal. Working hard with the puck Woodford would get it to Ortmeyer who would chip it into the Nanook goal. The lone assist on the goal was given to Ortmeyer on this short-handed goal.

Michigan would receive two more power plays through the middle of the period, but they would be unable to score a third goal. However, with just over two minutes left in the period Michigan would get their third goal of the game. Richmond took a shot from the edge of the ice (by the boards). This shot was redirected by Woodford, but the Nanook net minder was there to block the shot. Unfortunately for Alaska the rebound was not covered and Michigans Moss was right there to punch the puck into the Nanook goal. Both Woodford and Richmond picked up assists on this goal.

The second period would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of three to one. The Wolverines also ended the period with a larger margin in shots on goal with a twenty-two to ten count.

Michigan was whistled for a penalty with just 1.3 seconds left in the period giving the Nanooks a full power play to work with to start the third period. It looked like the Wolverines were going to successfully kill the penalty off, but with just three seconds left in the power play Alaska came up with a strange goal to get back within one. With the puck almost behind the goal line an Alaska player took a shot that looked like it would go through the crease and cause no harm. However, the puck hit the inside of Montoyas skate and bounced into the goal. The Nanooks had scored only the second power play goal of the season against the Wolverines.

Michigan would get their two goal lead back with just over sixteen minutes to play in the period when the Wolverines got the puck in the neutral zone. Grabbing the puck from the Nanooks Kaleniecki tore down the right side of the ice. As he drew near the Nanook goal Kaleniecki passed the puck over to the left where Moss was waiting. Wasting no time Moss slapped the puck home to score Michigans fourth goal of the night. Kaleniecki received the only assist on the goal.

Barely thirty seconds later Michigan would once again cause the Nanooks to turn the puck over and once again the Wolverines would score off the Nanook error. This time the Nanooks had the puck in their own zone and were trying to clear. Werner intercepted the clearing pass, quickly passed the puck over to Helminen, who just as quickly put the puck in the net. Werner got the lone assist and Michigan got a three goal lead.

The score would remain five to two for the next ten minutes of play, but with just over four minutes to play Michigan would score one more time. Once again Alaska was trying to clear the puck from their zone, only this time they were passing it out from behind their goal. Ortmeyer stole the puck, stepped out front of the Nanook goal, and punched the puck home to score Michigans sixth goal of the night, unassisted.

The Nanooks would get a late power play, but they were unable to score another goal as Michigan won the game by a score of six to two. The Wolverines ended the night with a thirty-four to twenty-four edge in shots on goal.

Michigan picks up their second sweep in as many weekends to equal the number of weekend sweeps they got through all of last season. Michigan also bucked recent history when they beat the Nanooks on both nights. The last two years Michigan would beat the Nanooks on Friday, but the Nanooks would beat Michigan on Saturday. The sweep was a great way for Michigan to start off the defense of their CCHA title. The Wolverines took all four points from a team that is looking for a top five finish and would like to challenge the Wolverines for the conference title. Michigan gets two solid wins to open the CCHA season over a solid Alaska team.

Next week the Wolverines get a little break as they have just one game, that one on Friday against the U.S. National Development Team. This will be Michigan's final exhibition game of the season and should be a win for this team. While Michigan probably won't be quite as pumped up for this game as they might be for a CCHA or NCAA game you can bet they don't want to lose this game. Several members of Michigans team came from the National Development team and Montoya would be playing for them this year had he not fast tracked through High School to enter Michigan this year. With both teams based in Ann Arbor some small degree of bragging rights are on the line.