Wolverines Lose Another GLI

Sunday, December 29, 2002
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan

Both teams started this game out with checking on their mind as a very physical game was played through the first five minutes of the period. That physical play continued until there were thirteen minutes left in the period when Boston University would strike for the games first goal. With a face off to Montoya's right the Terriers got the puck near their blue line. From their a high, floating shot was sent toward the net that just sailed in over Montoya's right shoulder. It wasn't a hard shot, but with Montoya screened it was enough to net the games first goal.

While the Boston U. goal was sudden it didn't take Michigan long to get the game back to even when the Wolverines scored just 1:15 later. Michigan had driven the puck into the Terrier zone where they got off a big shot from the right circle. That shot was blocked, but the puck was lost in a tangle of bodies in front of the net. As the bodies separated the Terrier goalie went for the puck, but Kaleniecki got there first and just flipped the puck over the sprawled BU goalie for Michigan's first goal of the game. The assists on this goal went to Martens and Mink.

The physical play continued up and down the ice as the clock moved under the five minute mark. With just 4:30 left in the period Michigan got a look at a wide open net as the BU goalie was once again down on the ice. This time the Wolverine shot missed, Boston picked up the games first penalty, putting Michigan on the power play. The first half of this power play was dismal, but right at the end of the man advantage Michigan got a couple of great scoring chances. Unfortunately they missed each of those chances and play continued.

Each team would lose several players to the sin bin as play went from physical to chippy and the officials attempted to regain control of the game. With just under one minute to play BU got a flurry of great scoring shots off, but somehow Montoya was able to move around the goal and stop each of those scoring chances. With just 44.7 seconds left to play in the period BU would be whistled for another penalty to put Michigan on the power play. Unable to score in those forty-four seconds the first period would come to an end with the score all tied up at one goal each. The Wolverines held a slight advantage in shots on goal with a nineteen to fourteen count.

Michigan starts the second period with 1:16 of power play time as they look to get the lead for the first time in this game. Michigan would not get much going on this power play, but they did almost come up with a goal just as the power play expired. Except for that little flash at even strength the power play continued to be dismal.

With just over fifteen minutes left to play in the period Michigan would be whistled for a penalty to give Boston a power play chance. The Wolverines once again killed off the Boston power play and once again the Wolverines almost scored just as they returned to even strength. This time the shot went wide of the net.

With just under thirteen minutes to play it would be Boston going to the sin bin and Michigan playing with the extra attacker. Already skating with a man advantage the Terriers picked up their second penalty to give Michigan a long two man advantage. Ortmeyer would get a shot that went off the post. Michigan would get a second and third golden opportunity to score on this power play and at every turn they missed the chances to score the goal. All in all they saw at least three great chances to score a goal on this power play and ended up with nothing as Boston killed off all their penalties and returned to full strength.

As the clock moved under the ten minute mark both teams would miss great scoring chances. First Boston would get a shot off that Montoya just stopped, but the puck dropped to the ice in the crease. Before a Terrier player could get there Roemensky tucked the puck under Montoya to end the scoring threat. Barely fifteen seconds later Shouneyia would be in perfect position to put a rebound back into the net, but again couldn't handle the rebound and the score remained tied.

With just over eight minutes to play Michigan would get whistled for a penalty to put the Terriers back on the power play. Michigan was well on their way to killing the penalty when Ortmeyer intercepted a pass and broke into the Boston zone all alone. As he crashed the net he inexplicably lost control of the puck and another great scoring chance had come and gone.

With just five and half minutes to play Michigan would once again turn the puck over in their zone (something they did far to often in this second period) and this time Boston would make them pay for it. Getting the puck out front of the net Boston took a booming shot that sailed past Montoya and moved the Terriers into the lead for the second time in the game.

It would take a little bit longer than in the first period, but eventually Michigan would once again get back to even when Tambellini scored a goal with exactly three minutes left to play in the period. Passing the puck around the Boston zone with authority Michigan worked the puck from behind the net to a waiting Tambellini positioned in front of the net. Letting loose a wrist shot around two Boston defensemen Tambellini got the puck past the Terrier goal tender to score Michigan's second goal. The lone assist went to Shouneyia.

The second period would come to an end with the score all tied up at two goals each. Michigan would extend their lead in shots on goal, ending the period with a thirty-four to twenty-four advantage in the category.

Michigan got their first lead of the game with just over one minute played in the third when they were able to put a rebound into the net for their third goal of the night. Werner took a huge shot from the blue line that was blocked, but the rebound came right out to Moss. Wasting no time Moss blasted the puck into the net to give Michigan the lead. The goal went to Moss, with Werner picking up the lone assist.

With about fourteen and a half minutes to play and play seeming to be a bit sluggish the Wolverines would be whistled for another penalty, putting the Terriers on the power play. With just under fourteen minutes to play, 1:29 left in the power play, Boston would pull Montoya to one side, setting up a perfect back door play to once again tie the game, this time with a power play goal.

With just over eleven minutes to play it would be Michigan moving to the power play as the Terriers were sent to the sin bin. However, it would once again be Boston coming up with the special teams score, this time with a lot of help from Michigan. Boston had just carried the puck into the Michigan net and taken a weak shot at the Michigan goal that Montoya had blocked. As he attempted to stop in front of Montoya, Ebbett hit the puck with his leg, knocking it into the Michigan goal, and once again moving Boston into the lead, this time with a short handed goal.

With just over seven minutes to play Boston pretty much sealed the win when they get their fifth goal of the night off yet another Michigan turn over in their own zone. This time they turned the puck over in close to the Michigan net. Montoya got one shot stopped, but couldn't stop Boston from punching the rebound in. Suddenly Boston was up by two goals with barely seven minutes left to play.

With 6:27 left to play Michigan would get another look at a wide open net and once again, as they had all game, missed the opportunity to score. The only good thing on this play for Michigan is that Boston was whistled for a penalty, putting the Wolverines on the power play. On the down side the Wolverine power play was as anemic in this game as it was prolific the night before. Once again the Wolverines never got close to scoring a goal with the man advantage.

As Michigan's desperation grew, the action up and down the ice grew accordingly. With right around three minutes to play it looked like Tambellini might get a goal back for the Wolverines as he found himself all alone in front of a wide open net, but when he went to shoot his stick broke and the puck dribbled up the ice. Another Wolverine scoring chance had come and gone.

With 1:51 to play Michigan pulled Montoya to get the extra attacker. With 1:36 to play the Wolverines would get one back as Gajic let loose a monster of a shot from the blue line. That shot was blocked, but the rebound came out to Ryznar who put it in the net for the Wolverines fourth goal of the game. Assists went to Gajic and Kaleniecki.

Montoya came back into the game for the ensuing face off, but with 1:11 left to play he went back to the bench. With 50.4 seconds left to play and a face off coming just outside the Michigan blue line the Wolverines took time out. They would get some activity in the Boston zone, but were turned away with their last best shot getting gloved with just 4.6 seconds left to play.

With just under five seconds to go Boston called their time out as the face off was coming to their goalies right. Boston would win the face off, but Michigan would get one shot at the net before the final horn, but in the end they had made far to many errors and another senior class will leave school without a GLI championship. Boston wins the game by a score of five to four.

This was a game that the Wolverines could have and probably should have won, but it was yet another game in a disturbing trend that sees Michigan giving things away in the third period. While they made plenty of mistakes in the first two periods, especially in the second when they started to turn the puck over far to many times in their own zone, the third was probably their worst period of the game.

They took the lead early in the third and then immediately began to self destruct. The turn overs continued, their inability to run the power play with any type of authority, and their inexplicable inability to put the puck into open nets all combined to see them give up three third period goals and see another game move from a "W" to an "L". While this loss will no doubt sting personally (especially for the seniors), and will also hurt them nationally, the CCHA race is still wide open. They return to CCHA play next weekend against another top five (in the CCHA) team and they have a lot of problems to figure out and fix before then. If they don't start to do some of the little things better (like take care of the puck) soon, the second half could just as easily be a slow, painful self destruction, rather than the slow, determined collection of wins that the Wolverines surely desire.