Wolverines Break Broncos

Friday, January 23, 2004
Lawson Arena, Kalamazoo, Michigan

The opening game between these two contenders for the CCHA title was everything it was supposed to be, a wide open, high flying, exciting hockey game that was closer than the final score might indicate. The first thirty minutes of play went by with neither team able to get the puck past the men between the pipes. The last thirty minutes of play would see five goals scored, four by Michigan, as the Wolverines pull out a four to one victory in Kalamazoo.

The first period was a fast paced, but very physical twenty minutes of play. Each team would have a chance on the power play, neither team able to score with the extra man. Through all the excitement of the opening stanza it would end with the score all knotted at zero. The Wolverines ended the period with an eighteen to ten advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan would start the second period with 1:55 of power play time, but would come up empty. Shortly after that power play ended, with just over seventeen minutes left to play the Bronco's would once again head to the sin bin and once again Michigan would be unable to take advantage of the extra man.

The play in this period would continue up and down the ice and it looked like the game would remain score less through two periods, but that would all change with just over two minutes to play. Michigan forced a turnover in the neutral zone and got the pass up to Gajic at the Western blue line. With no Bronco defender to harass him Gajic charged into the Bronco zone, moving in and taking a five hole shot. It looked like the shot was blocked, but a Bronco defenseman went sliding past the net and appeared to knock it right back toward the goalie and into the net. The goal was awarded to Gajic with Kaleniecki picking up an assist.

That would be the one and only score in the second period as Michigan took a one to nothing lead into the locker room. The Wolverines would hold their lead in shots on goal ending two periods with a twenty-five to eighteen shot advantage.

The third period would see a relative bonanza of goals as the Bronco's got things going just as the clock moved under the sixteen minute mark. Western had worked the puck deep into the Michigan zone and got a shot off that Montoya blocked. Unfortunately he lost track of where the puck went, leading to the Bronco's only goal. As Montoya knelt on the ice near the top of the crease, obviously thinking he was on top of the puck, the Bronco's found the loose puck behind Michigan's goal. Quickly moving the puck above the goal line the Bronco's were able to slide an easy shot behind Montoya and into the net to tie the game with plenty of time on the clock.

The Wolverines needed barely two minutes to retake the lead and somewhat settle a re-energized Western Michigan crowd. This time it would be Michigan getting a somewhat strange goal over a prone Bronco goalie. Helminen was bringing the puck into the Bronco zone along the far boards. Nystrom was coming down the slot with a Bronco defenseman trailing. Dest was coming in along the near boards. Helminen got a pass over to Dest who continued into the zone and started curling toward the goal as he got to the circle. About this time the Bronco defenseman rides Nystrom through the crease, knocking the Western net minder to the ice, leaving Dest with a wide open net. As the goalie lay on the ice, Dest let the puck fly and it sailed into the net for Michigans second of the game. Both Helminen and Tambellini got assists on the goal.

With just over eleven minutes left to play the Bronco's were whistled for a five minute major as they plowed Montoya down while he was behind the net playing the puck. The Wolverines began the extended power play, but about forty seconds into the power play the Wolverines were whistled for a penalty, leaving both teams with four players each.

About a minute and a half later both teams would send a man to the sin bin, but both teams continued to skate four on four. As the initial Michigan penalty expired the Wolverines moved back to the power play, having several great scoring chances turned away. Finally, they got the puck low to Moss who was standing about on the goal line over toward the corner. From there he flipped the puck to the net where it seemed to deflect off the goalie and into the Bronco net. Moss got Michigan their first power play goal of the night, with Helminen and Werner each picking up an assist.

With just under three minutes to play Michigan would score their fourth and final goal of the game as they caught the Bronco's in a bad line change. With all kinds of Bronco's on the ice, some trying to get on and some trying to get off, Werner made a pass up through the players to Kaleniecki who was also trying to get off the ice. With the puck and no Bronco's able to defend, Kaleniecki charged to the Bronco net and beat the Western goalie clean to give Michigan their final goal of the night. Werner picked up the lone assist on the goal.

The game would come to an end with Michigan winning by a score of four to one. The Wolverines ended the game with a thirty-five to twenty-two advantage in shots on goal.

This was an exciting game of college hockey with the game much closer than the score indicates. It was an up and down, hard checking, brand of hockey that saw both teams really battling for the puck. Tomorrow night the Wolverines will try to end the weekend with a sweep, while the Bronco's will look for that split. If they want to gain a split on the weekend they will have to do it at Michigan's Yost arena, a place where the Bronco's have had trouble winning.