Irish Frustrate Wolverines

Friday, February 27, 2004
Joyce Center, South Bend, Indiana

Playing behind a stingy defense that seemed to know where every one of Michigans shots and passes were going before they were made, allowed the Irish to grind out a four to one victory over the visiting Wolverines.

Notre Dame was whistled for the lone penalty of the first period, but Michigan could not take advantage of the man advantage. While the period was fast paced with the action moving up and down the ice, neither team had many shots actually get through to the goal. The first period would end with the score still knotted at zero. The Irish held a seven to six advantage in shots on goal.

It wouldn't take much time before the score less tie was broken as the Irish got on the board with just over one minute gone in the period. The Wolverines had taken a shot at the Irish net, but a defenseman got caught pinching down. This allowed the Irish to create a three on one break into the Michigan zone. The Irish waited for Montoya to commit and then fired home a wrist shot to score the games first goal.

The Irish would score their second goal of the game with just over nine minutes left in the period. Getting a pass up the ice behind the Michigan defense allowed an Irish skater to break in alone, making just enough of a move to get the puck past Montoya for the two to nothing lead.

Following the goal an Irish player was whistled for a penalty putting Michigan on the power play. The Irish killed off their penalty holding onto their two to nothing lead.

About four minutes later, with just over five minutes left to play, the Irish would get their third goal of the game when Montoya got caught in a bad position, leaving an open net. Montoya had moved to his right when the puck was suddenly deflected sharply to his left. He tried to jump back over to his left, but couldn't quite reach the puck. The Irish chipped the puck into the net for the goal. Montoya was injured on the play and had to leave the game.

The second period would come to an end with Notre Dame leading by a three to nothing score. The Irish finished two periods of play with a seventeen to thirteen advantage in shots on goal.

With just over eighteen minutes to play in the game the Irish were sent to the penalty box giving Michigan a early chance to cut the Irish lead. Working the puck hard around the Irish zone Michigan tried to find an opening in the Irish defense, but each shot was turned away before reaching the net. Finally, with just sixteen seconds left in the power play Moss would take a shot from the point that was deflected into the goal by Nystrom. Nystrom got the goal, while both Moss and Hunwick picked up assists on this power play goal.

Less than a minute later it would be the Wolverines heading for the penalty box and the Irish looking to use the power play to regain their three goal lead. It didn't take long as the Irish scored a power play less than twenty seconds into the power play. They got off a shot from the top of the circles that just slowly skipped down the ice, between the legs of a number of players, finally slipping through the five hole and into the net.

The game would end with the Irish winning by a four to one score. The Irish finished the game with a twenty-six to twenty-four advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan played a solid first period, but then just seemed to settle into a funk for the final two periods, not playing that bad, but not playing with that extra edge you would expect from a team playing for first place. Notre Dame was playing for home ice in the first round and they simply wanted the game more, out working the Wolverines in the final two periods of play. Michigan will have to play a much more complete game tomorrow night if they want to take anything positive away from this weekend.