Wolverines Sweep Bobcats

Saturday, October 18, 2003
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

A change in referee led to a change in penalty philosophy as tonights game was slowed down by a continuous stream of players going to the penalty boxes from the first period, right through to the end of the game.

The Wolverines hit the ice skating much harder tonight than they did at the outset last night. They four power plays in the first period, but could not convert on a single one. Quinnipiac had one power play and was likewise shut out. While Michigan dominated the play and racked up an impressive number of shots they could not find a way to get the puck into the net. The first period would end with the score deadlocked at zero. The Wolverines ended the period with a twenty-one to two advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan would start the second period with seventeen seconds of power play time on the clock, but could not mount a drive. However, the Bobcats were whistled for another penalty just as they got those seventeen seconds killed off and this time the Wolverines were able to make them pay. Working the puck around the Bobcat zone Rogers got the puck out front to Tambellini who was patrolling the top of the slot. With the puck on his stick and the Bobcat goalie screened by Nystrom Tambellini put a shot through the five hole for Michigans first goal of the night on the power play. Assists went to Rogers and Hensick.

More penalties would be called against both teams through the middle of the period, but the next goal would come with both teams at even strength. With just five and half minutes left in the period the Bobcat goalie came out of the goal to his left, ending up near the circle so he could challenge Rohlfs who was coming in for a shot. Rohlfs got off a shot that was blocked by the goalie, but the rebound came out to Tambellini who was down near the goal line. Taking a shot from a very bad angle Tambellini somehow got the puck into the far corner for his second goal of the night. The lone assist went to Rohlfs.

With one minute two seconds left in the period the Wolverines would be whistled for another penalty putting the Bobcats on the power play late in the period. This time it would be Montoya leaving the net to play the puck when he really should have stayed home. The puck didn't get cleared out of the zone, Montoya was out of the net, and a Bobcat took advantage of that open net and put the puck away just nine seconds into the power play.

The second period would end with Michigan leading by a score of two to one. The Wolverines also out shot the Bobcats by a significant margin in this period holding a forty-one to ten advantage in this category through two periods of play.

As the clock moved under the seventeen minute mark both teams saw a player go to the penalty box, leaving both teams skating with four men. Thirty seconds into the penalties Michigan got caught out of defensive position as Quinnipiac got control of the puck near the Michigan blue line. This allowed a Bobcat to skate into the Michigan zone without any interference. As he approached the net he let go a huge slap shot that just blew past Montoya over his shoulder and the game was all tied up.

The teams battled back and forth for the next nine minutes of play with the intensity picking up with each second that ticked off the clock. With just over seven minutes to play there was a face off to the left of the Bobcat goalie. Hensick won the draw clean and got the puck right back to Tambellini. Almost as soon as the puck hit the tape on his stick he let go a wrist shot that sailed past the screened goalie and buried itself into the far corner of the goal. This was Tambellini's first career hat trick and the lone assist went to Hensick.

The Bobcats would battle to the end, getting their goalie out of the net with just thirty-three seconds left to play in the game. While they came close several times they could not get back to even and the game ended with Michigan winning by a score of three to two. The Wolverines ended the game with a fifty-four to twenty-one advantage in shots on goal.

Quinnipiac played a different goalie tonight and he kept the Bobcats in the game for the entire sixty minutes of play. Michigan piled shot after shot on him, but he was able to turn all but three away. Without that type of goal keeping the Wolverines could have easily put eight or nine goals on the board in this contest.

Michigan did play with more intensity tonight, but they still have many things to get straightened out as the competition takes a step up next week when the Wolverines return to CCHA play when they host Northern for a pair of games. The power play converted on just one of ten chances, although a lot of the credit for that has to be given to the Bobcat net minder. The defense, while tighter tonight than last night still had moments where they were caught out of position. Of course it's still very early in the season and some of these problems are to be expected as teams and players get their game legs back and work on getting used to the new players in the line up. The Wolverines now have another week to keep working on some of those issues and then the Wildcats hit the ice. Northern has had a certain amount of success against Michigan over the last couple of years and it hasn't mattered if they have been at Yost or on their home ice. Next weekends series should be another good one.