Bulldogs Edge Past Wolverines

Friday, November 7, 2003
Ewigleben Ice Arena, Big Rapids, Michigan

The Wolverines continue to struggle on the road as they force an overtime showdown with the home standing Bulldogs, only to see the game slip away after taking a penalty, giving Ferris a power play in the overtime period.

The first period was probably the Wolverines best period and many probably wish the game had ended after twenty minutes. After an up and down ten minutes of play the Bulldogs gave the Wolverines the first break of the game by taking a penalty with just over eleven minutes left in the period. After working the puck around the zone Michigan got the puck to Tambellini at the point. From there a quick one timer made it through the traffic in front and into the net for the first Michigan goal of the game. Assists went to Rogers and Nystrom.

The teams trading penalties through the final minutes of the period, with Michigan notching their second of the period with just twenty seconds left to play, but the first period came to an end with Michigan leading by a score of one to nothing. The Wolverines held a slim edge in shots on goal with a thirteen to twelve count.

Ferris started the second period with 1:41 of power play time and that power play would prove deadly to the Wolverines. With just over nineteen minutes to play, forty-seven seconds left in the power play, Ferris got the puck into the net with a low shot that somehow got behind Montoya.

With just under fourteen minutes to play in the period Michigan was once again sent to the penalty box and once again Ferris would make the Wolverines pay. This time taking less than thirty seconds the Bulldogs got off a quick shot from the top of the circle that beat Montoya high and suddenly Ferris was leading the game with their second straight power play goal.

Michigan would quiet the crowd and get back some momentum less than a minute later when Hensick carried the puck the length of the ice, making a nice move to get around the final defender between himself and the goal. As he approached the goal he got off a nice shot, beating Brown top shelf, to get Michigan back to even. The goal was unassisted.

With twelve and half minutes to play Ferris was once again in the penalty box and Michigan would once again find a way to convert on the power play. Michigan had worked the puck around the Bulldog zone, keeping it in the zone for almost the entire power play, however, they had not found a way to score. Just as it looked like the power play would end without a score Michigan got the puck to Hensick who got off a quick shot, through a great screen, that beat Brown top shelf. Assists went to Rogers and Nystrom.

With just over nine minutes to play Ferris would once again even the score. A face off was taken in the Michigan zone to the left of Montoya. Winning the draw the Bulldogs dropped the puck straight back to the point. As the puck hit the receiving players stick he got off a blistering shot that beat Montoya through the five hole for Bulldog goal number three.

With just over seven minutes to play it would be poor puck handling by the Wolverines that would give the Bulldogs the chance they needed to once again take the lead. Turning the puck over just inside their own blue line and with no one left to defend, Ferris was able to walk in on the Michigan goal. As the Ferris player approached he got off a quick shot that once again beat Montoya through the five hole.

With just over one minute to play in the period Ferris would extend their lead by making a simple play. Drawing the Michigan defenders and Montoya to the left side of the ice and goal, the Bulldogs sent a quick pass back to the right, across the slot, to a lone Bulldog. Receiving the pass all that was needed was a flick of the wrist and the puck was in the open net and a two goal lead with time running out in the second period.

Michigan would get back to within one with just thirty-seconds to play in the period when a group of Wolverines would crash the Bulldog net in hot pursuit of the puck. With the puck bouncing around in front of the net, Wolverines trying to put the puck in the net, and Bulldog defenders trying to knock it away, it would be a Wolverine who finally got enough stick on the puck to put it away. That Wolverine would be Tambellini who whacked the puck out of mid air, onto the net. Assists went to Nystrom and Hensick.

The second period would come to an end with Ferris leading by a score of five to four. The Bulldogs would also hold a slight edge in shots on goal ending two periods of play with a twenty-five to twenty-four advantage in this category.

While the game had become consistently more physical the third period saw an increase in that physical play as both teams made repeated trips to the penalty box. With just 1:38 to play the Bulldogs suddenly found themselves down two men and Michigan down one. Michigan took a time out to plan their strategy and play resumed. With about 1:20 left Montoya came out giving Michigan a two man advantage. Working the puck around the Ferris zone Werner would get a shot off from the point. The puck threaded its way through a host of players and found its way into the net, tying the game. Assists on this power play goal went to Hensick and Ebbett.

Regulation time would come to an end with the score all tied at five goals each. The Bulldogs outshot the Wolverines by a sizable margin in the third, ending regulation play with a thirty-eight to twenty-nine advantage in shots on goal.

The overtime would see both teams battling up and down the ice, looking for that sudden victory. With just over three minutes left to play Michigan would create a great opportunity for Ferris by taking a penalty, putting Ferris on the power play. It would take just less than a minute for the Bulldogs to capitalize, scoring a power play goal through a screen, to score goal number six and win their first game in five tries.

Ferris wins the game by a score of six to five and ended the game with a forty-one to thirty advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan played a decent first period, but everything went down hill from there. The defense was weak, the penalty kill was ineffective, and they allowed themselves to be drawn into a physical fray that allowed the Bulldogs to negate the more skilled Wolverine players. It was a definite step backward for this Wolverine team who had seemed to be getting into a groove as they started fitting the pieces of the team together. The Wolverines return to home ice tomorrow where they will attempt to salvage a split against a Bulldog team playing with desperation after losing four straight conference games. The Wolverines are going to have to start playing better on the road with a crucial month of games, many of them on the road, staring them in the face.