Wolverines Get Swept

Saturday, November 29, 2003
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

For the first time in the history of the College Hockey Showcase the Wolverines failed to win a game as Minnesota completed the weekend sweep, started by Wisconsin on Friday night, defeating the Michigan Wolverines four to two.

Both of these teams came out playing a very up tempo brand of hockey, with transition being the key word for both teams. The first real break of the game would come with just over twelve minutes to play in the opening period when Michigan would turn the puck over at their blue line. With nobody back to stop the rush Minnesota quickly advanced on the Wolverine goal with two players. Playing it beautifully Minnesota forced Montoya to commit to a player, then made the pass, which led to the Gophers first goal of the game and the early lead.

Play continued with each team sending a player to the penalty box, but it would be Michigan presenting the Gophers with the first power play of the game when they were sent to the sin bin as the clock moved under the eight minute mark. While the Gophers applied some pressure, it was Michigan who would come up with the goal. Michigan would force a turnover fairly deep in the Minnesota zone when Kaleniecki came up with puck after intercepting a Gopher pass. As he struggled to get control of the puck he was slowly forced out toward the blue line, but as he neared the top of the slot he was able to spin around and sent a floating shot toward the goal that somehow beat the Gopher goalie for Michigan's first goal of the night. The unassisted short-handed goal came with just over six minutes to play, thirty-seven seconds left in the Gopher power play.

About five minutes later Michigan would get their second goal of the night, again in unassisted fashion. The Wolverines were doing some ferocious checking in the corners of the Minnesota zone when Rogers made a great move to anticipate and intercept a Gopher pass. He got the puck moved through the slot and sent a back hander top shelf to beat the Minnesota goalie and give Michigan the lead.

The first period would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of two to one. The Gophers would hold the edge in shots on goal ending the period with fifteen to Michigan's eleven.

The up tempo play would continue in the second period and both teams would see power plays come and go, but it looked like the period would end the way the first had, with Michigan leading two to one, when all of as sudden the game took some unexpected turns. With just over one minute to play Minnesota was whistled for a penalty to put Michigan on the power play. Inexplicably the Gophers were able to carry the puck the length of the ice, with very little interference from the Michigan defense, ending up with an easy short-handed goal through Montoyas five hole to tie the game.

With forty-nine seconds left in the period, 1:42 in the power play, and the score now tied things looked to be going the Gophers way even though Michigan was on the power play. Then with just forty seconds left the Gophers made a huge mistake taking a five minute major penalty to give Michigan a two-man advantage for 1:33 and the extended five minute power play.

The Gophers were able to hold Michigan at bay and the second period ended with the score all tied at two goals each. Minnesota out shot the Wolverines by one in the second leaving the Gophers with a twenty-two to seventeen advantage in shots on goal through two periods.

The Wolverines started the third period with a two man advantage for fifty-two seconds and 4:20 remaining in the major penalty. Even with the extended power play time, the Wolverines were never able to get on track with the power play and the Gophers ended up killing off all the penalty time. The clincher was a Michigan penalty with eight seconds left in the Minnesota five minute major that ended the Wolverine power play and set Minnesota up for a power play of their own with the momentum clearly swinging their way.

However, the Wolverines continued to battle and the tempo of the game seemed to even out. Just as the clock moved under the seven minute mark both teams sent a man to the penalty box, leaving each team with four players on the ice. Less than twenty seconds later the Gophers would get the game winning score. Minnesota won a face off to the right of Montoya, but couldn't get a shooting lane from that side. Seeing an open player Minnesota passed the puck over to the left of the goal and Montoya followed it around to position himself between the shooter and the goal. In what looked like a game within a game it was the Minnesota shooter against Montoya and the shooter won, sending the puck high and into the top far corner of the goal for what proved to be the game winner.

Michigan would take a time out with 1:15 left in the period and the face off coming just outside the Minnesota blue line. When the Wolverines returned to the ice Montoya stayed on the bench to give Michigan the extra attacker. Michigan had some chances to get that game tying goal, but it would be Minnesota coming up with an empty net goal with just 3.3 seconds left in the game to clinch it for the Gophers.

The game would end with the Gophers going home with a four to two win, completing the WCHA sweep over Michigan. Perhaps in a fitting testament to just how close this game was, the final shots on goal count was thirty-two for each team.

Michigan continues to struggle in games against Minnesota as all the breaks seem to go the Gophers way. Michigan had a number of chances to get scores through out the game, but each time it would be a wide shot, or Minnesota would get to the puck a fraction of a second before Michigan, or Minnesota would just barely touch the puck with a stick or skate to redirect it away from the goal.

On the positive side, even though Michigan lost their third straight game, they put forth a much better effort in this game. It was a game that truly could have gone either way, but once again Minnesota seems to have Michigans number. Maybe it's just karma getting balanced for all those close wins Michigan had over Minnesota in the 1990's. In any event Michigan needs to take the positives from this game and forget about the loss as they return to CCHA play next weekend. A strong finish will go a long way toward setting them up for a strong push into and through the second half of the season. If they ignore the positive and allow the loss to dominate, finishing the first half poorly, it will be a long Christmas break with a huge series against Ohio State looming on the horizon to start the second half.