Spartans Earn Split

Saturday, December 6, 2003
Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, Michigan

After pitching a two to nothing shut out last night over the Spartans from Michigan State, the Wolverines were shut out in similar fashion tonight, as Michigan couldn't find a way to get the puck past the Spartan net minder.

The game started out looking like it was going to be a repeat of the previous night with both goal tenders playing solidly in the opening stanza of play, but a mistake by the Michigan net minder would lead to the Spartans first goal of the game.

With just under five minutes to play in the period the Wolverines were sent to the sin bin, putting the Spartans on the power play. Michigan was successfully killing the power play when Montoya attempted to clear the puck from behind his own goal. Instead of leaving the zone, a Spartan stepped right into the pass, taking the puck right on his stick. While Montoya dove in front of the net the Spartan player took a shot that sailed way over the cross bar, but it hit the glass and bounced straight out in front of the net, landing in perfect position for another Spartan player to flip the puck home over the prone Montoya.

Each team would lose another player to penalties with just under two minutes left in the period, but the first period would come to an end with Michigan State leading by a score of one to nothing. Michigan outshot the Spartans by a thirteen to eight count.

The second period saw each team take three penalties each. Each team would have two power plays during the period and each team would fail to score with the man advantage. The second period would come to an end just like it started with Michigan State leading by a score of one to nothing. Michigan again out shot the Spartans in this period, holding a twenty-three to thirteen advantage in shots on goal through two periods of play.

With the game on the line the third period got underway and the Wolverines were surprisingly flat in the opening minute. They couldn't seem to get control of the puck in their own zone and when they did another errant clearing pass would prove their undoing. Once again the clearing pass ended up on the stick of a Spartan player in the high slot. Hesitating just slightly to let Montoya get screened, he took a shot that Montoya almost blocked. However, the puck hit Montoya's blocker or his stick and then just rolled right up over his right shoulder and dropped into the goal.

The intensity would increase as time slowly ticked away, but Michigan would be unable to find a way to get the puck past Vicari. The game would come to an end with Michigan State winning by a two to nothing score. The Wolverines got fewer shots off in this period, ending the game with a twenty-nine to seventeen advantage in shots on goal.

It was another battle between these two in state rivals with the weekends outcome not unexpected. These two teams often split weekend series, although lately they seem to win on the other teams home ice, rather than on their own. While both teams end the weekend in exactly the same position they started, at least in the CCHA conference race, both teams did make up some ground as both Ohio State and Notre Dame were swept. However, on the strength of their sweep over Ohio State, Miami now sits alone in first place. Michigan continues to have games in hand against all of the teams in the conference so their current position in the standings could easily improve once those extra games are played.

Michigan has just two games left in the first half of the season, those being played out in Nebraska. This could be just the kind of road trip that the Wolverines need to find their identity while playing on the road. They will have to leave Ann Arbor no later than Thursday, perhaps on Wednesday, leaving friends, family, and school behind (well, maybe not school). If the Wolverines can put together a solid weekend of play and sweep the Mavericks, they can set themselves up for a strong push to through the second half of the season.