Wolverines Salvage Tie

Saturday, December 13, 2003
Qwest Center, Omaha, Nebraska

The Wolverines got off to a very slow start, saw the Mavericks jump out to a commanding lead, only to come back and manage a tie midway through the third period. The tie, combined with Friday nights win, gave the Wolverines three out of four points, drawing them within two points of conference leading Miami as the first half of the season ends.

The Wolverines came close to scoring a goal in the first minute of play when Hensick banged the puck off a post, but that would be the closest they would come in the first period of play. From that point on the Mavericks out hustled and out played the Wolverines. Michigan got the first power play of the game, but never got close to a score, completing their twenty eighth power play without a goal.

The Mavericks would get their first power play of the game when Michigan was sent to the sin bin with just over eleven minutes left to play. The Mavericks applied pressure early and often on this power play. Using some crisp passing around the Wolverine zone it would take about a minute and a half before they created the seam they needed, but in the end it was Nebraska scoring the power play goal just as the clock moved under the ten minute mark.

Michigan would see two more power plays in this period, the second starting with less than a minute remaining in the period, but they would come up with no scores. The first period would come to an end with Nebraska leading by a score of one to nothing. The Mavericks would also hold a six to two advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan started the second period with 1:40 of power play time and for the first time in a very long time they would score with the man advantage. Hensick carried the puck into the zone, sending a pass over to Kaleniecki. The pass was either to far in front of Kaleniecki or he tipped the puck, in any event the puck ended up on Nystroms stick. While the goal tender had come out to challenge Kaleniecki, Nystrom half jumped, half dove around a last defender to redirect the puck into the open net. Nystrom got the goal, while Kaleniecki and Hensick both picked up assists.

As play continued Ryznar just missed a back hand shot as the goalie was down and out of position. After that the players from both teams threw defense out the window and flew up and down the ice, each team taking shot after shot in a barely controlled attempt to score. Unfortunately for Michigan it would be Nebraska who come up with a goal as the Mavericks caught Michigan on a line change, charged up the ice, and blasted the puck past Montoya before anyone knew what hit them.

It would take less than two minutes for Nebraska to get their third goal of the game as Michigan continued to play without any sense of purpose. They continued to turn the puck over, continued to get caught out of position, all of which added up and cost them a two goal lead. This score came off a face off in the Michigan zone that Nebraska won cleanly, dropping the puck back toward the blue line, providing them with a shot through a screen that beat Montoya.

Michigan did settle down in the late going of the second period and was able to get one goal back. With just under four minutes left to play in the period Ebbett lead a charge into the Maverick zone, dropping the puck back for Martens. Martens fired a one timer that went wide, but Ebbett was the first to get to the puck. Quickly finding Nystrom, Ebbett fired a pass that Nystrom took, firing a shot that beat the Maverick goal tender for Michigan's second goal of the game. Both Ebbett and Martens received assists on the goal.

There would be no further scoring in the second period which ended with Nebraska leading by a score of three to two. The Mavericks would continue to lead in shots on goal as they finished two periods with a fifteen to eleven advantage in the category.

Michigan several adjustments between the second and third periods, moving Werner back to defense and shortening their forward lines, basically playing with three lines rather than their normal four. Whatever the cause the Wolverines skated with a great deal more intensity and applied a great deal of pressure on the Maverick zone throughout the final period of play.

With just under twelve minutes to play that pressure would pay off as Gajic made a great play to get the puck through the neutral zone and into the Nebraska zone. Gajic then made an attempt to pass over to Ryznar, but the puck hit a Nebraska defender and deflected into the goal, tying the game for the Wolverines. Ebbett and Martens each picked up an assist on this goal.

There would be no further scoring in the third period as regulation time ended with the score tied at three goals each. The Mavericks finished regulation time with a twenty-two to twenty-one advantage in shots on goal.

While both teams would get some scoring chances in overtime, neither team would manage to find the game winner. Overtime would end with the score still tied at three goals each. Each team got off three shots in the overtime period, leaving Nebraska with a twenty-five to twenty-four advantage in shots on goal for the game.

Once again a weekend of inconsistent play hurt the Wolverines as they struggled to get any kind of offensive pressure for most of this game. That was disappointing, however, they did hang in there and battle back in the third to get the game tied. Three out of four points on the weekend isn't bad for a road trip, but the Wolverines desperately needed a complete, solid weekend of hockey and that they didn't get. Hopefully a couple of weeks off to refocus mentally and regenerate physically will do the Wolverines good. It had better as they start the second half of play against Boston College in the Great Lakes Invitational on December 27th.