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Buckeyes Dominate Wolverines
Friday, January 21, 2005
Schottenstein Center, Columbus, Ohio
In all to familiar fashion the Michigan hockey team came out flat on Friday night,
getting out hit, out hustled, and simply out played in every facet of the game. However,
in this case they were playing a good team and were unable to overcome their lack
of effort, ending up on the wrong end of a four to one score.
Just forty-five seconds into this game each team saw one player each head to the penalty
box, but neither team was able to come up with a score while skating four on four. However,
it would take the Buckeyes less than ten minutes before notching their first goal of the
game. Michigan was sent to the sin bin with just over six minutes played, putting Ohio
State on the power play. Less than a minute into the power play the Buckeyes had the puck
bouncing around in front of the Michigan net and finally chipped it in for the score. The
initial shot was blocked, but the puck laid right in the crease and the Buckeyes were the
first to get a stick on it.
Over the next several minutes the Buckeyes would real off a series of penalties putting
Michigan on the power play, including a fairly long stretch with a two man advantage. Finally
with just under eight minutes left in the period Michigan got on the board. The initial shot was
blocked, but the Wolverines got to the rebound before it could be covered and chipped it
into the goal. Gajic got credit for the goal, while Rogers and Hensick each picked up an
assist.
In the final five minutes of the period it was Michigan's turn to give the Buckeyes a long
two man advantage. The teams were already skating four on four, when Michigan was whistled
for another penalty putting the Buckeyes on the power play (four on three). They ended up
with forty-three seconds of two man advantage. The Buckeyes got the puck down low, while at
the same time the Michigan defense seemed in disarray and was pulled badly out of position.
Before anyone know what was happening the Buckeyes got the puck back out to the face off
circle. From there they blasted a shot that beat Montoya clean for their second power play
goal of the period.
The first period would come to an end with Ohio State leading by a score of two to one.
The Buckeyes also held a thirteen to nine advantage in shots on goal.
Michigan was called for a penalty right at the twenty minute mark of the first period,
giving the Buckeyes a full two minute power play to start the second period. Michigan
got that killed off and with the clock just under the fourteen minute mark the Buckeyes
were whistled for back to back penalties giving Michigan another long two man advantage.
It looked like the Wolverines had tied the game with just twenty-two seconds of the two
man advantage left, but the goal was waved off with the referee indicating that it was
hit in with a high stick. In the end there were no official goals scored during this
Michigan power play.
The remainder of the period would see no further scoring and the second period ended
just as the first period had, the Buckeyes were leading by a two to one score. Michigan
out shot the Buckeyes eight to seven in the period, but the Buckeyes still held an overall
twenty to seventeen edge in shots on goal.
With just over one minute played in the final period of play Michigan was once again
sent to the sin bin and once again the penalty kill would prove deadly. Barely using
twenty seconds of this power play the Buckeyes got their third power play goal of the
game with a long shot from the point. Montoya was somewhat screened on the shot making
it a difficult one to stop, which of course it wasn't.
As the clock approached the nine minute mark the Wolverines once again saw a player
head to the sin bin and once again the Buckeyes wasted little time in taking advantage
of the extra man. This power play goal was much like the one earlier in the period. It
was a long shot from the point that just slid into the Michigan goal. It doesn't matter
where the shot was taken the puck was in the net and the Buckeyes had power play goal
number four.
The game came to an end with Ohio State blowing Michigan off the ice, winning by a
four to one score. The Buckeyes ended the game with a thirty to twenty-nine advantage
in shots on goal.
Everyone knew going into this weekends match between the CCHA's number one and number
two teams that the action would be fast and furious. I don't think anyone, especially
Wolverine fans, thought that the Michigan special teams (both the power play and the
penalty kill) would be so bad. The power play couldn't score and the penalty kill couldn't
stop the Buckeyes from scoring (Ohio State got all four goals on the power play). The
Wolverines also saw their lead in the CCHA race shrink from five to three points. Hopefully
tomorrow night the Wolverines can find a way to salvage the weekend by gaining a split.
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