Wildcats Humble Wolverines

Friday, January 28, 2005
Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Michigan continued its disturbing pattern of playing poorly on Friday nights, this time against the visiting Northern Michigan Wildcats. In a game that looked eerily similar to last Fridays game against Ohio State, the Wolverines got out skated in every facet of the game as the Wildcats hung a four to one defeat on the home standing Wolverines. This was the first regular season loss to a CCHA opponent at Yost since 2003, ending a twenty-two game home winning streak.

The play up and down the ice for the first half of the opening period with Michigan actually looking like they were controlling play. However, that all started to come undone with just over eight minutes to play. The puck was sliding into the Michigan zone with a Wildcat in host pursuit. As the puck approached the top of the face off circle Montoya decided to make a play on it and jumped out of the net, going for the puck. Unfortunately he misjudged how fast the Wildcat player was closing on the puck. As Montoya tried to half fall on, half scoop up the puck the Wildcat player got his stick in there, dragged the puck out from under Montoya (just before he hit the ice), skated around Montoya and easily directed the puck into the wide open net for the games first goal.

That goal seemed to take the steam out of the Michigan team and just over three minutes later, with the clock just moving under the five minute mark, the Wildcats would score their second goal of the period. Getting control of the puck in their own zone the Wildcats used precision passing to march the puck right down the ice, through center ice, and into the Michigan zone. They continued to pass the puck through a Michigan defense that appeared frozen in place, until they finally sent a soft shot through the five hole for the score. It was a goal that simply should not have been allowed.

Michigan the clock just under the three minute mark Michigan finally got a goal, but it was the lone bright spot of the game for the Wolverines and came compliments of a Wildcat defender. Gajic had gotten off a shot from the right circle that was blocked. The rebound came right out to a Wildcat defender and looked like it would easily be cleared. However, Kolarik got just enough of the Wildcat defender to make him misfire, redirecting the puck toward the Wildcat goal where it barely trickled over the goal line. While the goal was weak it still counted. Werner picked up the lone assist.

The first period would come to an end with the Wildcats holding a two to one lead. The Wolverines ended the period with a ten to four advantage in shots on goal.

The second period was relatively non eventful except for one more Northern goal about midway through the period. This was another softie that never should have made it into the net, but things just were not going Michigans way in this game. Getting the puck down low quickly the Wildcat forward went around two Michigan defenders, again looking like they were stuck to the ice, and fired a laser of a shot over Montoyas shoulder to once again give the Wildcats a two goal lead.

The Wolverines spent most of the rest of the period killing off penalties and neither team would score another goal in the second period of play. After forty minutes of hockey it was Northern three, Michigan one. Michigan continued to lead in shots on goal ending two periods of play with a fifteen to ten advantage in the category.

Michigan started the third period with 1:08 of power play time and got two more power play chances in the first half of the final stanza, but they were unable to take advantage of any of those extra man situations.

The Wildcats added one more goal with just over ten minutes to play when they once again flew past the sedentary Michigan defense. As the Wildcat player closed with the Michigan goal he deked Montoya, giving him a wide open target to shoot at. An easy back hand later and Northern was sitting on top of a three goal lead with just over ten minutes to play.

The game would come to an end with Northern winning by a score of four to one. Michigan ended the game with a twenty-eight to seventeen advantage in shots on goal, making the lop sided loss even more difficult to stomach.

For the second weekend in a row the Wolverines got their collective heads handed to them by a team that worked harder for the win than did the Wolverines. For the second straight weekend Michigan saw its lead in the CCHA cut to three points. Of course the difference this weekend is that they don't play the second place team tomorrow night so they won't be able to get those points back with a win tomorrow night. The Wolverines will have to step up to the plate just to end the weekend still in first place by three points.