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Michigan Claims CCHA Tournament Title
Saturday, March 19, 2005
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan
The Wolverines continued to use stingy defense, solid goal tending, and special
teams, in the form of the power play, as they slowly but steadily sent the Buckeyes
down to defeat in this years Super Six CCHA tournament. This rematch between last
years finalists saw the exact same result, only the winner and loser were different.
Last year it was Ohio State winning four to two, this year it was Michigan winning
by the same score to claim the CCHA's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
The Buckeyes were whistled for the first of their sixteen penalties with the clock
just under the eighteen minute mark giving Michigan their first power play chance of
the game. Michigan got the puck into the Buckeye zone, moving it with authority
with crisp passing that had the Buckeyes scrambling to keep up. Eventually that
movement created an opportunity. Michigan got a quick pass over to Gajic who was
stationed at the right circle. Just as the puck go to him Gajic sent a blistering
shot on net that squeezed past the goalie for the games first score. Assists went
to Hunwick and Rogers.
Both teams would spend most of the rest of the period killing off penalties as
play rapidly took on a chippy tone. The first period came to an end with Michigan
leading by a one to nothing score. The Buckeyes held a slight twelve to eleven edge
in shots on goal.
The Buckeyes would get the game even with just over five minutes gone in the second
period. Both teams had been pushing the puck up and down the ice, but this time the
Buckeyes got the puck right down the center of the ice fairly quickly. They closed with
the Michigan goal and got off a shot that Montoya blocked. However, he didn't cover the
rebound and before he could recover a trailing Buckeye had chipped that rebound back
into the net.
Barely thirty seconds after scoring the equalizer the Buckeyes were once again on
their way to the sin bin, putting Michigan on the power play. Once again it would
be Gajic scoring a power play goal to put Michigan in the lead. Michigan moved the
puck very smoothly and quickly around the Ohio State zone leading to a shot that was
blocked, with Michigan scooping up the rebound and returning to the attack, looking
for a shooting lane. Michigan suddenly got off a shot from the slot, through a
screen of players. This shot was blocked, but this time the rebound popped out
in front of the goal and Gajic was right there to chip it into the net for the score.
Kaleniecki and Rogers each picked up and assist on this power play goal.
With just over thirteen minutes to play, barely ten seconds after Michigan had
retaken the lead the Buckeyes got a gift that tied the score. The Buckeyes were passing
the puck across the ice, just outside the crease. The puck hit the back of a Michigan
defensemans leg and bounced right straight back into the Michigan goal. Montoya
didn't stand a chance of getting to the puck and just like that the game was once
again tied.
Once again the last ten minutes of a period would be spent with one team or the
other killing off penalties. The second period would come to an end with the score
all tied at two goals each. The Buckeyes continued to out shoot the Wolverines
holding a twenty-four to twenty-one advantage in shots on goal after two periods.
There were a number of penalties handed out at the end of the second period, but
both teams started the third skating full strength.
With just over five minutes played in the third period of regulation time the
Wolverines would get a little gift of their own to take the lead for the third time
in the game. The Wolverines were buzzing around the Ohio State net getting some
strong pressure on the goal when Tambellini passed the puck across the ice in front
of the goal. The puck hit a Buckeye defender and bounced into the net for the
Michigan score. The goal was recorded as unassisted.
The rest of the period saw both teams take and kill of penalties as Michigan
worked to get an insurance goal and Ohio State was looking for a way to once again
at least tie the game. The intensity level increased as each minute ticked off the
clock and each power play chance ended without a score. The clock had worked its way
down to just one and half minutes to play when the Buckeyes called time out with a
face off in the Michigan zone.
The Buckeyes returned to the ice with an extra attacker leaving their net open. They
got about forty-five seconds of time with the puck in the Michigan zone, but could
not score. With just forty-six seconds left to play a face off was brought outside
the Michigan zone forcing Ohio State to bring their goalie back into the game.
Michigan kept him on the ice until the last fifteen seconds of the game. Michigan
finally got their insurance goal as Ryznar slid the puck into the empty net with
just one half of a second left on the clock. Woodford picked up the lone assist
on the empty net goal.
The game would come to an end with Michigan winning by a score of four to two. The
Wolverines dominated the Buckeyes in the third period, out shooting them seventeen
to five in the final period. Michigan ended up with a thirty-eight to twenty-nine
advantage in shots on goal at the end of the game.
Michigan has done all that it could to help its NCAA tournament seeding and Regional
location; they've won the CCHA tournament without losing a game. This Senior class
reclaimed the Mason Cup, winning it three out of the four years they were at Michigan.
Michigan doesn't have to worry about making the tournament, they have the CCHA's automatic
bid in hand for the NCAA tourney. All that Michigan can do now is sit back and wait
to see where the selection committee puts them. Hopefully it will be the Midwest
Regional in Grand Rapids, but we'll know for sure just before noon on Sunday with the
selection show being broadcast at eleven or eleven thirty on ESPN 2.
Jeff Tambellini and Brandon Rogers were named to the CCHA all tournament team,
while Tambellini was also awarded the tournament MVP award.
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