Wolverines Crush Lancers

Saturday, October 2, 2004
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

The game got off to a somewhat slow start for the Wolverines, as you might expect after not playing a game of hockey for the better part of six months. The passing wasn't very crisp, players weren't always in the right places, and a general lack of timing seemed to be the rule of the day. However, the Wolverines didn't waste a lot time finding a solution for those problems. They scored, then scored again, then kept on scoring, until they had dealt the visiting Windsor University Lancers a twelve to one defeat.

The Lancers gave the Wolverines a quick opportunity on the power play, sending a man to the sin bin with just under forty seconds ticked off the clock. Michigan wouldn't come up with a score here or on their second power play just four minutes later. The Wolverines would even kill off their first penalty of the night before finding their first goal of the season.

The Lancers were whistled for their third penalty of the night just as the clock moved under the ten minute mark of the first period. With their shots getting more and more accurate and more numerous it seemed certain that it would be just a matter of time before Michigan would find the back of the net. As time began to run out on this third power play and the Wolverines buzzing all around the Lancer goal that first goal finally came. Kolarik took a shot from in close and to the goal tenders left that was blocked, but the rebound came right back to him and he chipped the puck up and over the prone goalie to score Michigan's first and the first of his career with Wolverines. Assists on this power play goal went to Tambellini and Hensick.

With just over four minutes left in the first period Michigan would strike for the second time. Working the puck around the boards the Wolverines got down low behind the Lancer net. From there Henderson sort of chipped the puck out to Kaleniecki who was positioned at the top of the crease. Wasting no time Kaleniecki slammed the puck into the net and Michigan was up two to nothing. Assists on this goal went to Henderson and Cook.

With just over two minutes to play in the period the Lancers would turn the puck over at their blue line. Ebbett jumped at the puck, gathered it in on his stick, and took off into the Windsor zone a step and a half ahead of the Lancer defense. As he charged down the slot and closed on the net he made just a little move that froze the goalie and he slipped the puck into the net for Michigans third of the period. This goal was unassisted.

Through one period of play Michigan had opened up a three to nothing lead. The Wolverines ended the first period of play with a twenty-three to six advantage in shots on goal.

Windsor would start the second period with 1:28 of power play time, but they would be unable to score. Michigan would get another power play chance with barely two and half minutes ticked off the clock, but they could not score with this man advantage. It took just over five minutes for Michigan to score their fourth goal, but once they did it was as if the flood gates had opened.

With fourteen and a half minutes left to play in the period Michigan was charging into the Lancer zone with Rogers carrying the puck down the right side. As they began to close on the goal Rogers made a fantastic pass, through traffic, that hit Kolarik's stick right on the tape. Making it look easy in his first game with the Wolverines Kolarik made it look like he was going to the wide side of the net and then tucked the puck into the near corner for his second goal of the night. Both Rogers and Dest picked up assists on this goal.

Barely thirty seconds later the Lancers gave Michigan another opportunity on the power play, an opportunity that Michigan would not let pass. With just over thirteen minutes to play in the second, and just over one minute to go in the power play, Tambellini and Kaleniecki broke into the Lancer zone, two on one. They passed the puck back and forth between them, forcing the defenseman to go with Tambellini as they closed on the net. As the defenseman made his move Tambellini passed the puck back one last time to Kaleniecki who was coming down the slot. As the puck hit is his stick he banged it home for his second of the night, Michigans fifth. Both Tambellini and Rogers picked up assists on this power play goal.

With just over ten minutes left to play in the second, the Lancers would put in a new goalie, however, the results would be no better. With just under nine minutes to play the Wolverines welcomed the new goalie into the game by scoring their first goal on him. Once again Michigan had the puck behind the Lancer goal. From there Hensick made a great pass to Tambellini in front of the net. Tambellini wasted no time slamming the puck through the five hole for the score. Hensick and Gajic picked up assists for this score.

The Lancers would put Michigan back on the power play with about eight and half minutes to play in the period. Again the Wolverines applied all kinds of pressure, but looked like they would come up empty with the man advantage. However, with just ten seconds left with the extra man Ebbett took a shot from the corner, that barely seemed to be in front of the goal line, would find its way into the net for another power play goal. Assists went to Werner and Gajic.

With about five and half minutes left to play it would be the Lancers who would get the power play opportunity. However, a little thing like being a man short didn't slow the Wolverine attack at all. Playing their typical aggressive penalty kill the Wolverines had stymied the Lancer attack and with just twelve seconds left in the Lancer power play Michigan would charge into the Lancer zone with a two on one break. Porter carried the puck down the left side, using his fellow Wolverine as a decoy. Always looking like he might pass at any minute he kept the Lancer defender from making a move one way or the other and as they closed on the net he just slipped it into the near side corner to pick up his first career goal in a Wolverine uniform. The lone assist on this goal went to Cook.

With just over two minutes to go Michigan once again came into the Lancer zone with numbers in their favor. Passing the puck back and forth between them they kept the Lancer defense undecided until one final pass over to Rohlfs who banged the puck into the net for his first score of the season. Assists went to Woodford and Henderson.

With just over one minute left in the second period the Wolverines had built a nine to nothing lead and got a little sloppy. Michigan turned the puck over deep in their own zone where a Lancer wasted little time scooping it up and sliding it through Montoya's five hole before anyone, including Montoya, could react.

The second period would end with Michigan leading by a score of nine to one. The Lancers picked up one shot on goal in the second period, their goal, leaving Michigan with a forty-three to seven advantage in shots on goal through two.

Things got a little sloppy in the final minute of the second period with the Lancers being whistled for a penalty and Michigan being whistled for two, one at the twenty minute mark. The bottom line is that the Lancers started the third period with almost two solid minutes of power play time. The extra man did them no good as the Wolverines killed of the penalties.

With fifteen and a half minutes left to play the Wolverines would reach double digits on the score board as they scored their tenth goal of the night. Kolarik made a great move at center ice to get control of the puck and charged into the Lancer zone a half step ahead of the defense. While a fellow Wolverine broke into the Lancer zone with him, Kolarik carried the puck deep into the Lancer zone. As they neared the net the defense really closed on him and he slipped a quick little pass over to Moss who tucked the puck into the net for goal number ten. Assists went to Kolarik and Kaleniecki.

With about six and half minutes to play and the Lancers on the power play, Michigan would score their second short handed goal of the game. The Lancers had just turned the puck over at their blue line and turned away a Michigan scoring chance, when they turned it over a second time, again right at their blue line. This time Moss picked up the turnover, charged into the Lancer zone, and buried the puck for his second straight goal of the game. The score was listed as unassisted.

With under one minute to play and once again on the power play the Wolverines were working the puck around the Lancer zone, steadily spreading the Lancer defense out. Eventually they created just enough of a crease in the defense to open a lane and Hensick blasted a shot into the net to cap off Michigan's night with the teams twelfth goal. Assists went to Martens and Gajic.

The game would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of twelve to one. The Wolverines ended the game with a fifty-nine to fourteen advantage in shots on goal.

Not a bad way to open the exhibition season, given that fact that the Michigan team had to yet to have a full blown practice with their coaches. The team was rusty as you might expect and picked up too many penalties, but it's hard to argue with a twelve to one score. In the grand scheme of things I wonder if the coaches would have wished for a tighter contest that would have really made the team work harder for the win.

Only one defenseman and one forward didn't get a point of any kind in this game, with the scoring spread out through the entire team. Both freshmen wasted no time getting their feet wet and look like they are going to fit into the college game quickly. Michigan was four for eight on the power play and a perfect nine and zero on the penalty kill. Those are numbers that the Wolverines would truly like to continue through the season. They did get hit with nine penalties which is a few to many. The Wolverines fought hard through the game, working the corners, and pressing the Lancers at every opportunity. While there are certainly things to work on I would think the coaches are relatively happy with this exhibition win. One more exhibition game tomorrow night and then the Wolverines jump into their regular season schedule against two Hockey East opponents.