Wolverines Slip Past Varsity Blues

Sunday, October 2, 2005
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

In their final pre-season exhibition game of the season the Wolverines had to work hard, very hard, to get past the Varsity Blues of Toronto University this Sunday afternoon. Michigan held a one goal lead through two periods of play, but saw the Blues tie them up not once, but twice in the third before the Wolverines pulled out the win in the final minute of play.

With just over a minute played in the game the Blues were whistled for a five minute major penalty giving the Wolverines a long power play to start the game. Even when the Blues picked up a second penalty with 1:51 left in the major Michigan was unable to take advantage of the power play opportunity leaving the score knotted at zero.

With about twelve and a half minutes left in the first the Blues were once again in the penalty box, putting Michigan back on the power play. Michigan was moving the puck fairly well, just as they had on their opening power play, but weren't getting the puck in the net. However, it was off a shot that finally saw Michigan put the puck in the net. The initial shot was blocked, but the puck was bouncing around down in front of the net with members of both teams swinging at it trying to put it in the net or clear it out. Finally, as he did much of last year, Kolarik got his stick on the puck and chipped it into the net for Michigans first power play goal of the game. Assists went to Hensick and Hunwick.

Michigan would see the power play three more times in this period and the Blues would see it once, but in the end the first period was over with Michigan leading by a one to nothing score. The Wolverines out shot the Blues seventeen to four.

Both teams would spend time in the sin bin during the second period, but neither team would find a way to take advantage of the extra man. The second period would come to an end with Michigan still clinging to their one to nothing lead. Michigan out shot the Blues in the second twenty to three, for a two period advantage in shots on goal of thirty-seven to seven.

Noah Ruden would start in goal for the Wolverines in the third period.

With over two minutes played in the third the Blues tied the game for the first time when they had a two on one break into the Michigan zone. A Toronto player was coming down the right side of the ice with a teammate coming down the left. A Michigan defender was with the skater on the left, leaving Ruden to face up to the player with the puck. It looked like Ruden was in position to make a stop on a shot when the Michigan defender peeled off the man on the left and came over to the player with the puck. As soon as the defender got over to the right a quick pass to the left put the puck on the stick of a wide open skater. With Ruden now badly out of position it was an easy shot to tie the game.

That would last for about five minutes when Hensick decided to take things into his own hands and put Michigan back in the lead. Getting the puck around center ice Hensick skated around defenders, slid the puck between defenders legs, and flew past defenders as he worked his way back into the Toronto zone. As he closed on the goal he let fly a wrist shot that squeezed inside the far post for the score. Hunwick and Porter each picked up an assist on the goal.

With the clock showing just under four minutes to play the Wolverines were whistled for a penalty putting Toronto on the power play. It looked like Michigan was going to kill this penalty like they had the others in this game, but with just one second left in the power play Toronto was able to chip the puck into the net to retake the lead with less than two minutes of time on the clock.

Michigan attacked hard as they looked for a winning goal as time began to slip away. As the clock moved in on the one minute mark Hensick once again became the catalyst for the Michigan offense. T.J. carried the puck into the Toronto zone and slipped a pass over to Hunwick who got off shot, but that was deflected into the air. Hensick got control of the puck and passed it out to Cogliano at the right circle. Cogliano quickly snapped a pass over to Porter was down low to the right of the net. As soon as the puck hit his stick Porter shot it, banking it off the goal tender to score the game winning goal with exactly one minute left on the clock. Cogliano and Hensick each picked up assists.

Toronto pulled out all the stops, including pulling their goal tender, but they could not find a way to get the game back to even. At the end of sixty minutes of play it was Michigan three, Toronto two. The Wolverines ended the game with a fifty-three to eighteen advantage in shots on goal.

A good win for Michigan that showed much of what I think many expected; a young team that is still finding its way, but a team that shows a great deal of potential. A close game like this was probably much better for this young team than a blow out win would have been. It kept them working hard the entire game, rather than have them just skating along for two periods. In the long run that should help them keep the right mind set as the regular season gets under way next weekend.