Wolverines Complete Sweep of Quinnipiac

Saturday, October 8, 2005
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Matt Hunwick put the Wolverines on his back tonight, scoring three goals, adding two assists, taking zero penalties, and generally harassing the Bobcats all night as he led Michigan to a five to three victory to complete the weekend sweep over the visitors from Quinnipiac.

There was a faster tempo in the opening period tonight than there was last night, both teams playing with a sense of urgency. The Bobcats first penalty of the night proved costly for them as Michigan used the man advantage to come up with their first goal of the night. They had moved the puck well on this power play, getting off several shots that were blocked. Finally, with just twenty-eight seconds left in the power play the Wolverines struck for that first goal. Johnson was between the circles when he received the puck. He quickly fired off a rocket that the goalie stopped, but the rebound was not covered. Hunwick was in the right place at the right time and just chipped the loose puck into the net to spot Michigan to the early lead. Both Johnson and Hensick picked up assists on the goal.

Michigan's lead was short lived as the Bobcats notched their first goal of the game less than a minute later. With the puck in the Michigan zone a Bobcat fired a shot from near the left circle. Sauer had it blocked, but he didn't get his pads together quite tight enough and the puck just trickled through the five hole and across the goal line to tie the game.

Neither team would be able to take advantage of power play chances in the final ten minutes of the opening period and after twenty minutes of play the game was all tied up at one goal apiece. The Wolverines held a fifteen to seven edge in shots on goal.

With the clock just under fifteen minutes Michigan was whistled for a penalty, however, with just just thirty-two seconds of the Bobcat power play expired, the Bobcats themselves were sent to the sin bin leaving the teams skating four on four. With the extra room on the ice the Wolverines moved the puck around the Bobcat zone as if they were on the power play. Just twenty-four seconds after the Bobcat penalty, with 14:01 on the clock Michigan scored their second goal of the night to retake the lead. The shot itself wasn't terribly hard as it seemed to close on the goal with uncommon slowness, but just as it neared the goal it was deflected through the five hole for the score. The goal was credited to Hunwick, with Johnson and Hensick each picking up an assist.

About one minute later, while still skating four on four Michigan got their third goal of the game off a fantastic feed by Chad Kolarik. Michigan got the puck into the Bobcat zone, eventually getting it to Kolarik behind the net. He quickly spotted Ebbett positioned barely six feet away from the goal, right in front. Kolarik made a quick pass to Ebbett who wasted no time banging it into the Bobcat net for the score, extending Michigan's lead to two goals. Kolarik and Hunwick each picked up assists on the goal.

With just over eleven minutes on the clock, and both teams once again skating at full strength Michigan scored their third goal of the period off what can only be considered a fluke goal. Johnson was near the blue line when he tried to unleash a cannon of a shot. He hit the puck, but just barely, as he almost completely missed the puck. He did, however, get enough stick on the puck to get it headed to the goal in what looked like slow motion. There didn't seem to be any doubt that the Bobcat goalie would come up with the stop on this floater, but the slowness of the shot must of put him to sleep as the puck just slid into the goal with the goalie barely flinching to recognize that there was a puck there. Johnson got his first career goal, while Hunwick and MacVoy each picked up assists.

After giving up their third straight goal the Bobcats called time out to regroup. It would take most of the rest of the period, but the Bobcats would get one back before the end of the second. Michigan was sent to the penalty box with just under four minutes left to play in the period. Barely twenty seconds into the power play the Bobcats got one past Sauer, giving up their first power play goal of the season with a little help from the Wolverines. Hunwick attempted to block the shot, but didn't get all of it, causing it to deflect at a strange angle that Sauer couldn't cover.

At the end of two periods of play the score was Michigan four, Quinnipiac two. The Wolverines again out shot the Bobcats ending two periods of play with a twenty-nine to seventeen advantage in shots on goal.

The third period was a special teams bonanza as the play got a little chippy and both teams wore tracks in the ice getting in and out of their respective penalty boxes. With the clock showing just under seven minutes to play and the Wolverines skating with a two man advantage, they scored their fifth goal of the game. Michigan was moving the puck around the zone well when they found Hunwick all alone at the top of the circle. He quickly fired a shot that beat the Bobcat goalie for his hat trick and Michigan's fifth. Kolarik and Johnson each picked up assists on this power play goal.

With just under two minutes left in the game Michigan would make their final trip to the sin bin. Just eight seconds into the power play, right off the face off, the Bobcats got off a blistering shot from the top of the circle, through a screen that beat Sauer clean.

The game would come to an end with Michigan winning by a five to three score. The Bobcats outshot the Wolverines ten to nine in the third period, but the Wolverines ended the game with a thirty-eight to twenty-seven advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan got their season off to a good start with there weekend sweep of the Quinnipiac Bobcats. They played well enough to win and they obviously still have plenty of things to work on and correct. They still look like a team that will have its ups and downs during the first half of the season, but also like a team that has the potential to be one of the best in the country when the end of the season comes. We'll soon find out just where this team is in its development as they host the Eagles of Boston College next Friday, followed by Merrimack on Sunday. Then the following weekend they play just one game, that against arch rival Michigan State. The Wolverines end the month of October with a trip to Alaska for a series against conference hopeful Alaska-Fairbanks.