Wolverines Shut Out Falcons

Tuesday, January 9, 2007
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Using solid team defense and an opportunistic offense the Wolverines had one of their better games of the year, certainly one of the better games since November, as they shut out the visiting Bowling Green Falcons by a score of five to nothing.

With about eighteen and half minutes to play the Falcons were sent to the sin bin giving the Wolverines the first power play chance of this game. Michigan was getting good pressure on the net and that pressure would lead to a power play goal by Kolarik with just over seventeen minutes to play. Hensick fired from the right side boards toward the net where Kolarik was positioned. As the puck reached Kolarik he redirected it up and over the goalies outstretched arm for the score. Both Hensick and Hunwick would pick up assists on the goal.

The first period would come to an end with the Wolverines leading by a score of one to nothing. The Wolverines really carried play ending the first period with a thirteen to one advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan started the second period with 1:25 of power play time, but would not be able to convert with the man advantage. However, with just over eighteen minutes to play Rohlfs would score the Wolverines second goal of the night from the blue line. The Falcons were looking to break out of their zone, but the puck rolled off a Falcon players stick and sort of rolled toward the blue line. Rohlfs was able to circle back around and fire off a slap shot that sailed right down the slot, glanced off the goalies glove, and bumped off the under side of the cross bar before finally ending up in the back of the net. This goal was scored as unassisted.

With just over eleven minutes to play in the period some picture perfect passing would lead to Michigans second goal of the period, third of the game. Turnbull got things started by firing the puck from the left boards to Porter in the slot. Porter quickly dropped the puck down low to Hensick, who immediately fed it back out to Porter who tipped it into the wide open net for the score. Both Hensick and Turnbull picked up assists on the goal.

The second period would come to an end with the Wolverines leading by a score of three to nothing. The Falcons got much better pressure in the second period, with each team tallying eleven shots on goal for the period. The Wolverines still held the distinct advantage in shots on goal through forty minutes with a twenty-four to twelve advantage.

The Falcons started the third period with 1:05 of power play time, but they were unable to do anything with the man advantage.

With just over eighteen minutes to play the Wolverines were whistled for a penalty putting the Falcons on the power play. Even though they were a man short it would be the Wolverines who would come up big, scoring a short handed goal to extend their lead to four goals. Michigan broke out of their zone on a two on one break. Kolarik drove down the left center of the ice, using Cogliano as a decoy to freeze the defense. As he got between the circles he saw a bit of daylight and fired the puck top shelf, into the corner of the net for the score. Cogliano and Dest each picked up assists on the goal.

With the clock just under twelve minutes and the teams skating four on four the Wolverines would strike for the fifth and final time of this game. Dest got things going with a great pass through center ice to Rohlfs that hit his stick right as he crossed the blue line. Rohlfs carried the puck into the Falcon zone and blasted the puck into the net into the lower left corner. Dest and Summers each picked up an assist on the goal.

The third period would come to an end with the Wolverines beating the Falcons by a score of five to nothing. The Falcons out shot the Wolverines ten go nine in the period, but Michigan ended the game with a thirty-three to twenty-two advantage in shots on goal.

This was the type of team effort that the Wolverines will need, game in and game out if they want to even contemplate finishing near the top of the CCHA this year. Their problem so far has been that they can only seem to bring this sort of effort for one game and then they fade away. They have a very short turn around as they host Northern Michigan in just three days for a pair of key CCHA games. If the Wolverines can find a way to sweep this weekend series with Northern they would have won three games in five days, moved from sixth place into third, and at least gotten off to a good start in the second half of the CCHA play.