Wolverines Get Rare Road Sweep

Saturday, January 20, 2007
Carlson Center, Fairbanks, Alaska

As strange as it may seem road sweeps, in fact weekends sweeps of any kind, have become a rarity for Michigan of late. Tonights game had all the earmarks of yet another let down after a solid game the night before. The Nanooks had Michigan playing catch up for the first forty minutes of play and the outcome looked decidedly unhealthy for Michigan until a scoring burst in the third period blew the game open for Michigan as they finished the weekend with a five to two victory.

The Nanooks had the Wolverines scrambling for most of this period as they brought the pressure early and never let up. Things didn't get better for Michigan as they were whistled for their first penalty with just under nine minutes left on the clock. They picked up penalty number two just three seconds later to give Alaska a two man advantage for almost a full two minutes. As you might surmise the pressure increased on the Michigan and somewhere along the way Sauer lost his stick, putting him at a disadvantage he didn't need. With Sauer using a defenders stick, a defender without a stick, and constant pressure by the Nanooks they got the puck into the net for the games first score, notching a power play goal.

The first period came to an end with the Nanooks leading by a score of one to nothing. The Nanooks held a fifteen to seven advantage in shots on goal.

Michigan finally got the game to even with the clock just under the four minute mark in the second period. Naurato got a pass from the far boards into center ice to a streaking Cogliano. Cogliano got past the defense, closed on the goal, and fired the puck up over the shoulder of the Nanook net minder for the score. Naurato and Turnbull each picked up assists on the goal.

The second period came to an end with the game all tied up at one goal each. The Wolverines out shot the Nanooks ten to nine in the period, giving the Nanooks a twenty-four to seventeen advantage in shots on goal after forty minutes of play.

With just over fifteen minutes to play in the final period of regulation Alaska was whistled for a penalty that would that would prove to be the beginning of the end for the Nanooks. It would take barely forty seconds for the Wolverines to strike, scoring their one and only power play goal of the game. Naurato got off a big shot from the the far side of the circle near the boards. The shot was stopped, but the puck ended up on the ice in front of the net. Miller and a Nanook player both went for the puck, leading it to pop up and over the goal tender, ending up in the net for the score. Miller got credit for the goal, while Naurato and Hunwick each picked up assists on the power play goal.

Thirty seconds later with the clock still showing a little over fourteen minutes to play the Wolverines would strike for their second goal of the period to open up a two goal lead. Quickly working into the Nanook zone from the face off following their power play goal, Porter sent a pass across the ice to Rohlfs at the right circle. Rohlfs quickly got off a one timer that beat the net minder through the five hole. Porter and Ciraulo each picked up assists on the goal.

About one and half minutes later Michigan would strike for their third straight goal of the period, leaving the Nanooks shell shocked at the events of the final periods first seven and half minutes of play. The puck was behind the Nanook goal and Michigan was able to dig the puck out and get it into the slot where Naurato was positioned. Naurato quickly fired off a shot that beat the goal tender for the score. Miller and Mitera each picked up assists on the goal.

The Nanooks would get their second goal of the game with just under five minutes left to play to draw within two goals of the Wolverines when they were able to chip the puck into the net out of the middle of a mad scramble in front of the net. That was, however, the closest the Nanooks would get.

The Nanooks pulled their goalie with 2:04 left to play in the game and about thirty seconds later the Wolverines would score their final goal of the game into the empty net. Rohlfs would get the puck up the ice to Johnson who carried it within safe shooting distance before burying the puck to seal the game with just 1:35 left to play.

The game would come to an end with the Wolverines winning by a score of five to two. The Nanooks out shot Michigan ten to seven in the period to end the game with a thirty-four to twenty-four advantage in shots on goal.

Weekend sweeps have become an expected occurrence for the Michigan Wolverines over the last fifteen years, but the last two years they have become anything but routine. This year has been especially hard for the Wolverines to put together back to back games so coming up this sweep on the road is huge for Michigan. They are in a fight for home ice in the CCHA playoffs and still have a long way to go before they can actually count that job done. Of course anything beyond that is still in question as well and probably won't be decided until much later in the season. While the sweep is certainly welcome, the Wolverines can't lose sight of the fact that was not a typical win and the game could have easily gone Alaska's way. Continued hard work and focus are essential if the Wolverines hope to be playing in the final weeks of March.