Wolverines Finally Finish

Saturday, November 4, 2006
Yost Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

After getting embarrassed in East Lansing on Friday night Michigan returned to Yost Arena on Saturday for a rematch against their arch-rival Michigan State. The opening period followed the same basic pattern as Friday nights game, with Michigan jumping out to an early lead and carrying the play. After twenty minutes of play the question on all Michigan fans minds was whether the Wolverines would finally carry that level of play into the games final two periods or whether they would disappear as they have for most of the season to date. The answer, at least for tonight, was that they showed up and played the final two periods of the game, putting together a solid sixty minutes of hockey, perhaps for the first time all year. The end result was a six to two Michigan victory and a small portion of redemption.

Just seventeen seconds into the opening period the Wolverines put the puck behind the Spartan goal tender, firing up the crowd and putting the Spartans on their heels early. The play got started off a turn over in the neutral zone, forced by Porter who carried the puck into the Spartan zone. As he closed on the goal he slid a nice pass over to Hensick on his right and Hensick buried the puck for the Wolverines first goal. Porter and Rohlfs each picked up an assist.

It looked like the first period would end with just the lone Michigan goal, but things heated up in the final 2:11 of the period. The Spartans were able to tie the game when they got control of the puck behind the Michigan goal. The puck had been traveling left to right behind the goal so Sauer was shifted to the right and looking to his right. The Spartan player reversed course, popped out to the left of the Michigan goal, and slipped it behind Sauer before he knew what was happening. With just 2:11 to play in the opening period the score was tied and the Spartans had a little more jump in their legs.

Michigan would swing things back there way with roughly a minute and a half to play. Again the puck was traveling behind the net, this time the Spartan net, when a nice little pass out front led to Michigans second goal. Hensick had the puck, passed it out to Porter, who put it behind the Spartan net minder for the score. Hensick and Kolarik each picked up assists on the goal.

The first period ended with Michigan holding the slim two to one lead. The Wolverines also held a slight thirteen to ten edge in shots on goal.

With just over fifteen minutes to play the Wolverines were whistled for a penalty to put the Spartans on the power play. As the clock approached the fourteen minute mark the Wolverines chipped the puck loose from the Spartans at center ice, continued to chip the puck past Spartans, with Miller finally breaking through into the Spartan zone without any kind of Spartan defensive pressure in his way. Miller came right down the center of the ice, closed on the goal, and stuffed the puck home to score the short handed goal, unassisted.

The clock moved under fourteen minutes, but with thirty seconds left in their initial penalty the Wolverines were whistled for another penalty, giving the Spartans a two man advantage. Off the following face off the Spartans got the puck down tight on the Michigan goal, getting off several shots, one of which eventually made it past Sauer. Just fifteen seconds into the two man advantage the Spartans had their second goal and the lead was down to one. There was a another penalty called on Michigan seconds before the score so the Wolverines got one man out of the box, putting another in, giving Michigan State a two man advantage of almost two full minutes. The Wolverines were survived the extended two man advantage, not allowing the Spartans another goal and getting back to full strength.

With the clock just under the eight minute mark Michigan would move back out to a two goal lead, once again getting things started with a turnover in the neutral zone. Michigan got the puck over to Cogliano who came down the left side boards, cutting through the face off circle, and closing on the goal. As he got close to the goal he got the puck up into the air, lifting it over the Spartan net minders shoulder for the score. Cook and Mitera each picked up assists on the goal.

With the clock just under six minutes the Spartans were whistled for a penalty putting Michigan on the power play. About half way through the power play Hensick carried the puck down the right side into the Spartan zone. With the clock showing just over five minutes to play Hensick made a nice pass over to the left face off dot where Porter was positioned all alone. As the puck hit his stick Porter one timed it, putting the puck in the net for the score. Hensick and Dest each picked up assists on the goal.

With roughly two and half minutes left to play Michigan had cleared the puck out of their zone and it looked like icing would be called. However, Hensick put on a burst of speed, getting to the puck before it crossed the Spartan goal line. Hensick made a quick pass over to Johnson who was positioned out front of the Spartan goal. Johnson got off a one timer of his own that beat the Spartan net minder clean to give Michigan their sixth goal of the game, fourth of the period. Hensick and Porter each picked up assists on the goal.

The second period would come to an end with the Wolverines holding a six to two lead. The Spartans out shot the Wolverines thirteen to twelve in the period, but Michigan still held a twenty-five to twenty-three advantage in shots on goal after forty minutes of play.

Michigan would have to kill off a number of penalties in the third period, but the Spartans were also unable to take advantage of those power play chances. Neither team would score again and the game came to an end with Michigan winning by a score of six to two. The Spartans out shot the Wolverines thirteen to eight in the period to end the game with a thirty-six to thirty-three advantage in shots on goal.

The Wolverines finally put together an entire game, gaining a weekend split after dropping their Friday night game to these same Spartans. The question being asked after tonights contest is simple. Have the Wolverines finally figured it out and turned the corner or was this a one game turn around fueled by a particularly embarrassing game the night before? In just six short days we will have our answer as the Wolverines host a pair of CCHA games when Nebraska comes to town.