Wolverines Down Huskies

Friday, December 29, 2006
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan

The Wolverines got off to a slow start on the score board, but they got off to a fast start on the defensive end of things as both teams came out ready to battle in each teams opening game at the Great Lakes Invitational. Michigan finally blew the game open in the second period, scoring three unanswered goals, on their way to a four to one victory over the Michigan Tech Huskies.

Michigan got their first goal of the game late in the first period when Hunwick let lose a one timer that beat the goalie top shelf, over the glove with just over one minute left on the clock. Porter recovered from being knocked down, getting the puck past a group of Huskie defenders. He then got the puck up and over to Hunwick who came into the Huskie zone, getting off the one timer as he reached the dot in the right face off circle. The puck squeezed through a small gap between the goalies raised glove and the crossbar for the score. Porter got the lone assist on the goal

The first period would come to an end with Michigan leading by a score of one to nothing. The Wolverines out shot the Huskies in the first period to hold a ten to eight advantage in shots on goal.

With the clock just under the sixteen minute mark Porter would lead the charge, putting on a burst of speed to get the puck up the right boards. He carried the puck in toward the goal, finally sliding a pass over to Turnbull as the defense collapsed to him. Turnbull continued to close on the goal, finally firing off a shot that beat the goalie as he passed the bottom of the face off circle. Turnbull got the goal, while Porter and Hensick each picked up an assist.

With the clock just under eleven minutes the Huskies were whistled for a penalty, putting Michigan on the power play. That power play would end just fifteen seconds later when Michigan was whistled for a penalty, leaving the teams with four men each on the ice. With the clock just under ten minutes Michigan had the puck in tight to the Huskie goal, chipping away at it, getting several chances to score, but none of them connected. Finally the puck popped out in front of the net and ended up on the stick of Hunwick. Hunwick stepped around a sprawled Huskie player, showed some great patience waiting for an opening, until he was finally able to get off a shot that beat the net minder for the score. Kolarik got the lone assist on the Hunwick goal.

With about five and half minutes left in the period Michigan once again had the puck in the Huskie zone and they had the Huskie players out numbered. Using some nice little passes that moved the puck from right to left, they finally found an opening, getting off a shot that beat the net minder for their third goal of the period. First it was a little pass from the right to the slot. Then a little pass from the slot to the left. Finally, the shot by Lebler from the bottom of the circle for the score. Ward and Miller each picked up an assist on the goal.

The second period would come to an end with the Wolverines hold a solid four to nothing lead. Michigan out shot the Huskies thirteen to nine in the period to hold a twenty-three to seventeen advantage in shots on goal.

With just over two minutes left in the game the Wolverines were whistled for a penalty putting the Huskies on the power play. With just over one minutes left to play, forty seconds left in the man advantage, the Huskies would finally get the puck past Sauer for a score to end the shut out bid. The Huskies worked the puck around the zone well, finally getting it down low to the right of the goal. From there they got off a shot that Sauer blocked, but the rebound came right out front where a waiting Huskie was able to punch the puck home before Sauer could get back around in front of the goal.

The game would come to an end with the Wolverines winning by a score of four to one. The Huskies out shot the Wolverines eleven to seven in the final period, but the Wolverines ended the game with a thirty to twenty-eight advantage in shots on goal.

The Huskies are a much improved team from last year and were looking at perhaps their best chance in winning an opening game at the GLI in quite some time. They came into the game with one of the countries best defenses, while Michigan continues to put one of the nations best offenses on the ice. Tonight Michigan put forth a solid defensive effort, that eventually opened up the offensive end of things, on their way to this important GLI win. That sets up a show down tomorrow night against the Spartans for the GLI Championship, something the Wolverines won in a decade (1996 was their last GLI championship). A win in tomorrow nights championship game would certainly provide a bit of a spark for this Wolverine squad that stumbled badly in the final three weeks of the first half. In the early and mid 1990's it was wins in the GLI that would jump start the Wolverines second half runs. That's exactly what this years team could use; a nice jump start to get them revved up for the second half.