Spartans Dominate Wolverines To Win 11th GLI

Saturday, December 30, 2006
Joe Louis Arena, Detroit, Michigan

The bad Michigan team showed up at Joe Louis tonight to go through the motions against a motivated Spartan team. While the Spartans hustled for the puck at every turn, the Wolverines seemed to be in slow motion for most of the game. Just watching the different energy levels brought to the ice by both of these teams, the out come was predictable as the Spartans cruised to a four to one victory to win their 11th GLI Championship.

With the clock just under ten minutes the Wolverines were sent to the penalty box giving the Spartans the first power play of the game. They needed just thirty-two seconds of power play time before pounding the puck into the back of the net for the score. The Spartans applied pressure right from the start and the Wolverines failed to clear the puck on several occasions. Finally, the Spartans made a quick pass from the right to the left, where a huge blast sent the puck between Sauer and the post for the power play goal.

The first period came to an end with the Spartans holding a one to nothing lead. The Spartans also held the edge in shots on goal, holding a twelve to eight shot advantage after twenty minutes.

With the clock one tick below the fifteen minute mark the Spartans were sent to the penalty box putting Michigan on the power play for the first time in the game. It took just ten seconds for the Wolverines to get the puck in the net, although it came with a little help from the Spartans. Michigan had the puck in the right corner, when they sent a quick pass through the slot, trying to get it to Naurato who was all alone on the left side of the goal. A Spartan stuck his leg out to block the pass, redirecting it into the net for the score. Turnbull got credit for the goal, while Mitera picked up an assist.

With about nine and half minutes to play a pair of penalties were called, but a double minor was called on Michigan to put the Spartans on the power play. Two more Michigan penalties later and the Spartans had a two man advantage for 1:13 with just over seven minutes to play. The Spartans won the face off following the penalty, quickly moved the puck from left to right, where they got off a one timer that beat Sauer just six seconds into the two man advantage, regaining the lead.

With just over four minutes left in the period the Spartans were called for a penalty giving Michigan a power play and a chance to get the game back to even, but it would be the Spartans coming through to open up a two goal lead. With just over three minutes to go Hunwick badly misplayed the puck at the blue line, where a Spartan player gathered the puck up and broke out, skating into the Michigan zone uncontested. He walked in on the goal, pulled Sauer just out of position, and swept the puck around Sauer and into the net for the short handed goal.

The second period would come to an end with the Spartans holding a three to one lead. The Spartans out shot the Wolverines twelve to eight, to hold a twenty-four to sixteen advantage in shots on goal.

The Wolverines start the third period with one minute of power play time, but could do nothing with the extra man.

With just over fourteen minutes to play the Wolverines made yet another trip to the penalty box putting the Spartans on the power play. With the clock just under thirteen minutes. twenty-one seconds left in the power play, the Spartans were just chipping the puck around the Michigan zone when they sent a floater toward the net that beat Sauer to give Michigan State a three goal lead.

The game would come to an end with the Spartans winning by a score of four to one. The Spartans again out shot the Wolverines eleven to six to end the game with a thirty-five to twenty-two advantage in shots on goal.

As solid a game as they played last night the Wolverines looked like a completely different team as they were out worked, out hustled, out played, and simply dominated by the Spartans for all but a few short stretches of this game. It's this type of inconsistency that has plagued the Wolverines all season and it will be this same inconsistency that looks like we can get ready to witness for the remainder of the whatever is left to the Wolverines season.