Thursday, October 23, 2008
Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor, Michigan

Thursday night games certainly do not agree with the Michigan Wolverines as they stumbled through the first two periods of tonights game, before finally picking up the pace, skating away with a hard fought four to two victory over the visiting Purple Eagles from Niagara.

The Eagles scored the games first goal with just over five minutes left in the opening period after both teams struggled to get any kind of offensive flow going in the game. The Eagles got the puck in close to the Michigan net, getting off a point blank shot, but Hogan ended up on the ice in a tangle of players and seemed to have lost sight of the puck. As he lay on the ice, I can only believe, hoping that he was laying on the puck, that tricky black disc of rubber popped out of the pile near the right corner of the goal. It was any easy task for the Niagara player to slip the puck into the net for the score.

The first period came to an end with the Eagles holding onto their one to nothing lead. The Eagles also ended the period with a ten to eight advantage in shots on goal.

With the clock just under the seven minute mark the Wolverines scored their first goal of the game while on the power play. The Eagles had been whistled for a penalty to give Michigan the man advantage. Michigan wasted little time, scoring just nine seconds into the power play when Palushaj got off a rocket of a shot from the top of the right circle that slipped between the the goalie and the post. Langlais and Hagelin each picked up assists on the goal.

About two and half minutes later, with just over four minutes left on the click, the Wolverines would take the lead for the first time in the game when Caporusso made a great play to score the go ahead goal. Caporusso had the puck off to the left of goal. From there he got off a shot that was blocked, but the rebound came right back to him. With the goalie pulled far left and somewhat off balance, Caporusso scooped up his rebound, skated behind the net, wrapping around the right side with a back hand shot that put the puck in the net for the score. Vaughan and Winnett each picked up assists on the goal.

Michigan would get whistled for a penalty with about two and half minutes left to play in the second period. About one minute into the power play the Eagles would score a power play goal of their own to tie the game. The puck had bounced off the end boards, with an Eagle player getting to the puck first. He was able to punch the puck at the goal, off Hogan, and into the goal for the score.

The second period would come to an end with the score all tied up at two goals each. The Wolverines out shot the Eagles fourteen to eleven in the period, giving them a twenty-two to twenty-one advantage in shots on goal through forty minutes of play.

With roughly sixteen and half minutes to play in the final period the Eagles were once again whistled for a penalty and for the second time in the game the Wolverines would find a way to score while on the power play. After struggling in the first portion of the power play to get any sustained pressure Michigan finally managed to gain the Eagle zone for an extended period of time as the power play began to wind down. Michigan had at least three players in tight to the goal and were passing it from one to the other, looking for that opening. Finally, they created a gap that Caporusso was able to punch the puck through for his second goal of the game. Turnbull and Naurato each picked up assists on the power play goal.

Michigan would hold onto that slim one goal lead until the Eagles pulled their goalie with 1:17 left to play in the game. The second time Michigan worked the puck out of their zone Palushaj was able to get to the puck, skate across the Eagle blue line, sealing the win with an empty net goal with 40.1 seconds left on the clock. The goal was scored as unassisted.

The game would come to an end with the Wolverines winning by a score of four to two. Michigan out shot the Eagles eighteen to four in the final period to end the game with a forty to twenty-five advantage in shots on goal.

It took Michigan a while, but they finally got things rolling in the final period of the game, when they really dominated the play. Getting the win was of course the most important thing and having to battle for that win was a better way to get ready for Saturday nights bigger contest against Boston University. This will be a big inter conference contest between two of the countries top teams. While the winner may not see anything more than a W in the win column after the game, they could find themselves they could reap some real benefits come tournament selection time. Michigan swept the Terriers last year when they visited Yost for a pair of games, so you know that Boston will be looking for a little pay back on their home ice. It should be a heck of a game and remember it starts at 7:00PM Saturday.