Saturday, October 24, 2009
Agganis Arena, Boston, Massachussetts

The Boston University Terriers took advantage of Michigan mistakes, scoring the games first two goals while on the power play. Michigan gave the Terriers plenty of special teams chances during the course of the game, holding Boston to just those two goals through forty minutes of play. Michigan came roaring back in the third period, losing the game in the final minutes, three to two, when they misplayed the puck deep in their own zone.

With just over five minutes to play in the opening period the Wolverines were whistled for a too many men on the ice penalty; the first of two they would be called for during the course of the game. With just under four minutes left on the clock the Terriers would get the puck in the net to score the games first goal. Boston was working the puck around the Michigan zone when they blasted the puck around the boards. It was tipped into the left corner as it passed behind the net. A quick pass from their to the front of the net, followed by a quick shot had the puck behind Hogan for the score.

The first period came to an end with the Terriers holding the one to nothing lead. Boston also ended the period with a slim eight to seven advantage in shots on goal.

With roughly nine minutes left in the second period the second of those too many men on the ice penalties was against to Michigan. With just over seven minutes left in the period, just seconds in the power play, the Terriers knocked in their second power play goal of the game to take a two to nothing lead. This time a Boston player got past the defense with the puck, carried it into the Michigan zone, letting lose a slap shot from the top of the left circle that beat Hogan top shelf for the score.

The second period would come to an end with the Terriers now leading by a score of two to nothing. Boston out shot Michigan ten to seven in the period to hold an eighteen to fourteen advantage in shots on goal through forty minutes of play.

The third period got off to a rough start with players from both teams being whistled for a number of penalties, including two game misconduct penalties, a ten minute misconduct penalty, and a five minute major. While neither team was able to score during this period of time the shake up in the Michigan line up finally seemed to spark some life into the Wolverines.

Michigan would finally get on the score sheet with just over ten minutes to play in the final period. Michigan got the puck to Czarnik who flew down the left side boards, getting off a shot that the Boston goalie appeared to have stopped. However, the puck had enough momentum to just slide over the goal line for the score. Summers got the lone assist.

With just five and a half minutes left in the game Michigan would get the score all tied up when Rust buried a perfect back hand shot. Rust and Glendening came across the Boston blue line together, with Glendening feeding the puck to Rust as they came into the Boston zone. Rust then carried the puck the rest of the way, getting past the defense before finally scoring with the perfectly placed back hand shot. Summers and Glendening each with an assist.

The come back would come to an end with just two and half minutes left on the game clock when Hogan went out of the net to play the puck. He attempted to send a pass around the end boards, but instead a Boston player got control of the puck behind the Michigan. From there he simply wrapped it around, tucking it into the wide open net for the game winning score.

The game would come to an end with the Terriers winning by a three to two score. Michigan out shot Boston twenty-one to four in the final period of play to end the game with a thirty-five to twenty-two advantage in shots on goal.

Penalties, mistakes, and game control were the main keys in this game. Out of all the penalties called against Michigan it was the two most preventable, too many men on the ice, that cost them the most, as Boston scored power play goals on both of those penalties. In addition, for the first two periods of this game Boston dictated the tempo and flow of the contest, keeping Michigan bottled up and unable to really play to their strengths. The Wolverines really got things rolling in the third, getting the game tied, and looking like they might find a way to pull this game out. That all ended with yet another mistake, late in the game, that all but handed the game to Boston on a silver platter. Boston got their second straight win over the Wolverines, in as many years, although this year wasn't the blow out loss that last years game was. Michigan just doesn't seem to be gelling yet and I can't help but wonder if the strange schedule they have had so far this season hasn't had something to do with it. It's hard to get into that routine when you have two long road trips wrapped around a week off, with an odd Thursday night game thrown in for good measure. Hopefully as the schedule settles down into a more standard flow the Wolverines will get into a smoother flow themselves.