Michigan
11-4-0, 7-3-0CCHA
Wisconsin
11-3-0, 8-2-0WCHA
Wolverines Snap Losing Streak with Win over Wisconsin
11/27/1999 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Wisconsin (11-3-0) opened the scoring midway through the first period when Dustin Kuk skated into the Wolverine zone and dropped a pass to Dany Heatley, who fired a slap shot from between the circles and beat goalie L.J. Scarpace (Dearborn, Mich.). The Badgers took the 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
Michigan evened the scoring late in the second period on Jay Vancik's (West Bloomfield, Mich.) second goal of the season. With just 23 seconds remaining in the period, Geoff Koch (Exeter, N.H.) passed the puck to Vancik at the blue line and he fired a shot through Wisconsin goalie Graham Melanson's five-hole to tie the game at 1-1.
The Wolverines broke open the game with two goals in a span of 1:31 halfway through the third period. Scott Matzka (Port Huron, Mich.) hit Mark Mink (Livonia, Mich.) with a rink-wide pass, and Mink outraced the Badger defenders down the right boards and beat Melanson above his glove hand for the game-winning goal 7:26 into the period.
Jillson gave Michigan a 3-1 advantage on his fourth goal of the season. Ortmeyer fed Jillson a pass at the right point, and the puck deflected past Melanson after a Wisconsin defender tried to glove Jillson's shot. Ortmeyer then added an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left in the game to close out the scoring.
Scarpace picked up his first win as a Wolverine, making 15 saves on the night. With the win, Michigan improves to 9-4-1 all-time in the College Hockey Showcase, and the Wolverines have won six out of the last seven meetings with the Badgers.
Next weekend the Wolverines return to conference play with a home-and-home series with Bowling Green State University. Friday night (Dec. 3) the Wolverines travel to the BGSU Ice Arena to take on the Falcons at 7:35 p.m. Saturday night (Dec. 4) Michigan returns to Yost Ice Arena to host the Falcons starting at 7:05 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| Goals By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Wisconsin | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 0 | 1 | 3 | 4 |
1st period
1, WIS, Dany Heatley 12 (Dustin Kuk) 18:13.
PENALTIES - David Hukalo, WIS (TRIPPING) 13:15; Mike Comrie, MICH (SLASHING) 18:58.
2nd period
2, MICH, Jay Vancik 2 (Geoff Koch, Mike Comrie) 19:37.
PENALTIES - Niki Siren, WIS (HOOKING) 06:08; Jason Reimers, WIS (ROUGHING) 12:50; Andrew Merrick, MICH (ROUGHING) 12:50; Brian Fahey, WIS (OBSTRUCTION-HOOKING) 13:53; Brad Fraser, MICH (HOLDING) 17:39; Alex Brooks, WIS (HOLDING THE STICK) 19:14.
3rd period
3, MICH, Mark Mink 3 (Scott Matzka, Jeff Jillson) 07:26.
4, MICH, Jeff Jillson 4 (Jed Ortmeyer) 08:57.
5, MICH, Jed Ortmeyer 3 (Sean Peach) 19:45 (empty net).
PENALTIES - Mike Cammalleri, MICH (PLAYING W/O HELMET) 10:00.
Shots on goal: WIS 6-8-2-16; MICH 5-9-12-26.
Power plays: WIS 0 of 3; MICH 0 of 4.
Goalies: WIS, Graham Melanson 11-3-0 (25 shots-22 saves); MICH, L.J. Scarpace 1-1-0 (16-15).
Referee: Steve Piotrowski
Assistant Referees John LaDuke, John Pearson
Attendance: 6,407
Time: 2:17
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Red Berenson
On starting L.J. Scarpace in goal ... "We talked about it after the game last night. We decided he finished last night's game in good standing. It was important to get off to a good start and give him some support. Confidence is a fragile thing. (Kevin) O'Malley is a better goalie than he's shown. He knows that and we know that, but in the meantime the job is open and it doesn't matter to me who plays. The ironic thing is that L.J. Scarpace didn't even practice last year, let alone play a game. He hasn't played a game in two years. For him to be able to step in to this situation is pretty impressive."
On the changes in the lineup ... "We weren't punishing, but we felt there were players that were not contributing to the team or getting the message. We decided this is the team we had the best chance with tonight. Brad Fraser played well tonight. We put an emphasis on playing good defense, and I thought for the most part we did that. We take all of this with a grain of salt because their best player, Steve Reinprecht, did not play tonight. I thought (Mike) Comrie's line did a good job against (Dusin) Kuk and (Dany) Heatley."
Junior Goalie L.J. Scarpace
On getting his first win as the starting goalie ... "It feels much better than the last game I started. It was good to see that our team had regrouped. We just came out with more determination, and it feels good to win."
On the play of the defense ... "Our defense played outstanding tonight. They cut down on the odd-man rushes and scoring opportunities. It made the game a lot easier. I saw a lot of the shots."
Sophomore Defenseman Jay Vancik
On the importance of the game ... "It was just a game that we needed to come out and be solid in the first 20 minutes. We were giving up a lot of chances early in the game for the past three games. We eliminated a lot of their chances, stayed out of the penalty box, and kept them off the power play. We eliminated a lot of odd-man rushes. We really played solid in the first 10 minutes of the game. We knew things would turn around if we played solid defense."
On the changes in the lineup ... "I think everyone reacted pretty well. We just all bought in to playing defense. We just wanted to work hard."
On L.J. Scarpace's performance in net ... "He played really well and kept us in the game. He made some key stops, and we didn't give them any good chances. He made all the stops he was supposed to make."
On his goal ... "I saw (Geoff) Koch coming out of the corner, and he fed me the puck from the point. I wound up and just tried to get it on net. I don't know what it hit -- it may have hit one of their guys -- but it just found a way in."
Freshman Right Wing Mark Mink
On his goal ... "I found a way to get behind the defense. (Scott) Matzka made a great pass, and I was in all alone. Coaches told us before the game to go upstairs on him because he's a short goalie. I just put it top shelf."
On stopping the losing streak ... "It's a big relief, especially at home where you're expected to win. Coming off the sweep last weekend and a loss last night, we just felt we had to get this out of the way."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
