Michigan
8-5-2, 6-3-2CCHA
Ferris State
7-7-1, 5-7-1CCHA
Special Teams Help Michigan Complete Sweep of Ferris
12/1/2001 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 13 University of Michigan hockey team took advantage of its special-teams opportunities on Saturday night (Dec. 1) at Yost Ice Arena, scoring four power play goal en route to a 6-1 victory over Ferris State. Freshman Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.) scored two goals for the Wolverines to give Michigan the home-and-home sweep over the Bulldogs.
With the win, the Wolverines (8-5-2, 6-3-2 CCHA) extended their winning streak to a season-high three games and remained unbeaten (5-0-1) in their last six CCHA games, vaulting them into a tie for second place with Nebraska-Omaha. U-M began the weekend tied for sixth in the CCHA standings.
The Wolverines opened the game with a 3-0 lead in the first period and never looked back, adding two more in the second and a final tally in the third. Four of Michigan's markers were netted on the power play, as Michigan converted on just under 50 percent of its chances with the man advantage (4 for 9).
Michigan opened the scoring at the 7:30 mark in the first period on a power-play goal by freshman Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.). Junior Mike Cammalleri (Richmond Hill, Ontario) collected the puck behind the Michigan goal and skated it down the ice, taking a wrist shot from the high slot on Ferris State goaltender John DeCaro. The rebound bounced to Helminen, who lifted the puck into left corner over the sprawling DeCaro.
Cammalleri extended the Wolverines' lead to 2-0 on a power-play goal at 14:49 in the first period. Michigan won a faceoff deep in the Bulldogs' zone and set up the puck on the man advantage. Junior John Shouneyia (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) slid the puck across the ice to junior Jed Ortmeyer (Omaha, Neb.), who fed Cammalleri a pass for a one-time slap shot from the right faceoff dot that beat DeCaro high on his stick side. The Wolverines added one more goal in the first period four minutes later when Gajic took a rebound from an initial Mike Komisarek (Islip Terrace, N.Y.) shot and backhanded a shot past DeCaro.
The Bulldogs managed to put a tally on the scoreboard at 6:43 in the second period when freshman Matt York shoveled a pass to junior Phil Lewandowski at the blue line. Lewandowski whiffed on a shot in the slot, but a sliding Komisarek carried the puck into the net as he crashed into Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn (Choctaw, Okla.).
The Wolverines answered six minutes later on senior Craig Murray's (Penticton, B.C.) first goal of the season. Murray carried the puck into the Bulldogs' zone and shoveled a pass to Gajic, who was alone in the slot. Unable to get a shot off, Gajic collected the puck behind the Bulldog net and from his knees threw it into the slot, where Murray banged a shot past DeCaro. Less than three minutes later, freshman Eric Werner (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) netted his first career goal on a wrist shot from the right circle that beat DeCaro on the short side with U-M on the power play.
Gajic added one more power-play goal for the Wolverines at 5:40 in the third period when he one-timed a shot from the left side of the Bulldog net, beating a sprawling DeCaro on the stick side.
Blackburn made 26 stops in net to extend his winning streak against Ferris State to four games, and senior Kevin O'Malley (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.), who entered the game at the 6:57 mark in the third period, stopped all nine shots he faced. For the Bulldogs, DeCaro stopped 22 of Michigan's 28 shots on net.
The Wolverines will head to Oxford, Ohio, next weekend to face the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks in a two-game CCHA set on Friday and Saturday, Dec. 7-8. Opening faceoff is slated for 7:35 p.m. each night at Goggin Ice Arena.
GAME SUMMARY
| Goals By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Ferris State | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Michigan | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 |
1st period
1, MICH, Dwight Helminen/6 (Mike Cammalleri) 7:30 (pp).
2, MICH, Mike Cammalleri/11 (John Shouneyia, Jed Ortmeyer) 14:49 (pp).
3, MICH, Milan Gajic/2 (Mike Komisarek, Mark Mink) 18:44.
PENALTIES - Kevin Caudill, FSU (slashing) 6:13; John Shouneyia, MICH (slashing) 9:46; Chad McIver, FSU (roughing) 13:41; Milan Gajic, MICH (roughing) 13:41; Kristian Schroder, FSU (checking from behind) 14:16; Jay Vancik, MICH (cross-checking) 15:11; Mike Komisarek, MICH (roughing) 19:45; Kristian Schroder, FSU (cross-checking) 19:45.
2nd period
4, FSU, Phil Lewandowski/4 (Matt York, Jeff Legue) 6:43 (pp).
5, MICH, Craig Murray/1 (Milan Gajic, Mike Komisarek) 12:52.
6, MICH, Eric Werner/1 (Jed Ortmeyer, John Shouneyia) 15:22 (pp).
PENALTIES - Troy Milam, FSU (hooking) 1:24; Chris Kunitz, FSU (high sticking) 3:31; Nick Martens, MICH (roughing) 5:46; Eric Werner, MICH (tripping) 8:01; Brandon Rogers, MICH (slashing) 11:10; Derrick McIver, FSU (elbowing) 12:05; Troy Milam, FSU (slashing) 14:43; Craig Murray, MICH (checking from behind) 20:00; Brett Smith, FSU (cross-checking) 20:00.
3rd period
7, MICH, Milan Gajic/3 (Mike Komisarek, Dwight Helminen) 5:40 (pp).
PENALTIES - Jay Vancik, MICH (obstruction-holding) :27; Chris Kunitz, FSU (charging) 5:21; Nick Martens, MICH (elbowing) 13:48; Troy Milam, FSU (interference) 15:04; Derrick McIver, FSU (10-minute misconduct) 15:04; Matt York, FSU (10-minute misconduct) 16:51; Kevin O'Malley, MICH (high sticking) 16:51; Carter Thomson, FSU (interference) 18:49.
Shots on goal: FSU 12-10-14 36; MICH 9-10-9 28. Power plays: FSU 1 of 8; MICH 4 of 9. Penalties: FSU 14 (44 min); MICH 11 (22 min). Goalies: FSU, John DeCaro 4-3-1 (60:00 minutes, 28 shots-22 saves); MICH, Josh Blackburn 8-5-2 (46:30, 27-26) , Kevin O'Malley (13:30, 9-9). Referee: Steve McInchak. Assistant Referees: Pat Bracco, Kevin Langseth. Attendance: 6752. Time: 2:25.
| Individual Player Statistics | |
## Ferris State G A PIM Sh +/- --------------------------------------- 5 Brett Smith........ 0 0 2 2 0 6*Troy Milam......... 0 0 6 4 0 7 Derrick McIver..... 0 0 12 2 -1 9*Chad McIver........ 0 0 2 0 -2 10 Jason Basile....... 0 0 0 3 -2 11 Jeff Legue......... 0 1 0 2 -2 12 Matt York.......... 0 1 10 2 0 14*Chris Kunitz....... 0 0 4 8 0 17 Derek Nesbitt...... 0 0 0 3 0 19 Trevor Large....... 0 0 0 2 0 20 Kevin Caudill...... 0 0 2 0 0 21 Carter Thomson..... 0 0 2 2 -1 22 Simon Mangos....... 0 0 0 1 0 23*Rob Collins........ 0 0 0 2 0 25*Nick Field......... 0 0 0 0 0 26 Mike Kinnie........ 0 0 0 0 0 27 Phil Lewandowski... 1 0 0 3 -1 28 Phil Meyer......... 0 0 0 0 0 29 Kristian Schroder.. 0 0 4 0 0 Totals............. 1 2 44 36 -9 | ## Michigan G A PIM Sh +/- --------------------------------------- 2 Nick Martens....... 0 0 4 2 0 3 Eric Werner........ 1 0 2 3 0 4 Andy Burnes........ 0 0 0 0 0 5 Brandon Rogers..... 0 0 2 1 0 8*Mike Komisarek..... 0 3 2 3 +2 9 Milan Gajic........ 2 1 2 3 +2 10 Dwight Helminen.... 1 1 0 2 0 12 J.J. Swistak....... 0 0 0 0 0 13*Mike Cammalleri.... 1 1 0 4 0 14 Craig Murray....... 1 0 2 1 +2 15*Jay Vancik......... 0 0 4 2 +2 17 Michael Woodford... 0 0 0 1 0 18 David Moss......... 0 0 0 1 0 21*Eric Nystrom....... 0 0 0 2 0 22 Jason Ryznar....... 0 0 0 1 0 23 Mike Roemensky..... 0 0 0 0 0 25 Mark Mink.......... 0 1 0 2 +1 26*Jed Ortmeyer....... 0 2 0 0 0 28 John Shouneyia..... 0 2 2 0 0 34 Kevin O'Malley..... 0 0 2 0 0 Totals............. 6 11 22 28 +9 |
N O T E S
Michigan has won its last three games, the longest winning streak of the 2001-02 campaign.
The Wolverines posted their second CCHA series sweep of the season and are unbeaten (5-0-1) in their last six league games.
U-M improved to 2-0-0 its record after winning the first game of a CCHA series.
Michigan's penalty-killing unit, which held Ferris State to one power-play goal in eight chances tonight, has killed 42 of the last 45 penalties over the last eight games.
Michigan's six goals equal a season high, tying the mark set in a 6-3 win over Providence in the Maverick Stampede (Oct. 12).
U-M's five-goal victory was its largest margin of victory this season.
Mike Komisarek posted an assist hat trick tonight and extended his point streak to a career-high four games. Komisarek has 4-3-7 totals during that time. In addition, Komisarek has notched a point in each of his last four home games and leads the team in scoring at home with 6-2-8.
John Shouneyia posted his fourth straight multi-point effort with a pair of assists.
Jed Ortmeyer has four assists in his last two games and recorded a pair in each win over Ferris State this weekend.
Milan Gajic posted his first career multi-point and multi-goal game with 2-1-3 and recorded his first points since tallying his first career goal in a 2-1 win at Alaska Fairbanks on Nov. 2.
Michigan has won its last two games at Yost Ice Arena, its first winning streak at home this season.
The Wolverines have won five of the last six games against Ferris State, including four straight. In addition, the weekend sweep of the Bulldogs was Michigan's first in the regular season since Jan. 8-9, 1999, when U-M posted 3-2 and 4-3 wins at Yost Ice Arena.
Q U O T E S
U-M Head Coach Red Berenson
On tonight's game ... "Well, it's the first game we've had -- it seems in recent memory, whether that's this year or the last couple of years -- that we had a game that we had a bit of a spread. Not that the game was totally under control but at least by the score we knew that one goal against wasn't going to change the whole momentum of the game. That's kind of what's been happening to us in some of the third periods where one goal against got the other team back in the game and then it's been a game again, but it was still a good weekend for the Michigan hockey program. We're trying to move up in the league; this is a weekend that we needed to move up. We were playing against a team that was ahead of us and going into tonight's game they would have been happy with a split after losing last night, and after winning last night, we would have been unhappy with a split. We had to win the game tonight to have a complete weekend and I was proud of our team. I thought (Josh) Blackburn had to be a factor in the game and certainly the goals came at timely times. I thought we were struggling a little bit in the second period and then (Craig) Murray scored and that goal seemed to starch out."
On Milan Gajic breaking out tonight ... "Good for him. He's a kid that can score goals, and I think that he'll add to the offensive depth of our team but it hasn't happened yet. You want to be patient with your players, particularly your young players, but he's a player I thought would be an impact player this year. He still may be but obviously it's taken him awhile to get used to this kind of hockey."
On the special teams ... "Our penalty killing in particular, their power play as much as their percentage, and they haven't scored that many goals but when you saw them move the puck around and they had us really on our knees at one point and we were fortunate they didn't score, but for the most part, our penalty killers are doing a great job. It's hard work for the defensemen and we're using a limited number of fowards but they're doing a great job and Blackie's (Josh Blackburn) making the saves when he has to and it's all part of the same thing. Our power play is getting more confidence now."
Freshman Foward Milan Gajic
On the atmosphere at Yost ... "Throughout the entire week, Coach (Red Berenson) preached that we wanted to send a message to the league and to all the college hockey teams. We wanted to get off to a good start, and I think we did that tonight."
On how tonight's game affected him personally ... "I think it has helped out a lot, knowing that I can actually put a puck in the net. The first part of the season has been pretty rough for me but I've learned a lot and it's helped me a lot."
On whether playing with John Shouneyia helps him ... "Oh yeah ... sometimes I'm not even ready for what he's going to do. Sometimes he doesn't even look and can put it on your tape. ... You have to be ready at all times."
On how it feels to be a couple of points out of first place ... "It's a huge confidence booster. We looked at this weekend like it was a huge weekend for us, and next weekend is even bigger. When the weekend started we were in like fifth or sixth place and there were five or six teams in front of us. We wanted to come out and establish ourselves."
Freshman Defenseman Eric Werner
On scoring his first collegiate goal ... "I just tried to shoot it on net. I'm trying to work on my shot. Since the beginning of the year the coaches have been on me to work on my shot, and I finally switched sticks a few days ago, actually yesterday. The first thing, I was going to pass to (Eric) Nystrom, I saw Ny, it was a two-on-one and the defense kind of shrugged over and I just stepped it up. I saw an open spot on the net. It's not me, it's the stick."
On the power play ... "We're moving it very well right now. Our power play took a big step up since Wisconsin. (Mike) Cammalleri is getting the shots through and he's putting them through. (John) Shouneyia is working well on that side with Cam; they're both working really well. (Jed) Ortmeyer and (Eric) Nystrom are both working hard for the loose pucks down in the corners and we're just working real well right now."
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
