Michigan
Toronto (ex)
Freshmen Lead Michigan to Exhibition Win Over Toronto
10/5/2002 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #2 Michigan 8, Toronto 1 (exhibition)
Attendance: 6,215
Next U-M Event: Friday, Oct. 11 -- vs. Niagara at Xerox College Hockey Showcase (Buffalo, N.Y.), 7:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team won its first exhibition contest of the 2002-03 season on Friday (Oct. 5) by upending the University of Toronto 8-1 at Yost Ice Arena. Michigan carried the play throughout the contest as it peppered Varsity Blues goalie Jamie Bruno with 54 shots while allowing only 13. Freshman forwards Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) and Jeff Tambellini (Port Moody, B.C.) led U-M scorers with three points apiece as Ebbett tallied one goal and two assists and Tambellini added three helpers. Freshman goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) earned the win by playing the first two periods, stopping six shots and allowing one goal.
In the first period, the Maize and Blue wasted little time in executing its offense, scoring at 5:33 on a rebound goal by senior forward John Shouneyia (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.). Nine minutes later U-M notched a power-play goal when sophomore defenseman Eric Werner (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) intercepted a Toronto clearing pass and fed freshman defenseman Danny Richmond (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) at the center point. Uncovered, Richmond walked in and snapped a shot past the goalie low at the left post.
Sophomore forward David Moss (Dearborn, Mich.) capped the scoring in the opening frame after two alert passes were made by sophomore forwards Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.) and Michael Woodford (Westford, Mass.). Woodford's pass through two defenders left Moss alone in front, and after a quick deke he was able to move around to the right of the goal and roof the puck past the downed goalie.
To start the second stanza Toronto scored its only goal of the game by way of a power-play opportunity at 1:30. Mark Hynes controlled the puck at the right point when he found a streaking Ian Malcolm, who eluded three Michigan defenders and flicked the puck past Montoya's blocker. Soon after, however, Michigan countered as freshman forward Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) scored at 3:22. Senior forward Jed Ortmeyer (Omaha, Neb.) orchestrated the play by making a slap-shot pass to Tambellini from the upper left circle to the right of the net. Tambellini then fed an open Kaleniecki in front of the goal.
Later in the period, the Wolverines scored two quick goals just 12 seconds apart at 15:39 and 15:51. Sophomore forward Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.) scored the first goal of the spurt by finishing off a backhanded, blind pass from Tambellini that came from the slot to the left side of the crease. The next goal came courtesy of Ebbett when he corralled a loose puck behind the net while standing at the left post. He then stuffed it between the goalie's pads to make the score 6-1 at the second intermission.
In the final period of play, freshman goalkeeper Noah Ruden (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) made an appearance and stopped all six shots he faced. At the 3:45 mark, Kaleniecki picked up his second goal of the day when he shoveled a rebound past an out-of-position Varsity Blues defense. Sophomore forward Jason Ryznar (Anchorage, Alaska) wrapped up the scoring with the third U-M power-play goal of the night at 15:53. Ortmeyer controlled the puck at the left half boards when he passed the puck down low to Gajic, who then spied Ryznar alone at the far post on the right of the crease. Ryznar wristed the shot past the outstretched Toronto goalie.
The Wolverines will officially open the 2002-03 campaign next weekend when they travel to Buffalo, N.Y., for the Xerox College Hockey Showcase. Michigan will face Niagara on Friday, Oct. 11, at 7:30 p.m., while Canisius and North Dakota will face off at 4:30 p.m. All games will take place at the HSBC Arena in downtown Buffalo.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Red Berenson
On the team's play tonight ... "It's a kind of a game where you want to get something out of [it]. We don't get a lot of opportunities for exhibition games. We put our best foot forward tonight. We generated a lot of offense, a lot of chances, we didn't give up much and we had a lot of players get some good ice time in the game. We won't walk out of here with a lot of false confidence, but I think we got some honest confidence out of this game."
On freshman forward Jeff Tambellini ... "He's a good player. He couldn't buy one tonight but you can see he has speed, he has good hands, he can shoot, he makes good plays. He's going to be an exciting player."
On freshman goaltender Al Montoya's puckhandling ... "The puckhandling is always an issue but Al does a good job of it for the most part. He made a mistake but made up for it, a la Marty Turco, but he made a good save on a two-on-one rush. He looked fine. It was good for him to get in there and have a good experience."
Freshman Forward Jeff Tambellini
On the team's play tonight ... "It felt good tonight. It was one of those days where we clicked right from the start. We had a big start with (Eric) Nystrom and (John) Shouneyia, we clicked right from the beginning and once Johnny went down, we got a little more ice and we started picking it up and it was one of those games where everyone got in the game. There was a lot of tempo going and I think the whole team really felt it from the beginning and we skated pretty well tonight."
On playing in the first game ... "It was the first game to get together and be a team and get our systems in place and work together. We have two games before the real games start. We just try to mix with our linemates, and just start to become comfortable with them to get ready for next weekend."
On his style of play ... "I try to make things happen out of nothing. Tonight there were openings, like the pass to (Milan) Gajic. I just try to find a way to put pucks through and put things to the net. (John) Shouneyia keeps telling me he's not a scorer, but after the last two games, I don't buy that. "
Freshman Defenseman Danny Richmond
On tonight's game ... "It was a good tuneup for the big weekend coming up against Niagara. It's a big game, we want to get off to a good start and we worked out the kinks hopefully tonight. Hopefully, we can come out strong next weekend."
On playing in front of the Yost crowd ... "It was a good feeling. It was the first time we really played in front of the crowd so far, and I understand it gets even nuttier, so I look really forward to that. We have good fans, they are the best in the country, so it's really good to have them behind us and hopefully we'll have more coming out later."
On playing with junior defenseman Andy Burnes ... "It's good because he's taught me so much about the defensive game of hockey and just learning from him and watching him I kind of feed off of him and I see myself doing things that he does. I think we're feeding off of each other. It's good to know what we have back there and know our real chemistry out in a game."
N O T E S
Tonight's contest marked the fourth consecutive year the Wolverines have faced a Canadian opponent in an exhibition game. U-M played Wilfred Laurier in 1999 and 2000 and hosted Queens last year.
All 12 of Michigan's forwards notched at least one point, and each of the Wolverines' five freshman skaters was credited with at least one point.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
