Michigan
18-8-5, 15-5-4CCHA
Nebraska-Omaha
18-11-3, 12-9-3CCHA
Wolverines Sweep Mavericks, Move Into First-Place Tie
2/9/2002 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
| | Gajic |
After Friday night's (Feb. 8) low-scoring battle, Michigan exploded on offense, scoring four goals in the first period and adding another two in the third to win the two-game set.
For the second straight night, the Mavericks opened the scoring early, taking the lead on a goal by sophomore Scotty Turner 3:33 into the game. After the puck was thrown on net after a faceoff deep in the Michigan zone, a misplay by Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn (Choctaw, Okla.) left the puck sitting in the crease, where Turner poked it in.
The Wolverines came roaring back, scoring four goals within a span of five and a half minutes to steal the lead from Nebraska-Omaha.
At the 8:15 mark of the opening period, with UNO defenseman Greg Zanon in the box with a checking from behind penalty, Ortmeyer tallied a power-play goal after receiving a pass from junior John Shouneyia (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.). Ortmeyer, standing on the left side of the ice, one-timed a shot past Maverick goaltender Dan Ellis. Just 32 seconds later, freshman Michael Woodford (Westford, Mass.) sent a cross-ice pass to freshman Milan Gaijic (Burnaby, B.C.), who sent the puck past a sprawling Ellis from the left side of the crease.
Michigan scored its third goal on a two-on-one break by senior Jay Vancik (Medina, Ohio) and sophomore Mike Komisarek (Islip Terrace, N.Y.). Collecting the puck in the Michigan end, the two defenseman skated down the ice into the slot before Komisarek fed a pass to Vancik, who tapped it into the Maverick net. On their fourth goal, the Wolverines had control of the puck in Nebraska-Omaha's zone. Vancik took a slap shot from the blueline, which was tipped from the left side of the net by Gajic past an unsuspecting Ellis.
Nebraska-Omaha responded with a late shorthanded goal to cut the Wolverines' lead to 4-2 heading into the second period. With freshman Gus Groslie in the penalty box, senior Jeff Hoggan took a shot from the top of the right faceoff circle that deflected off of a Michigan defender past Blackburn.
After only six shots combined in the first 10 minutes of the second period, the Mavericks' Zanon pulled UNO to within one goal with a rocket from the top of the right faceoff circle. Freshman Dan Hacker skated into the Michigan zone and dropped the puck for Zanon, who beat Blackburn high on his glove side.
The Wolverines extended their lead with two goals in the third period to secure the victory. Just 36 seconds into the final stanza, Ortmeyer collected his second goal of the game when he intercepted a pass deep in the Maverick zone and tucked the puck past Ellis on the short side. Five minutes later, with two Maverick players in the box, the Wolverines added their second power-play goal of the night when freshman Eric Werner (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) sent a pass along the blueline to senior Craig Murray (Penticton, B,C.), who threw a shot on net that beat Ellis low on his glove side.
Ellis finished the game with 25 saves while Blackburn stopped 19 of Nebraska-Omaha's 22 shots. The Wolverines converted on two of their six power-play chances, while the U-M penalty-killers held the Mavericks scoreless on each of their four opportunities, extending Michigan's penalty-killing streak to 55 straight.
Michigan will close out the non-conference portion of its schedule next Saturday (Feb. 16), taking on No. 3 Michigan State. The Wolverines and Spartans, who have skated to overtime slatemates in each of their previous two meetings in CCHA play, will try to decide the season series at Joe Louis Arena. Opening faceoff is slated for 7:35 p.m., and the game will be televised live by FOX Sports Net Detroit.
GAME SUMMARY
| Goals By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Nebraska-Omaha | 2 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Michigan | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
1st period
1, UNO, Scotty Turner/4 (Bryce Lampman, Kyle O'Keefe) 3:33.
2, MICH, Jed Ortmeyer/9 (John Shouneyia, Eric Nystrom) 8:15 (pp).
3, MICH, Milan Gajic/6 (Michael Woodford, Mike Komisarek) 8:47.
4, MICH, Jay Vancik/2 (Milan Gajic) 10:32.
5, MICH, Milan Gajic/7 (Jay Vancik, Michael Woodford) 13:30.
6, UNO, Jeff Hoggan/19 (Dan Hacker, Greg Zanon) 17:42 (sh).
PENALTIES - J.J. Swistak, MICH (roughing) 6:46; Chris Claffey, UNO (holding) 6:46; Greg Zanon, UNO (checking from behind) 7:18; John Shouneyia, MICH (high sticking) 14:56; Gus Groslie, UNO (cross-checking) 16:32; Michael Woodford, MICH (slashing) 19:50.
2nd period
7, UNO, Greg Zanon/7 (Dan Hacker) 11:18.
PENALTIES - Nick Fohr, UNO (ot) 6:36; Jed Ortmeyer, MICH (hooking) 6:50.
3rd period
8, MICH, Jed Ortmeyer/10 (unassisted) 0:36.
9, MICH, Craig Murray/4 (Eric Werner, Eric Nystrom) 5:34 (pp).
PENALTIES - Jeff Hoggan, UNO (charging) 3:55; Chris Claffey, UNO (roughing after the whistle) 4:43; J.J. Swistak, MICH (tripping) 8:14; Joe Pereira, UNO (high sticking) 14:37.
Shots on goal: UNO 8-8-6 22; MICH 7-7-17 31. Power plays: UNO 0 of 4; MICH 2 of 6. Penalties: UNO 7 (14 min); MICH 5 (10 min). Goalies: UNO, Dan Ellis 17-11-3 (60:00 minutes, 31 shots-25 saves); MICH, Josh Blackburn 17-8-5 (60:00, 22-19). Referee: Brian Aaron. Assistant Referees: Butch Friedman, Tony Molina. Attendance: 6759. Time: 2:21.
| Individual Player Statistics | |
## Nebraska-Omaha G A PIM Sh +/- --------------------------------------- 2*Daniel Samuelsson.. 0 0 0 0 -1 3 Brett Davis........ 0 0 0 1 +1 4 Chris Claffey...... 0 0 4 1 -3 5*Greg Zanon......... 1 1 2 7 -1 7 Joe Pereira........ 0 0 2 0 0 11*Shane Glover....... 0 0 0 0 -2 12 Nick Fohr.......... 0 0 2 3 +2 14 Jeff Filewich...... 0 0 0 0 0 15 Gus Groslie........ 0 0 2 1 0 17 Kyle O'Keefe....... 0 1 0 0 +1 18 Anthony Adams...... 0 0 0 1 -1 19 Jason Jaworski..... 0 0 0 2 -2 20 Dan Hacker......... 0 2 0 1 -1 21*Andrew Wong........ 0 0 0 0 -1 25 Scotty Turner...... 1 0 0 2 +1 26 Bryce Lampman...... 0 1 0 0 +1 29 Mike Gabinet....... 0 0 0 0 0 34*Jeff Hoggan........ 1 0 2 3 0 Totals............. 3 5 14 22 -6 | ## Michigan G A PIM Sh +/- --------------------------------------- 2 Nick Martens....... 0 0 0 0 -1 3 Eric Werner........ 0 1 0 2 -2 4 Andy Burnes........ 0 0 0 0 0 8*Mike Komisarek..... 0 1 0 0 +3 9 Milan Gajic........ 2 1 0 5 +1 10 Dwight Helminen.... 0 0 0 1 -1 12 J.J. Swistak....... 0 0 4 0 0 14 Craig Murray....... 1 0 0 2 -1 15*Jay Vancik......... 1 1 0 2 +3 17 Michael Woodford... 0 2 2 1 +3 18 David Moss......... 0 0 0 3 +1 20 Charlie Henderson.. 0 0 0 2 -1 21*Eric Nystrom....... 0 2 0 3 0 22 Jason Ryznar....... 0 0 0 2 -1 23 Mike Roemensky..... 0 0 0 0 -1 25 Mark Mink.......... 0 0 0 1 +1 26*Jed Ortmeyer....... 2 0 2 6 0 28*John Shouneyia..... 0 1 2 1 +1 Totals............. 6 9 10 31 +5 |
N O T E S
With four games remaining in the regular season, the Wolverines are tied with Michigan State for the lead in the CCHA. Since both teams tied in each of their league meetings this season, if they finish with the same record the tie would be broken by the two teams' records against the next highest finishing team.
Michigan posted its first regular-season home series sweep of the season and its first two-game set at Yost since taking two games from Ferris State in the first round of last year's CCHA Tournament. The four-point weekend was U-M's first CCHA regular-season home series sweep since Jan. 5-7, 2001, when the Wolverines posted 2-0 and 5-0 victories over Lake Superior State.
U-M has won its last five games, equalling a season high.
The Wolverines have won a season-high three straight home games and improved their record to 7-5-2 at Yost Ice Arena.
Michigan has scored a power-play goal in four of its last five games, tallying six markers.
U-M is 10-0-0 this season when scoring five or more goals.
The Wolverines extended their penalty-killing streak to 55, and have killed 56 of 57 power plays since the holiday break.
Q U O T E S
Head Coach Red Berenson
On the weekend ... "I think everybody built it up to be a big weekend, both Nebraska and Michigan. And if there is an advantage on home ice, we had that advantage. I thought the crowd was tremendous both nights. We played from behind obviously last night and a little bit tonight, but we got back in the night. I really liked the way our team responded and that team made us work hard, as hard as we worked all year -- coming out of our own zone, down in the offensive zone. So it was a hard-working, hard-hitting, physical weekend. For the most part I thought we played with discipline. We got the goals we needed. It was good to see some players step up and put the puck in the net. And the power play was obviously a factor, the penalty killing was a factor. It was a big weekend for Michigan. We needed to have back-to-back games at home where we could walk out of here and feel good about the whole weekend at home. With a crowd like this and rink like this, it is hard not to be surprised I was expecting it, but I am glad for these young players so they can get a feel what home ice is really like."
On four goals in the first period ... "It just seemed like we caught fire. We got that first goal and we just caught fire. You could sense it. We needed some guys to step up and it was good to see Milan Gajic make a couple of great plays on goals and (Michael) Woodford also. And of course Ortmeyer continues to be a leader and I don't think there was a better player on the ice all weekend. And his line with (John) Shouneyia and (Eric) Nystrom did a great job in matching up against one of the top lines in the league."
On being on top of the CCHA at this point of the season ... "That was one of our goals and a lot of people thought we would be. ... As tough as the league is, this isn't an easy league. There are no easy teams. We haven't rolled over anyone. We battle every night whether it is to beat Ferris or Miami or Notre Dame. They all have been tough games."
On being tied for first with Michigan State in the CCHA ... "We've taken advantage of our games. As much as we are interested in what they are up against, we have to take advantage of our games. Our challenge has been for our team to take advantage of our games one at a time. We gave ourselves a chance for first place and to not be looking over our shoulders watching teams in terms of the NCAA picture. There are a lot of things at stake. And there is a lot more pressure on us than some teams. We are expected to be a team, and we want to be a team, that is in contention. That is the goal and we have got the character in the locker room to do it. We have some great leaders."
Junior Forward Jed Ortmeyer
On finishing chances ... "I think we got a few breaks that we haven't been getting this year. A couple of goals on tips and nice plays -- stuff we've had trouble with all year. When one starts going in, they all start going in. It was nice to get a couple early. Then, they all just went in for us. It's obvious that you need to play defense but when guys are jumping in on the play and things are going in the net, it is just like playing pond hockey."
On the third period ... "We know we had a game going into the third, we had to play well. We couldn't give them any more chances. The first goal was a bad play on our part and the second goal was kind of fluky, going off his stick in front, and the third one was deflected as well. We know we had to go out and play a solid 20 minutes."
On the weekend ... "This was a huge weekend for us. Hopefully this is a weekend that we can turn a corner. You need to learn how to play at home, especially if we are going to make the NCAAs and they are going to be here at Yost."
On next weekend's game against Michigan State ... "We all know how big this is. It won't be a league game, but with the Pairwise and NCAA, it's huge. We need to take care of our opportunities and come out with a win. Hopefully, we won't have a relapse, where we play well one weekend, get a little confidence for the next game and falter. It's a big game, and hopefully everyone will be up for it."
Freshman Forward Milan Gajic
On the quick goals ... "I can't really remember what happened. They just started going in left and right. First, (Jed) Ortmeyer got one, then myself, then (Jay) Vancik, and then I got one again. It was just working, everything was going in the net first period. I don't think (Dan) Ellis had a chance on any of them. But after they got a couple more, it became a real hockey game."
On Michigan's penalty killing ... "They are awesome. We take a lot of pride in the penalty kill and we always work hard in practice. During practice, we always have competitions between the penalty killing and the power play units, and it's good to see them doing well out there."
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
