Michigan
15-6-1, 9-4-1
.png&width=60&height=60&type=webp)
Western Michigan
9-12-1, 7-7-0
Wolverines Fall to Third-Period Rally at Western Michigan
1/11/2003 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
KALAMAZOO, Mich. -- In front of a frenzied, sold-out crowd at Western Michigan's Lawson Arena, the University of Michigan ice hockey team overcame a 1-0 deficit to take a two-goal lead, scoring three unanswered goals, only to see the host Broncos rally with three tallies in the final 12 minutes of the game to upset the eighth-ranked Wolverines 4-3 on Saturday (Jan. 11) night. With the win, the Broncos earned a split in the series, avenging Friday's 10-3 loss at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor.
| | Shouneyia's two assists gave him five for the weekend. |
The Wolverines opened the game in similar fashion to the series opener, posting the game's first five shots on goal, but could not get the early marker. Western eventually started getting shots through to freshman netminder Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) after increasing its physical play, and solved the goalie to take a 1-0 lead 13:53 into the period when Jeff Campbell fired a shot from the blueline that sailed over Montoya's right shoulder. Michigan finished the period with eight shots, while Western recorded just three, matching the Wolverines' totals after the initial 5-0 advantage.
Michigan rallied in the second period, traditionally its strongest of the season, scoring twice and outshooting the Broncos 14-5 to take a 2-1 lead. U-M tied the game up 1:28 into the stanza as a Broncos' power play was expiring. With sophomore defenseman Brandon Rogers (Rochester, N.H.) coming out of the penalty box and the puck in the back of the Western zone, senior forward John Shouneyia (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) found sophomore forward Michael Woodford (Westford, Mass.) at the right post for a shot that was shelved over WMU goaltender Mike Mantua. The Wolverines took the lead just under 10 minutes later when freshman forward Andrew Ebbett (Livonia, Mich.) wristed a shot between the circles as he was falling down that crept under Mantua's pads.
In the third period, Michigan took a two-goal lead 3:02 into the stanza before the Broncos responded with three straight tallies to cap the comeback victory. The Wolverines took a 3-1 advantage when Rogers found the back of the net on the power play. Shouneyia provided the primary assist, finding Rogers wide-open in the slot from behind the net for the uncontested shot.
Western Michigan cut the lead to 3-2 at 8:35 when Vince Bellissimo lifted a puck toward the net and it bounced past Montoya, who misjudged catching the puck with his glove. Bellissimo struck again at 12:12, breaking into the U-M zone and firing a shot past Montoya's blocker to tie the game. Western regained the lead at 16:07 on its third consecutive goal when Dana Lattery backhanded a shot over Montoya, who was distracted by traffic in front of the net.
Michigan finished the game with a 29-25 advantage in shots on goal but managed only seven in the final period. Montoya made 21 saves in the losing effort, while Mantua halted 26 shots to earn his second career victory over U-M at Lawson Arena.
The Wolverines will take a week off before returning to action on Thursday, Jan. 23, when they travel to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich., to open a two-game series with the Lake Superior State Lakers. Thursday's contest is slated for a 7:05 p.m. start, while the series finale is scheduled for 7:35 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, at Joe Louis Arena in downtown Detroit. Michigan swept the Lakers in the first series of the season, posting 4-1 and 3-0 victories on Nov. 15-16 in Ann Arbor.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
