Strong Third Period Gives Michigan Sweep of RedHawks

Sunday, January 5

Ann Arbor, Mich.

5:05 PM

Michigan

14-5-1, 8-3-1CCHA

Miami (Ohio)

13-8-1, 7-6-1CCHA

Miami (Ohio)

Michigan

1/5/2003 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10 University of Michigan ice hockey team defeated No. 14 Miami (Ohio) by a count of 5-2 on Sunday (Jan. 5) at Yost Ice Arena to move into third place in the CCHA standings. Freshman goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) was superb for the Wolverines as he made 34 saves. U-M's leading goal scorer, freshman forward Jeff Tambellini (Port Moody, B.C.), extended his career-high goal-scoring streak to four games as he tallied the game-winning goal six minutes into the third period, and Michigan's power play was key in the game, converting on three of six advantages.

Montoya had 10 or more stops in each period of his 34-save performance.

Miami benefited from multiple defensive-zone turnovers by the Wolverines as it took eight shots to U-M's one in the first seven minutes of play. The RedHawks also received the first power play of the game at 6:20 but had their advantage cut short by committing an infraction at 7:58. Michigan took advantage of the opportunity as it initiated the scoring on just its second shot of the game at 9:01. Sophomore forward David Moss (Dearborn, Mich.) sent the puck through the crease from the left corner to hard-charging freshman forward Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.), who was at the far post. Ebbett then tucked the puck between the goalie's left skate and the post. Michigan earned its second power play of the period with 2:12 remaining but never gained a quality scoring chance.

To open the second period, Miami had a power play that had carried over from very late in the first frame. RedHawk Todd Grant tied the game up at 1:55 as he walked in from the left half boards and shelved the puck over Montoya's right shoulder. However, sophomore forward Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) reasserted the Michigan lead at 2-1 just over two minutes later as a loose puck was misplayed by goalie David Burleigh in front of his net. Kaleniecki then beat Burleigh to the puck and sent a backhanded, blind shot into the right side of the goal.

Miami continued to outshoot U-M, but a stellar glove save by Montoya on a point-blank shot with 12 minutes left maintained the lead. Montoya carried his solid play throughout the period as he stopped a number of close-range shots during back-to-back Miami power plays inside the nine-minute mark. The RedHawks eventually knotted the contest at 2-2 when Taylor Hustead crossed through the offensive zone and wristed a shot into the top right corner from the right circle at 16:54. U-M took one last penalty in the period to give Miami its third consecutive power play.

Tambellini grabbed the lead back for good for Michigan at 6:37 of the third period when he rifled a shot from near the outside edge of the left circle past the right side of Burleigh. Minutes later Montoya again came up big in the net when he smothered a deflected shot that was rolling along the goal line and then made a toe save to deny another RedHawk opportunity. Michigan earned a power play with less than 10 minutes to play and had a number of chances to extend the lead but could not capitalize with the MU defense scrambling.

The Wolverines garnered another two minutes of power-play time with 4:37 left in the game and then received a five-on-three advantage 20 seconds later as Miami took a five-minute major for checking from behind. Moss sealed the win at 17:00 when he chipped in a rebound from the left side. Sophomore forward Jason Ryznar (Anchorage, Alaska) capped the scoring with five seconds left on an empty-net tally.

Michigan will open the front end of a home-and-home series with Western Michigan next Friday (Jan. 10) at 7:35 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena. The Wolverines will conclude the weekend in Kalamazoo on Saturday (Jan. 11) with a 7:05 p.m. faceoff.

Q U O T E S

Head Coach Red Berenson
On tonight's game ... "It wasn't the type of game that we wanted to play. They outplayed us significantly in the early part of the game and in various parts of the game. Our goalie [Al Montoya] gave us a chance. He was the difference in the game and then we got the goals that we needed when the game was on the line. The penalty killing in the second period was huge. There were four penalties in [that] period, three in a row, near the end. Now, they did score a five-on-five goal but they never really got their power play on track. So, there were a lot of factors in the game. We were outshot, outplayed, out-chanced and I can't tell you we deserved to win but we found a way to win."

On the power-play unit ... "The main thing is that we moved the puck well. We had some good chances and then we did score a couple of real nice power-play goals."

On the play of the freshman class ... "Well, we had our freshman class lead ['The Victors' in the locker room] and that was a statement to their contribution this weekend. It was a big weekend for our freshman class."

Freshman Goaltender Al Montoya
On his play tonight ... "For the past few games, my teammates have been supporting me and helping me out, blocking shots. Things hadn't been going my way but it clicked tonight. I was in the right place at the right time and things were going my way. I was seeing the puck real well tonight. My rebound control wasn't there all the way as it should be but I got back into it. I'm seeing the puck really well."

Freshman Forward Jeff Tambellini
On his game tonight ... "The puck was coming to the right spots tonight and my linemates Johnny (Shouneyia) and Orts (Jed Ortmeyer) make great passes and make it real easy to shoot the puck. Coming on the wing and showing up on that five-on-three, it's really easy to get the shot away and they make it a lot easier than on most lines."

On the team's confidence ... "Confidence is a weird thing. Once you get it, you start rolling. The last couple of weeks, the last couple of games we've been going and the puck's going in. We get a lot of shots, we're playing a more up-tempo game. We're not sitting back, we're a team that's going forward and to the next level, especially after Christmas. We have to make the effort to step it up."

Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423