Michigan
19-7-1, 13-5-1CCHA
Northern Michigan
14-11-2, 10-8-1CCHA
Helminen Goals Allow U-M to Solve Troubles with Wildcats
2/7/2003 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #8 Michigan 3, Northern Michigan 1
Records: U-M (19-7-1, 13-5-1 CCHA), NMU (14-11-2, 10-8-1 CCHA)
Attendance: 6,877
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 8 -- vs. Northern Michigan (Yost Ice Arena), 7:35 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 8-ranked Michigan ice hockey team ended its five-game losing streak to Northern Michigan by beating the Wildcats 3-1 on Friday (Feb. 7) at Yost Ice Arena. Sophomore forward Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.) logged two goals in the third period to secure the victory and end NMU's three-game winning streak on Michigan's home ice. U-M, which has the nation's leading penalty-killing squad, held the Wildcats scoreless on four chances while on the man advantage. Freshman goalie Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) was solid in the net, stopping 20 of the 21 shots he faced.
In the opening three minutes of the first period, Northern Michigan held U-M without a shot while registering five of its own. The Wolverines struck first, though, when sophomore forward Eric Nystrom (Syosset, N.Y.) shelved a shot high over Craig Kowalski's left shoulder directly off a faceoff win in the left circle at 3:16.
The Wildcats earned a power play immediately after the goal as Nystrom took a roughing call right after his tally. NMU nearly capitalized on its opportunity at 15:15, but Montoya made an athletic save on a two-on-one by sliding post to post to deny Terry Harrison a sure tap-in goal. Montoya was forced to make another key save on a chance from between the circles with nine minutes remaining in the period while NMU was again on the power play.
The second half of the period was fairly wide open with nearly six minutes of four-on-four action. Northern Michigan negated a power play by committing an infraction and then the teams took matching minors on two more occasions to give the skaters plenty of open ice. Michigan tested Kowalski on a few outside shots but did not generate any high-percentage opportunities and carried its 1-0 edge into the first intermission.
The Wolverines picked up their first full power play of the game at 2:58 of the second period and had two attempts sail just wide of the goal during the man advantage. U-M earned its second straight power play at 5:53 when the Wildcats' Pat Murphy took an interference penalty deep in his offensive zone. Another NMU infraction one minute later gave the Maize and Blue a five-on-three opportunity. Unfortunately, Michigan did not register a single shot during the three-minute stretch, firing wide of the goal mouth on multiple occasions.
Northern Michigan committed its fourth straight penalty at 13:05 to give the Wolverines yet another chance on the man advantage. Senior forward John Shouneyia (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) had the best opportunity during the power play as a missed check at the NMU blue line gave him an open seam down the middle. Shouneyia passed up his opportunity, however, choosing to make an extra pass to his left which never translated into a shot on goal and gave the Wolverines another fruitless power play.
Northern Michigan finally got its penalty-killing unit off the ice at 17:08 when Michigan took its first penalty of the second period. Michigan garnered the best scoring chance, though, with Helminen being stopped at the right post by the goalie and a defender during a one-on-one break. Senior forward Mark Mink (Livonia, Mich.) then had a crack at the loose puck in the slot, but Kowalski extended his left leg while on his stomach to deflect the puck high and wide of the net. In the final seconds of the stanza, sophomore forward Jason Ryznar (Anchorage, Alaska) had a prime scoring prospect in front of the net but his wrist shot ricocheted wide upon hitting the right post. After 40 minutes of play, NMU held a slight 18-17 shooting advantage.
Michigan cushioned its lead at the 4:43 mark of the third period on a quirky goal by Helminen. Freshman defenseman Danny Richmond (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) picked off an outlet pass at the blue line and had a blocked shot from the high slot go directly to Nystrom in between the circles. Nystrom's ensuing shot went high and wide of the goal but it banked perfectly off of the boards and came back to the edge of the crease to Helminen, who shoved the pack past the unsuspecting goalie for the 2-0 lead.
The Wildcats earned a power-play chance at 7:22 but failed to pressure the Michigan defense because they could not set up in the offensive zone. NMU did cut its deficit to one goal at 11:51 when a turnover in the neutral zone gave Mike Stutzel a one-on-one break along the left boards. Stutzel beat the flat-footed defender around the corner and wristed a shot over Montoya's left shoulder.
Coincidental penalties with 3:20 remaining left the teams with four skaters a side. Helminen used the extra space to weave through the NMU defense and notched his second goal of the game to clinch the win . Picking the puck up at his own blue line, Helminen cut to the right side of ice to evade one defender and then worked his way back to the top of the high slot by sliding the puck through another defender's legs, picking the puck back up again and then firing a shot high past the shuffling goalie.
Michigan will wrap up its season series with Northern Michigan on Saturday (Feb. 8) when the teams face off at 7:35 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena.
Contact: Paul Thomas (734) 763-4423
