Michigan
5-1-1, 3-0-0CCHA
Ferris State
1-6-0, 0-3-0CCHA
Michigan Blanks Ferris State in Weekend Series Opener
10/29/2004 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team took the 1-0 lead in its home-and-home series with a 3-0 shutout of Ferris State tonight (Friday, Oct. 29) at Yost Ice Arena. Al Montoya (Glenview, Illinois) stopped 17 shots to hold the Bulldogs scoreless and earn his first shutout of the season.
The scoring started off slowly with neither side getting on the scoreboard after the first 20 minutes of play. However, there were no shortages of battles for the puck. The first period of the contest was a defensive war as shots on goal were a mere 6-5 in favor of Ferris State. Ferris State was given the first power-play opportunity of the night, but both the Bulldogs and the Wolverines failed to convert on either of their man advantages in the first frame.
The Bulldogs fought to get on the board early in the second period as Jeff Legue made a run all alone at Montoya. The U-M netminder crouched low as Legue approached and stopped the shot with his left pad.
Ferris State goalie Mike Brown robbed Milan Gajic (Buraby, B.C.) with a glove save as Michigan rushed the net down low. Brown's positioning kept the Wolverines from scoring as they created several quality chances. Jeff Tambellini (Port Moody, B.C.) tested Brown again, only two minutes later, with a rocket from the right circle that Brown knocked away.
Michigan notched the first goal at 7:19. Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, British Columbia) flew into Bulldog territory as Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.) got the step on his man to create the two-on-one. Porter waited for the pass across the hash marks and jammed the puck into the empty net as Brown scrambled.
The Maize and Blue struck again at 12:50 when Gajic scored while lying flat on the ice by the side of the net. After a rebound in front, Gajic was taken down and still managed to nudge the puck over the goal line when Brown lost sight of it, giving Michigan the 2-0 lead. The second period ended with Michigan up 2-0 and dominating on shots 28-12.
At the 11-minute mark of the third period, Montoya stopped a quality scoring chance while Michigan was on the power play and a Ferris State player ended up alone in front of the U-M net.
While skating shorthanded at 10:50 in the third stanza, Michigan's Mike Brown (Northbrook, Illinois) carried the puck on the right wing and ripped a shot on Ferris State's Mike Brown, beating him low on the stick side to cap the scoring.
Michigan will close out the home-and-home series tomorrow (Saturday, Oct. 30) in Big Rapids, Mich., with a 7:05 p.m. puck-drop at Ewigleben Arena.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
