Michigan
12-4-1, 10-1-0CCHA
Bowling Green
8-5-2, 5-4-3CCHA
Eight Straight Goals Help Michigan Rally Past Falcons
12/10/2004 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked Michigan Wolverines took over the top spot in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association by way off an 8-3 come-from-behind victory over Bowling Green on Friday (Dec. 10) at Yost Ice Arena. U-M trailed 3-0 after the opening period of play before its offense took flight in the second and third periods with the help of a 3-for-5 power-play conversion rate during the span. The Wolverines overcame a three-goal deficit for the first time since March 26, 1999, when U-M beat Denver 5-3 in an NCAA East Regional contest.
| | Hunwick completed his first hat trick with this rocket from the blue line. |
The Falcons opened the scoring at 4:37 of the first period with a quick wrist shot by Steve Brudzewski from the right circle after a scrum in the corner resulted in the puck squirting out to him. Less than two minutes later, the Falcons struck again while skating shorthanded. Alex Rogosheske got a breakaway from mid-ice when a U-M pass deflected out into the middle. Rogosheske skated in and fired the puck, beating Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) top shelf at 7:53.
Brudzewski tallied his second goal of the night at 10:38 on a tip off Jon Sitko's shot from the point. At the close of the first period, Michigan had outshot Bowling Green 14-9 and had three power-play opportunities to BGSU's two but trailed 3-0.
To start the second period, the Wolverines' power play began to click at 5:23 as Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) notched the first Maize and Blue goal. The tally came as U-M regrouped from center ice. Brandon Rogers (Rochester, N.H.) passed to Gajic who waited just outside the blue line at the left side. Gajic then looked to Kaleniecki, who found space at the top of the right circle and jammed the one-timer past BGSU netminder Jordan Sigalet.
Hunwick brought the Wolverines to within one at 8:40 after a scramble down low in Falcon territory. Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.) took two quick shots on Sigalet, and his second rebound slid back to Hunwick in the left slot. Hunwick lifted the puck blocker-side into the open net.
Thirty seconds later, the Wolverines knotted the score at three goals. Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) found Gajic alone in the left circle from across the ice. Gajic faked Sigalet to the outside, skated around him and just barely tucked it inside the far right post as a Falcon defender helped tip it over the goal line.
With five minutes to play in the middle frame, Montoya kept the score tied at three with two sprawling saves as Derek Whitmore worked the puck on the back post.
It took 1:10 into the third period for the Wolverines to take over the lead for good. Hensick walked the puck across the Falcon zone and slid it over the goal line on the stick side. At 2:58, Jeff Tambellini (Port Moody, B.C.) made a crossing pass that bounced perfectly off the boards to Hunwick, who blasted the puck high and into the back of the net.
Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.) gave the Wolverines the three-goal lead at 6:28 as he controlled the puck past two defenders to face Sigalet alone. Porter backhanded the puck through the five-hole to make it 6-3.
After pulling a quick move to lose a Falcon defender, Hensick skated at Sigalet all alone and banged the puck through the five-hole at 15:03 to increase the lead to 7-3. Hunwick put the game away at 17:37, giving Michigan its eighth unanswered goal of the night and scoring his first career hat trick.
Michigan will complete its home-and-home series against Bowling Green State tomorrow (Saturday, Dec. 11) at BGSU Ice Arena. The puck will drop at 7:05 p.m.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
