Michigan Tops Falcons for Perfect CCHA Home Season

Saturday, February 21

Ann Arbor, Mich.

7:35 PM

Michigan

23-8-1, 18-5-1

Bowling Green

9-16-8, 7-13-5

Bowling Green

Michigan

2/21/2004 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey

Box Score

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The third-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team beat Bowling Green 5-2 on Senior Night Saturday (Feb. 21) to finish its CCHA home schedule with an unblemished record for the first time in school history. The Wolverines (23-8-1, 18-5-1 CCHA) emerged from the 2003-04 season with a perfect record of 13-0-0 in conference play in Yost Ice Arena.

Helminen shorthanded goal 6:30 into the third period was the eventual game-winner.

Junior forward Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.) netted two third-period goals to break open a 2-1 game, while classmate Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.) continued his second-half surge, adding a goal and an assist for the third straight game. Sophomore goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) kept the Wolverines ahead with 32 saves, including 13 in each of the last two periods.

The Falcons struck first to earn a 1-0 lead when senior alternate captain Kevin Bieksa blasted a shot that deflected off a Michigan defender and ricocheted over Montoya's shoulder and into the back of the net at 4:23 of the first period. The goal came on the Falcons' first power-play chance of the game.

The Wolverines answered at 11:50 when Gajic screamed a shot past Jordan Sigalet to knot the game at 1-1. The play began when sophomore Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) sent a cross-ice pass to Gajic in the Michigan zone. Gajic collected the pass one step inside the Maize and Blue zone and hustled up ice before sending a rocket on net from the right faceoff circle. Sigalet got a piece of the puck, but he was not able to stop the shot as it found a crease between his glove and right leg pad before banging into the back of the net.

Michigan pulled ahead 2-1 with an extra-attacker marker at 19:10 when Brandon Rogers (Rochester, Mich./N.H.) netted his sixth goal of the season. With the puck at the left point, Rogers waited for Kaleniecki to be in perfect position to screen Sigalet, and when the goalie could see nothing, Rogers fired a shot into the top shelf of the goal. On the play T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) improved his national lead in the assist column. The freshman now has 30 on the season.

Bowling Green nearly tied the score with 6:30 remaining as the Falcon offense peppered Montoya with a barrage of shots. After a rebound off the stick of D'Arcy McConvey which forced Montoya to his knees, Bieksa had a chance for his second goal of the evening when he found the puck on his stick with a wide-open net. However, the Falcons came away with nothing as Bieksa hit the post, allowing Montoya to get to his feet and eventually smother a shot.

Helminen began a flurry of goals as he handed the Wolverines a two-goal advantage when he sent a wrister over Sigalet's shoulder at 6:30 of the third period. With the Wolverines playing a man down, Helminen gained the puck after freshman defenseman Matt Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.) swatted the puck out of midair in Michigan's zone. Helminen skated into the Falcon zone, switched directions around a BGSU defender and fired a wrist shot to the top shelf for the goal.

On the same penalty and just 57 seconds later Bieska pulled Bowling Green back within one goal as he beat Montoya for the Falcons' second power-play goal of the game. From roughly the same place where he scored the first goal, Bieska reared back and blasted home his seventh goal of the season off a Michigan defender.

Helminen responded 2:45 minutes later with his second unassisted goal of the game. Racing down the right side of the ice flanked by freshman Mike Brown (Northbrook, Ill.), Helminen hesitated slightly than sniped out the right side of net to give Michigan a 4-2 lead at 10:12.

Junior Michael Woodford Jr. (Westford, Mass.) got in the scoring action as well when he tallied his first goal of the season to put U-M ahead 5-2 at 10:47. Following an Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) rebound, Woodford charged the left side of the goal, collected the bounding puck and buried it to hand Michigan its first undefeated conference homestand in school history.

The Wolverines will play Notre Dame next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 27-28) in South Bend, Ind. Friday's contest will be shown live on College Sports Television Network at 8 p.m. The weekend finale is slated for a 7:05 p.m. opening faceoff.

Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423