Michigan
19-8-1,14-5-1
Alaska Fairbanks
13-14-3,12-11-1
Michigan Has Win Streak Snapped at Alaska Fairbanks
2/7/2004 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team's eight-game winning streak came to an end Saturday (Feb. 8) with a 5-3 loss to Alaska Fairbanks at the Carlson Center. The Nanooks earned just their fourth victory all-time against the Wolverines, breaking a 3-3 tie with two third-period goals.
The fourth-ranked Wolverines (19-8-1, 14-5-1 CCHA) recieved two-point efforts from junior Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.) and sophomore Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.), who each had a goal and an assist in the game.
Michigan's first chance to score came 4:36 into the opening period when sophomore Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) swatted a deflection of his own shot into the crease. The puck landed at Gajic's stick, but he was unable to score despite finding space atop the crease. Alaska Fairbanks goaltender Keith Bartusch tied up the puck on Gajic's second attempt on goal.
Sophomore goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) kept UAF off the board at 8:04, reaching behind him with his glove to keep UAF's shot out of the net. The Nanooks earned a three-on-one break in the neutral zone but were forced to shoot due to the backchecking effort of Kaleniecki. The shot was deflected outside the crease and was headed into the net until Montoya was able to snag it with his glove hand.
The Wolverines quickly responded with a power-play tally at 9:57 after a Cam Keith penalty. Gajic and freshman T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) set up in the right corner of the UAF zone, passing back and forth until a passing lane opened up at the point for Ebbett to step in with a one-time shot. The attempt beat Bartush high in the right corner to give Michigan the 1-0 lead.
Alaska Fairbanks tied the game minutes later with a shorthanded tally at 12:28. After gathering the puck at the far blue line, UAF's Jared Sylvestre broke into the U-M zone down the right side of the ice. Sylvestre found Ryan Campbell streaking toward the back post for the goal, feeding a saucer pass over the lone U-M defender.
Campbell scored his second goal of the game just 1:22 into the second period with UAF on the power play. Stationed in the left corner, Nanook senior Ryan Lang found Campbell in the slot. Campbell had enough time to fire a low one-time shot past Montoya.
Bartusch then made a nice glove save on junior Eric Nystrom (Syosset, N.Y.) at 3:55 to keep the Nanook lead. After keeping the puck in the zone during a U-M power play, junior Brandon Rogers (Rochester, N.H.) found Nystrom with space at the top of the slot. Nystrom's wrist shot was marked for the upper left corner, but Bartusch was up to the task.
At the end of the advantage, the UAF keeper stymied Hensick with a blocker stop on a shot toward the lower right side of the net.
The Wolverines switched the momentum of the game with a pair of quick goals at the midpoint of the second frame. Gajic tied the game 2-2 at 9:11, making a quick deke on Bartusch before depositing the puck through the goalie's legs. Sophomore Jeff Tambellini (Port Moody, B.C.) found a wide-open Gajic to the left of the net after a moment of frenetic action in the UAF zone.
Junior Nick Martens (Ann Arbor, Mich.) scored 46 seconds later to give Michigan a 3-2 lead. From nearly behind the goal line, the junior defenseman managed to slide a bad-angle shot at the net and past the Nanook keeper for the tally.
The Nanooks rallied to tie the game at 14:51 with a power-play goal by junior Jason Grinevitch. Grinevitch's shot from the left point beat Montoya to tie the game at three goals apiece.
The two teams played nearly seven minutes into the third period before either could break the tie. Alaska Fairbanks got the break at 6:46 when Kelly Czuy tipped in an Aaron Voros shot from the point to go ahead 4-3. Voros took a slap shot from the center of Michigan's blue line and Czuy got enough of the puck, despite a Michigan defender on his back, to deflect it into the top left corner of the net past Montoya's glove.
Nystrom and Tambellini nearly equalled the score with 4:25 remaining, but Nystrom put the give-and-go pass from behind the net just wide of the right goal post.
On UAF's next trip down the ice, senior Tom Herman fired a wrist shot by Montoya to put the Nanooks ahead 5-3.
Michigan and CCHA leader Miami (Ohio) meet twice next Friday and Saturday (Feb. 13-14) at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor. Both games are set to begin at 7:35 p.m. The two teams split their first two meetings in October.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
