Michigan
13-8-1, 8-5-1
Michigan State
13-8-5, 7-5-4
Michigan Blanked at Michigan State in Goaltender Duel
1/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team fell short in a midweek match-up with Michigan State, losing a 2-0 decision to the Spartans Tuesday (Jan. 17) at Munn Ice Arena. The Wolverines got their share of chances but were shut out behind a 31-save performance by MSU freshman netminder Jeff Lerg. Wolverine goalie Noah Ruden (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) was also solid in net, stopping 35 of 37 Spartan shots.
Just one minute into the game Tim Miller (Davisburg, Mich.) had a good chance when he was left alone on the left side of the goal for a crossing pass. His low shot was stopped by Lerg's right pad.
Michigan State put sustained pressure on the Wolverines for nearly three straight minutes during the middle of first frame. The Wolverines managed to defend well, however, as they remained poised and did not allow the Spartans any great chances. Most of MSU's four shots during the span came from sharp angles.
The Maize and Blue was put in a precarious position with 6:29 to play in the first period when the first two penalties of the game were called against U-M. Jason Bailey (Nepean, Ontario) and Matt Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.) were the penalized players for Michigan. At 14:50, the Spartans beat Ruden when Colton Fretter chipped a rebound in front high into the goal for a 1-0 lead.
Michigan killed off the second penalty to keep the damage to a minimum. Following back-to-back shots by the Wolverines, MSU's Tyler Howells had an open opportunity in the slot but was stymied by Ruden.
The Wolverines used the final minutes of the first period to narrow the shot gap to one, 15-14. As the two teams headed into the locker room, Michigan trailed 1-0.
Michigan received its first power play of the night at 3:11 of the second period when Brandon Naurato (Livonia, Mich.) was hauled down in the MSU zone. The first unit out for the Wolverines kept the puck in the Spartan zone for more than a minute but could not solve Lerg. Michigan State went on to kill of the remainder of the advantage.
A poor pass by Lerg beside his net almost resulted in a U-M goal when Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.) gained control of the puck and threw it out front for Miller. Kolarik wound up with the only shot, which was smothered by the goalie in the crease.
The Wolverines went on the power play again at 9:08 when Drew Miller took a charging penalty. After MSU won a faceoff just inside the its blue line, Jared Nightingale flipped the puck high toward center ice where Bryan Lerg was waiting to glove it down to himself for a clean breakaway. Lerg faked a shot and then pulled the puck to his backhand for a shorthanded goal at 9:23 and a 2-0 Spartan lead.
Michigan had its third power play start at 11:25 but hardly mustered any threat to the MSU goal. At 15:16, Michigan State went on the power play for the first time during second stanza. The Spartans registered a few shots on goal but did not increase their lead.
With 1:10 to play in the second period the Wolverines were whistled for boarding, giving MSU a power play that would carry over into the final frame. That penalty elapsed with the Spartans' getting off a single shot, coming from a bad angle.
The Spartans controlled the puck for the bulk of the final period. However, aside from a quick chance from Justin Abdelkader in front of Ruden during an MSU power play, Michigan's defense limited the chances to only the benign.
Michigan's week continues with a home-and-home series against Bowling Green. The Falcons start it off when they travel to Ann Arbor on Friday (Jan. 20) for a 7:35 p.m. game that will be televised by FSN Detroit. The finale on Saturday (Jan. 21) is slated for a 7 p.m. start at BGSU Ice Arena in Bowling Green, Ohio.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
