Michigan
14-9-2, 9-6-2
Michigan State
14-10-6, 8-7-5
Michigan Battles to Another Tie Against Michigan State
1/27/2006 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- For the fourth time in five games the No. 8-ranked University of Michigan hockey team and its archrival, No. 15 Michigan State, battled to a tie, this time 1-1 at Munn Ice Arena on Friday (Jan. 27). Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) scored his team-leading fifth career goal vs. MSU to tie the game late in the first period. From then on the goaltending prevailed with U-M's Billy Sauer (Walworth, N.Y.) making 15 of his 21 saves after the first frame. MSU goalie Jeff Lerg matched him, making 20 of his 27 saves in the last 45 minutes of play.
Both teams exchanged end-to-end rushes as the opening period began at a quick pace. After an errant pass cleared the Wolverine zone, T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) raced down the ice in a near breakaway but shot the puck wide of the net at 4:40. Just 10 seconds later, Andrew Cogliano (Woodbridge, Ontario) controlled the faceoff. David Rohlfs (Northville, Mich.) collected the centering pass from behind the net, but his shot was stopped by Lerg.
The Spartans opened the scoring at 6:47 of the first frame. David Booth carried the puck into the offensive zone but had it poked away as he drove to the net. The puck bounced off the end boards and back toward the goal line, where Drew Miller banked it off Sauer's leg and into the net for the 1-0 lead.
At 7:21, the Wolverines got their first power-play opportunity of the game but barely threatened as they failed to register a single shot during the man advantage.
There was a 10-minute stoppage in play as the referee reviewed a potential Michigan State goal by Ethan Graham that was thought to have gone through a hole in the net at 12:22. After reviewing the videotape, however, referee Stephen McInchak disallowed the goal.
The Maize and Blue was able to break onto the scoreboard as time expired in the period. Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.) scooped up the rolling puck in the neutral zone and wristed a shot in on Lerg from the right faceoff circle. Lerg made the initial save, but Kaleniecki was there to control the rebound and slip it past a sprawling Spartan goaltender at 19:04 to knot the game at 1-1. The tally snapped Michigan's 116:50 minutes of play without a goal against the Spartans dating back to the second period of Oct. 22, 2005.
Seconds later, the Spartans were whistled for a penalty, giving Michigan a power play heading into the second period. Shots were just 8-7 in favor of U-M after 20 minutes.
The Wolverines were unable to capitalize on the power play to start the middle frame but managed to maintain pressure on the Michigan State defense, taking six straight shots over the first five minutes of the period.
Michigan's momentum was stopped only when it was whistled for a penalty at 6:17. The Maize and Blue successfully killed off the penalty, not allowing the Spartans to register a shot on goal.
Michigan drew back-to-back power plays at 11:12 and 13:59. Although controlling the puck for much of the time, the Wolverines could not put the puck in the back of the net.
The Spartans went on the power play with just over two minutes to play in the frame. With time winding down, Michigan State was called for its own penalty, giving the Wolverines another power-play opportunity going into the third stanza. Michigan outshot MSU by a 13-4 count in the second period.
With the score still even at a goal apiece, the teams exchanged power plays in the first 10 minutes of play in the third period. An additional penalty to the Maize and Blue gave Michigan State a man advantage, but the Spartans could not find a way to beat Sauer.
Coming off a turnover, Bryan Lerg flipped the puck in on Sauer, who knocked it aside. Seconds later, Sauer gloved a puck shot through traffic to again deny the Spartans the lead.
With 2:08 left in the third, Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) took the puck into the zone and sent a pass up to Kaleniecki. Kaleniecki beat the Michigan State defenseman and forced Lerg to make a glove save, as both goalies continued the stalemate. However, neither team was able to break the tie, forcing a five-minute overtime session.
One minute into the extra frame Cogliano set up Rohlfs with a backdoor pass on the left post, but Rohlfs saw it too late and was late swatting at the puck. Forty-five seconds later Hensick had a high-quality chance when Mark Mitera (Livonia, Mich.) caught MSU scrambling and passed to the left of the net. Hensick's redirection went high and wide of the open net.
MSU mounted one final rush as the clock ticked down but did not test Sauer, forcing the 1-1 final score.
The Wolverines and Spartans will meet for the fourth and final time this regular season on Saturday (Jan. 28) at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Faceoff is slated for 7:35 p.m. with television coverage provided by FSN Detroit.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
