Michigan
16-9-0, 11-6-0CCHA
Alaska
7-12-4, 5-9-3CCHA
Hensick's Hat Trick Powers Wolverines Past Nanooks
1/19/2007 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
FAIRBANKS, Alaska -- The No. 13-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team blasted Alaska by a 6-2 count Friday night (Jan. 19) on the strength of T.J. Hensick's (Howell, Mich.) first career hat trick. Hensick had U-M's second, fourth and fifth goals. The Wolverines scored twice in the first and second periods to hold a 4-0 lead through 40 minutes of play. Billy Sauer (Walworth, N.Y.) made 29 saves, including eight on the penalty kill as U-M stopped seven of the Nanooks' eight extra-man chances.
Hensick scored once in each period for his first hat trick.
The Nanooks received the game's first break when two Wolverines were penalized at 3:14 of the opening stanza. Michigan's penalty killers, led by David Rohlfs (Northville, Mich.) and Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.), were excellent while down two skaters. Rohlfs blocked a shot and deflected a few crossing passes, while Kolarik nearly earned a breakaway and also broke up a two-on-one pass. Sauer stopped the lone shot that reached him during the UA power play.
A minute after the penalty kill, at 6:15, Andrew Cogliano (Woodbridge, Ontario) put U-M ahead 1-0. Waiting behind his own net, Mark Mitera (Livonia, Mich.) looked for an outlet pass but settled for a long lob to neutral ice. The puck deflected off a UA player and fell to Cogliano. The streaking center faked forehand and lifted the puck past Wylie Rogers' trapper for the score. Cogliano's tally extended his point streak to a career-best-tying seven games.
The Maize and Blue grabbed a 2-0 lead on Hensick's eighth goal of the season and first since Nov. 25 at Minnesota. Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich.) maintained possession for U-M just outside the Nanook blue line, which allowed his teammates to regroup. Johnson fed Porter on the far left side for a slap shot in on Rogers. The rebound came right to Hensick in front and he slid it past the prone goalie.
Sauer and the Michigan defense were tested heavily in the latter half of the period due to U-M penalties at 12:09, 16:27 and 18:07. Sauer made numerous key saves, including a big glove save on a Curtis Fraser rebound shot. Johnson was given an additional 10-minute misconduct to go with his boarding call for the last penalty of the series.
At 4:46 of the second period, Brandon Naurato (Livonia, Mich.) upped the U-M advantage to 3-0 on a hard-fought drive to the Nanook goal. With Fraser on his back, Naurato deked the goalie forehand to backhand and slid the puck easily into the net. Travis Turnbull (Chesterfield, Mo.) and Tim Miller (Davisburg, Mich.) drew assists on the play.
Michigan received a two-man advantage when Alaska was called for penalties at 9:29 and 9:39. Hensick capitalized at 11:03 for his second goal of the evening. Porter began the play with a short pass to Kolarik at the right edge of the crease. Kolarik one-touched the puck to the left post for Hensick to tap across the goal line to make it 4-0.
Sauer kept the Nanooks off the scoreboard through two periods by making 12 saves in the middle stanza. His best stop occurred with three minutes left when Darcy Campbell and Justin Binab had a two-on-one. Sauer stoned Campbell's initial slap shot and then smothered Binab's errant rebound attempt in the slot.
Alaska finally solved Sauer at 9:48 of the third period on a power-play goal from Adam Naglich. Fraser prevented U-M from clearing the puck from the front of the net and sent a close-range shot in on Sauer. The U-M goalie kicked away the shot, but Naglich was wide open to fire the rebound into the goal.
Michigan responded to make the score 5-1 at 14:26 as Hensick completed his hat trick. U-M was on the power play and moving the puck easily around the Nanook zone. Hensick received a pass from Johnson and proceeded to skate around the UA goal and out front from the left side. Left alone, Hensick snapped a wrist shot past Rogers' blocker for the score.
The Nanooks' leading scorer, Kyle Greentree, narrowed the game to 5-2 on a breakaway score at 16:41.
Thirty seconds later at 17:22, Matt Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.) converted on a nice feed from beside the net from Miller to cap the scoring at 6-2.
The Wolverines will face off against Alaska in the series finale on Saturday (Jan. 20) at the Carlson Center. The game is slated to start at 7:05 p.m. AKST (11:05 p.m. EST). Television coverage is available on ESPNU.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
