Michigan
19-2-0, 12-1-0CCHA
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Western Michigan
6-14-1, 2-11-0CCHA
Seniors Spark Dominating Win Over Western Michigan
1/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Site: Ann Arbor, Mich. (Yost Ice Arena)
Score: #1 Michigan 6, Western Michigan 1
Records: U-M (19-2-0, 12-1-0 CCHA), WMU (6-14-1, 2-11-0 CCHA)
Attendance: 6,924
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Jan. 12 -- at Western Michigan (Kalamazoo, Mich.), 8:00 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan hockey team earned a decisive 6-1 victory over Western Michigan in front of a sellout crowd of 6,924 Friday (Jan. 11) in Yost Ice Arena. Seniors Kevin Porter(Northville, Mich.) and Chad Kolarik(Abington, Pa.) each tallied a goal and two assists, while Billy Sauer(Walworth, N.Y.) made 21 saves for the win. Porter notched his 20th marker of the campaign, giving the captain back-to-back 20-goal seasons.
Michigan dominated early in the game, registering six shots on goal before Western could muster its first. But when the Broncos were given the man advantage midway through the opening period, they peppered Sauer with three rapid-fire attempts. With the U-M netminder sprawled on the ice from a previous save, Patrick Galivan scooped up the rebound and fired it toward the gaping goal. The shot seemed destined to find the back of the net, but Scooter Vaughan(Placentia, Calif.) deftly jumped in front of the puck to keep WMU off the board.
Given a power-play opportunity of its own, Michigan capitalized on Porter's nation-best 20th goal of the 2007-08 campaign. Max Pacioretty(New Canaan, Conn.) took a feed from Kolarik in stride and gained the zone. The freshman roped a pass cross-ice to Porter, and the U-M captain lifted a shot just under the cross bar for the 1-0 lead.
The Maize and Blue wasted no time in the second stanza, extending its lead to a pair of goals just 36 seconds into the frame. Kolarik dished the puck to Kevin Quick(Buffalo, N.Y.) skating through the right faceoff circle, and the rearguard wristed a shot over Riley Gill's glove for the first goal of his career. Porter picked up the second assist on the play.
Exactly one minute later, the Wolverines struck again when Travis Turnbull(Chesterfield, Mo.) notched his eighth marker of the season, giving U-M the three-goal edge. Chris Summers(Milan, Mich.) carried the puck behind the net before making a quick pass to the edge of the crease for Turnbull to deposit behind Gill.
An unassisted goal by Kolarik gave Michigan the 4-0 lead at 8:10. The alternate captain picked a WMU defenseman's pocket and wasted no time, unleashing a snapshot that ending his three-game scoreless streak.
Western Michigan ended Sauer's shutout bid just seven seconds into the final period. Steve Silver accepted a pass from Ryan Watson and blasted a shot that beat Sauer to cut Michigan's lead to 4-1. The goal snapped Sauer's shutout streak at 206:14, dating back three games to Dec. 7 at Bowling Green.
The Wolverines answered back, regaining the four-goal lead at 1:45. Steve Kampfer(Jackson, Mich.) fired a shot from just inside the blue line, but Gill turned aside the initial shot. Carl Hagelin(Sodertalje, Sweden) gobbled up the rebound and put it behind the Bronco goalie for his sixth goal of the campaign.
Summers capped the game's scoring at 5:35 of the final frame. Skating near the goal line, Turnbull reached for the puck and knocked a pass to the front of the goal mouth, where Summers lit the lamp for his second goal of the season. Picking up the other assist was Porter.
The Maize and Blue will travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., on Saturday (Jan. 12) to finish out the home-and-home series. The game is schedule to begin at 8:05 p.m. and will be televised on CSTV.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
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