Michigan
26-4-4, 19-3-4CCHA
Michigan State
21-9-5, 17-6-3CCHA
Michigan Manhandles Michigan State at Joe Louis Arena
2/23/2008 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Site: Detroit, Mich. (Joe Louis Arena)
Score: #1 Michigan 5, #6 Michigan State 2
Records: U-M (26-4-4, 19-3-4 CCHA), MSU (21-9-5, 17-6-3 CCHA)
Attendance: 20,066
Next U-M Event: Friday, Feb. 29 -- vs. Ferris State (Yost Ice Arena), 7:35 p.m.
Boxscore | Postgame Notes | Quotes | Photos | Video Report
DETROIT, Mich. -- The No. 1-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team earned its first victory again Michigan State this season with a 5-2 win in front of a sellout crowd Saturday (Feb. 23) at Joe Louis Arena. The Michigan offense was led by Tim Miller(Davisburg, Mich.), who garnered his first two goals of the season. Kevin Porter(Northville, Mich.) and Mark Mitera(Livonia, Mich.) both picked up two assists on the night.
Michigan (42 points) leads second-place Miami in the CCHA standings by three points and can capture the outright conference title with two more points as each team has just two games remaining. The Wolverines' win tonight eliminated the MSU from CCHA title contention. The Spartans have 37 points with two games left on their schedule.
The Wolverines were the first to jump on the board, with a marker from Miller at 5:20 in the opening period. Chris Summers(Milan, Mich.) carried the puck down the left side of the ice and took a shot that ricocheted off the pads of MSU goaltender Jeff Lerg. Miller was there to pick up the deflection, and the left-winger beat Lerg glove-side to put U-M up 1-0.
Aaron Palushaj(Northville, Mich.) increased Michigan's lead to 2-0 at 10:38. Carl Hagelin(Sodertalje, Sweden) had control of the puck and centered it to the middle of the slot. MSU defenseman Justin Johnston attempted to clear the disc but, luckily for the Wolverines, he sent it directly to Palushaj. The rookie one-timed it past Lerg for the unassisted goal.
U-M finished the period strong, upping its lead to 3-0 on a goal at 19:40. On a U-M power play, Mitera received the puck just inside the blue line from Brandon Naurato(Livonia, Mich.) in the bottom of the left faceoff circle. After the pass, Naurato placed himself in front of the crease to chip Mitera's rebounded shot over Lerg. Ben Winnett(New Westminster, B.C) also registered an assist on the play.
U-M outshot the Spartans 17-8 in the first period of play.
The Spartans responded to U-M at 8:53 in the second, making the score 3-1. Following a faceoff, Justin Abdelkader received the puck and passed it to Michael Ratchuk just inside the Spartan offensive zone. Ratchuk dished it to Chris Mueller in the low slot, and the center took a backhanded shot that got past Billy Sauer(Walworth, N.Y.).
MSU then cut its deficit to 3-2 with a tally from Tim Kennedy at 12:14. The left-winger took a slapshot from between the circles that found its way past a sprawling Sauer and into the back of the goal. Jeff Petry earned the first assist when his initial shot bounced off Sauer's mask.
However, the Wolverines responded in the last minute of the second stanza (19:25) to make the scoreboard read 4-2. Porter had the puck behind the goal line and sent it up to Mitera near the top of the left faceoff circle. The defenseman took a shot, and the attempt was redirected into the net by Max Pacioretty(New Canaan, Conn.), who stood just outside the goal crease.
In the middle of the third frame, MSU's Bryan Lerg had a breakaway opportunity and a chance to keep his team in the game. The center skated down the middle of the ice uncontested, but Summers came in quickly from the right side to get in front of Lerg and thwart his chance of scoring. Summers' defense allowed U-M to retain its 4-2 lead.
With time winding off the clock, the Spartans pulled netminder Lerg in an attempt at a comeback bid. Miller took advantage of MSU's empty net, posting a goal at 19:27. After receiving the puck from Porter, Miller took a shot from the high slot that slid into the unprotected net. Miller's mark made the score 5-2 and gave the junior the first multi-goal game of his career.
Next weekend the Wolverines will compete in a home-and-home series with Ferris State. Friday (Feb. 29), Michigan will host FSU at Yost Arena, and the game is slated to begin at 7:35 p.m. Then on Saturday (March 1), both teams will travel to Big Rapids, Mich., to complete the series. Saturday's contest will start at 7:05 p.m.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
