Michigan
19-17-1/14-13-1-0
Notre Dame
13-15-8/9-12-7-2
Wolverines Lose Regular-Season Finale at Notre Dame
2/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Feb. 27, 2010
| | Site: South Bend, Ind. (Joyce Center)
Score: Notre Dame 5, Michigan 3
Records: U-M (19-17-1, 14-13-1-0 CCHA), Notre Dame (13-15-8, 9-12-7-2 CCHA)
Attendance: 2,932
Next U-M Event: Friday, March 5 -- vs. Lake Superior State - CCHA Tournament First Round (best-of-three) (Yost Ice Arena), 7:35 p.m.
SOUTH BEND, Ind. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team wrapped up its regular season with a 5-3 loss at Notre Dame on Saturday (Feb. 27) at the Joyce Center. U-M led 2-0 after the first period but yielded four consecutive goals in the second period and could not recover. Junior center Louie Caporusso (Woodbridge, Ontario) scored U-M's first and third goals. Junior goalie Shawn Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.) had 20 stops in his first career start for the Maize and Blue.
Caporusso put U-M ahead almost immediately by scoring just 36 seconds into the game. Sophomore right wing Luke Glendening (Grand Rapids, Mich.) dug the puck out of the right corner for Caporusso, who slithered along the goal line and snapped a shot into the upper left corner past Mike Johnson. Senior defenseman Chris Summers (Milan, Mich.) also drew an assist on the play.
Hunwick faced his first shot at 5:46 when U-M turned the puck over in the slot and Billy Maday's low shot was denied. The Irish maintained pressure and just missed with another good chance seconds later.
Hunwick made his finest save of the night with 2:34 left in the first period. Shorthanded, Dan Kissel broke in alone and tried a backhand shot that was stopped by Hunwick's outstretched glove.
Seventeen seconds later, sophomore left wing David Wohlberg (South Lyon, Mich.) scored a power-play goal on a great individual effort to make it 2-0. Wohlberg skated freely into ND territory, split two defenseman with a toe-drag move and then snuck a backhand shot up under the bar
Notre Dame cut its deficit to 2-1 when Calle Ridderwall redirected a shot while crossing the front of the net at 2:22 of the second period.
Nearly five minutes into the stanza, freshman right wing Chris Brown (Flower Mound, Texas) hit the back of the goal but play continued. At the next stoppage the referees reviewed the goal with video replay. Though TV angles showed the puck crossing the goal line, the sole angle the referees had access to did not show a conclusive goal.
The Fighting Irish capitalized and tied the game with a shorthanded goal by Brett Blatchford at 6:31. His right point shot went cleanly through traffic and into the bottom right corner. Joe Lavin made it 3-2 Notre Dame exactly one minute later when he slid a rebound under Hunwick from the right side.
Wohlberg had a chance to tie it at 12:10 with a shorthanded breakaway, but his attempt to jam the puck under Johnson was stoned. Eighteen seconds later, Notre Dame's Kyle Palmieri blasted a one-timer into the U-M net for a power-play goal that put the Fighting Irish up, 4-2.
In the final six minutes of the period, the Wolverines had three top-notch chances. Caporusso had a partial breakaway with just less than six minutes on the clock. In the final minute of the period, Caporusso's rebound chance from the left circle was denied by a diving Johnson. An ensuing shot from the right side by Wohlberg went wide as the goalie dove in desperation.
Caporusso eventually scored his second goal of the game at 3:51 of the third period to cut U-M's deficit to 4-3. Flying down the left wing, Caporusso threw a pass across the goalmouth that was intended for Wohlberg. Fortunately for U-M, the puck hit a Notre Dame defenseman's skate and got past Johnson.
Notre Dame put an end to Michigan's comeback bid with a goal from Kissel at 14:59 of the third period. The left wing worked his way around a defenseman into the left circle and slipped a shot between Hunwick's legs for the marker.
Michigan had a final power play with 3:14 left and pulled Hunwick for an extra attacker a minute later. Nevertheless, U-M could not cut into the two-goal deficit.
U-M finishes the regular season in seventh place in the CCHA standings. It will host 10th-place Lake Superior State in the first round of the CCHA Tournament. The best-of-three series will run from Friday-Sunday, March 5-7. Playoff tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. on Monday (March 1) on MGoBlue.com/tickets or by calling (734) 764-0247.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
