First, the Box Summary from JLA:
Michigan State vs. MICHIGAN Joe Louis Arena
January 30, 1993 Detroit, Michigan
FINAL: 1st 2nd 3rd Total
Michigan State 1 0 0 1
Michigan 5 2 4 11
SAVES:
MSU: Buzak 9 16 x 25
Kruse x x 11 11 Total : 36
UM: Shields 3 7 x 10
Gordon x x 2 2 Total : 12
SCORING SUMMARY: SCORE:
UM 1:54 Oliver (22nd) from Stewart & Hilton 0-1
UM 7:27 Ouimet (9th) from Ward & SHIELDS 0-2
UM 11:05 Neaton (8th) from Stewart & Hilton 0-3
MSU 11:56 Woodward (8th) Unassisted 1-3
UM 14:59 Hilton (10th) from Stewart & Neaton 1-4
UM 17:46 Stiver (14th) from Roberts 1-5
UM 21:55 Oliver (23rd) from Neaton & Wiseman 1-6
UM (PP) 33:52 Knuble (13th) from Roberts 1-7
UM (SH) 44:27 Stiver (15th) from Roberts & Harlock 1-8
UM 49:05 Knuble (14th) from Roberts & Tamer 1-9
UM 52:27 Wiseman (7th) from Harlock & Roberts 1-10
UM 54:57 Roberts (11th) from Sinclair & GORDON 1-11
OFFICIALS : Referees: Brent Rutherford & John LaDuke
Linesman: John Kelly
ATTENDANCE: 18,275 (*****NCAA non-tourney ATTENDANCE RECORD*****)
Comments:
For the first time in years, the Maize and Blue fans OUTNUMBERED
green and white fans at Joe Louis. But then, the Wolverines never
gave the Spartan fans a chance to make any noise.
State was flat the entire game. I don't know why, but from the
beginning they did not play good hockey. As the score really shows,
they would have been better off not showing up.
It was an incredibly enjoyable hockey game to watch (that is, of
course, if you're not a Spartan fan). Michigan played their hearts
out, and showed (me, at least) that they truly are the team to beat
in the CCHA (sorry, Miami). With stellar performances last night and
tonight, the Wolervines are in high gear for the March tournaments.
On the unusual side, Both Michigan goaltenders scored assists in the
game at the Joe. Steve Shields helped Aaron Ward get the puck to
Mark Ouimet before he was ejected from the game (more later...) for
Michigan's second goal of the game. Late in the third, a bored Chris
Gordon passed the puck up the ice to Al Sinclair who gave Roberts a
crisp pass for Robert's 11th goal of the season (Is Robert's really
having that bad a scoring season? 11 Goals seems really low?!).
Gordon was unaware of his point until rink announcer Budd Lynch
announced the goal.
Besides the Michigan goals, the game was relatively uneventful
(honestly, there were no or _very_ few State highlights...).
THOSE *()&%&^ OFFICIALS...
On the other hand, Brent Rutherford and John LaDuke's (hereby
referred to as Mr. & Mrs. Consistency -- you pick which one is the
misses -- and no offense meant to all those awesome female hockey
fans :-) performance over the entire weekend was ...
At the end of the first period the consistency twins called a 5:00
major + game DQ on Michigan's Ouimet for sphering. At the same time
a State player (whose identity I've long since forgotten) received a
2:00 minor for roughing. The State player clearly tried to climb
OVER the linesman to get at a Michigan player (probably Ouimet) and
IMHO deserved a misconduct for his abuse of officials. Now, before
you flame me for being biased...I did not see Ouimet's alledged
sphere. Neither did any of those I was sitting with, nor a good
friend who is a non-biased CCHA on-site official. He even mentioned
that the call _could_have_been_ a carry-over from Friday's UM-UIC
melee's. NOW...If Ouimet did indeed sphere someone, then HE SHOULD
GET THE PENALTY AND MISCONDUCT. PERIOD. You will get no argument
from me, because I think that sort of stick work is disgraceful and
dangerous.
Other than that, Saturday's game was relatively clean and uneventful.
You almost didn't need ref's there which is unheardof for a UM/MSU
hockey game.
FRIDAY...THE CONSISTENCY TWINS STRIKE FIRST...
During the previous night's game, however, Rutherford and LaDuke
clearly had NO CONTROL over the game. I will not get into whether
or not UIC's actions were premeditated or anything like that because
I don't believe it. BUT, had the referees taken control of the game
the TWO SEPERATE melee's in the third period WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED.
Both ref's were incredibly inconsistent throughout the entire
game--and how many times can everybody say...call it tight or loose
but call it the same the ENTIRE game and for BOTH sides.
After the first brawl, LaDuke and Rutherford sent 8 of the 10 players
off for _roughing_. IMHO, one or two 10 misconducts should have been
called. I honestly think if the consistency twins had made a stand
then, the players would have been less likely to brawl a second
time. As for the second brawl, it was CLEARLY started by UIC Flame
Derek Knorr (and in today's _Michigan_Daily_, UIC coach Larry Pedrie
admitted to this: "One of our players was at fault. It was just pure
frustration. That's not the way to handle frustration.") However,
neither LaDuke nor Rutherford were looking in that direction when
Knorr crosschecked Ouimet--BUT linesman Kelly was staring STRAIGHT at
it. I understand the penalties that were called (6 fights & DQ's)
and actually agree with them, but Michigan should have been giving a
5 minute power play for Knorr's clearly intentional X-check. How the
penalties ended up evening out I will never know.
IMHO, the CCHA supervisor of officials should have noticed the
incredible violence of Friday's game and that both LaDuke and
Rutherford were contributors to it. Thus, I firmly believe, and would
have done so if I were in that position, that the ref assignments fro
Saturday should have been changed. I can't understand why, for what
is known to be a really intense and possibly vicious rivalry
(MSU/UM), the CCHA would not assign it's best officiating pair to it.
Clearly, Rutherford and LaDuke were out of there league Friday night
and should never have been at the Joe Saturday. Thank God nothing
happened Saturday night. Who knows what they would have called.
My Opinions These Are All...Please Don't Take My Generalizations
Personally...
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Roger L. Spurgeon [log in to unmask] |_ \ / _|
Michigan Engineering `94 | \ \ / / |
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MICHIGAN HOCKEY -- 1992 GLI CHAMPIONS! 5-IN-A-ROW! _| | \ / | |_
DETROIT RED WINGS - THANKS NORTHERN FOR DALLAS DRAKE! |__| \/ |__|
MUDDY THE MUD HEN SAYS THE STORM WILL RAGE IN TOLEDO! Go Blue!
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