Okay, I'm not going to get into the best/worse ref (eternal) debate, but
please be sure, all you CCHA folks, that you realize that there are TWO
Shegos': Matt and Mark.  Matt's the short one.  Each has their own style.
Personally, MATT is the best ref in the NCAA.  Mark, well, ... I'll stop
there.  If you're going to hammer or praise a Shegos, as you have every
right to, please pick one of the two--they are not ONE person!
 
Alright, onto more important things:
 
**** MICHIGAN 7  OHIO STATE 2 ****
Opening night at Yost.  For the first time this season, the Maize and Blue
got to skate into their own arena, to the great glee of the sellout 6193
people.  You will see the number "6193" quite often this year--that's the
number you'll see as the attendance at every Yost game.  The entire team,
including walk-on's Daddario (G) and Assenmacher (C) got to skate or walk
onto the ice in their Maize sweaters for the "banner raising".
 
With the festivities over, the Wolverines quickly pounced on Freshman
Goaltender Ray Aho, with 10 shots in the first 7:47--three of them goals.
Scoring were Sean Ritchlin (on a delayed call), Matt Herr, and Mike Legg
(on a delayed call).  The first goal came 52 seconds after referee Shell
dropped the puck to start the game.
 
Aho was replaced by Tom Connerty at the 7:47 mark of the first.  Connerty
proceded to have a very strong showing.  While Connerty allowed 4 goals,
he made 24 saves, and I was rather impressed with his play.  The Michigan
press release from the game notes that this was the 11th time in the last
18 games at Yost that the starting goaltender didn't complete the game.
(see http://www.umich.edu/~mgoblue/IceHockey/96-97/release-11-08.html)
 
Also from the press release, Bill Muckalt's 21-game points-scoring streak
(30 points) came to an end.
 
The game was not too exciting, as the 3 goal lead within the first 8
minutes set the tone for the entire night.
 
**** MICHIGAN 4  BOWLING GREEN 1 ****
Apparently, the Wolverines saved all of the excitment for their first
meeting of the year with the Falcons.  This was a close game all the way
through the first 55 minutes.  The Wolverines got on the board first, with
Warren Luhning shooting the puck past Mike Savard at the 7:10 mark of the
first period.  Play was evenly matched throughout the game, and it took
until the 17:33 mark of the second before another goal was scored.  BG's
Eldred scored the tying goal.
 
The third period was where all hell broke loose in a game that should've
been exciting all the way to the end.  Right around the 10 minute mark of
the third, Wolverine Bubba Berenzweig shot the puck past Mike Savard,
apparently notching the Wolverine's second goal of the night.  In the
ensuing 10-minute long discussion, referee Roger Graff waved off the goal.
I never heard the "official announcement," and the action was at the
opposite end zone from where I was, so I have no idea what was happening.
According to a Michigan parent, "the puck was in the goal, Graff pointed
to the net, indicating a goal, the red light was on, and then 20 seconds
later Graff decided that he was going to call a penalty and waved the goal
off."  I REPEAT, these are (close to) the words of a Michigan PARENT, and
ARE NOT MINE.  Twice previously, once for the Wolverines and once for the
Falcons', Graff did not decide to call a penalty until after he looked
over and saw a player laying on the ice.
 
IMHO, this is where Graff lost control of the game.  The call obviously
irritated the Wolverines, and they seemed to turn up the speed and
intensity.  The play got much chippier in both directions, especially
after Michigan's Warren Luhning scored his second goal of the night (some
1 or 2 minutes after Berenzweig's disallowed goal).
 
Near the conclusion of the night, BG's Dave Faulkner slashed UM's Greg
Crozier, who sustained a fractured left arm from the incident. Apparently,
this further ticked off a number of Wolverines.  With 1:30 left in the
game, with up 3-1, Jason Botterill was skating along the boards back to
his bench.  Along the way, there was a Falcon skater right in front of the
Falcon bench and right in Botterill's way.  Jason, rather than skating
around the player (as he should have done), completely bowled him over.
This caused a large altercation right at the Falcon bench.  It was pretty
ugly, especially when UM's Bill Muckalt leaped into the altercation with
Freight Train speed (he came all the way from the other side of the ice).
 
Botterill, Muckalt, and two Falcons (sorry, I didn't write down their
names), each got the 5-minute fighting with Game DQ that they deserved.
 
Some thiry seconds later, after the whistle and during a separate
altercation, BG's Dan Price grabbed a hold of Bubba Berenzweig.  They each
had their hands on the other's shoulders, until Price punched Berenzweig,
not once, not twice, but FIVE times.  Bubba did NOT punch back. It
appeared that Bubba was merely trying to keep some distance, until the
FIFTH punch, were Bubba lost it and flung punches back at Price.  Of
course, each got the 5-minute fighting and Game DQ.  My friend Scott and
I, after watching the whole incident, were truly ticked off at the
unfairness of the whole thing.  Price clearly instigated the altercation,
Bubba clearly tried to hold back his punches, and none of the three
officials paid any attention until both were in a full brawl.
 
I'm NOT saying that Bubba didn't deserve the 5-minute/Game DQ.  He did
throw punches, and thus deserved the penalty.  I'm just saying that PRICE
was the cause of the whole indicent--and he gets the same penalty as his
sparring partner.  Sigh.
 
**** UP NEXT:
The Wolverines host the Spartans this coming Friday.  It will be an
interesting game as the Wolverines are without Crozier (LW, injury),
Botterill (LW, DQ), Muckalt (RW, DQ), and Berenzweig (D, DQ).  IMHO, the
Wolverine's will need to find some emotional spark (a la Purdue's football
team) to compete against the Spartans.
 
The real excitment comes Saturday, in Bowling Green.  All players, both
Wolverines and Falcons will be back from their suspensions, and this game
will truly be an interesting one.  Will both teams put the first game
behind them, or will it be a physical and possibly dangerous rematch?????
I hope for the former. See you in Bowling Green--I'm not missing this one.
 
From the Top Row (and yes, I do sit, er, stand, in the Top Row),
Roger
 
// Roger L Spurgeon     [log in to unmask]
// U of M Dept of Recreational Sports
// http://www.recsports.umich.edu/
 
HOCKEY-L is for discussion of college ice hockey;  send information to
[log in to unmask], The College Hockey Information List.