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MTU lost another home game on Saturday night: this time to
arch-rival Northern, 8-3. I thought that we played a decent
game but Northern was able to capitalize on our weak goalie
play. We had 35 shots on net but just could not break the line
at the flat side of the crease. Northern on the other hand had
but 20 shots on net. The game was played in the Northern zone
most of the night. As typical at home our opponent
has been able to score while we make the opponent's goalie
look good. Northern's goalie, Jason Mitchell, who got a game
star, did not really play that well but Tech's soft shots and
failure to followup loose pucks gave him all of the opportunity
that he needed. This season at home, we have allowed opponents
82 WCHA scores while we have gained only 52. On the road, our
scoring is worse (45 points) but for some reason, we have been
able to keep our opponent to only 37 points.
This game was based on effective power plays: there were far
too many penalties called and Northern knows how to take
advantage of opportunities. Their first score came on such
an opportunity. Tech jumped back into the game with a Kryzer
score. But Northern's Kory Karlander got a late period score
which let them out of the period on a winning note.
Jason Wright got his first goal of the season (he had 20 points
in assists) when he took a blast from the center of the blueline
on a power play at 1:26. Northern's Hehr got a ppg at 4:16, and
Hadden got a ppg at 11:29. Then MacGillivray scored at 15:34. MTU
frequently did not contest the neutral zone between bluelines.
Northern took advantage of this. In addition MTU did not
provide backside/opposite side coverage of the play. This goal and
the one that followed, Welch's at 16:18, were the results of
Northern's ability to skate through the neutral zone without
being checked and then break toward MTU's net. THe player with
the puck would pick up a defender but on the backside of the play,
Northern would put another forward which would be open as no
one picked him up. Caravaggio was put in to relieve Kucway
after the Welch goal.
In the third, MTU down 6-2 did not give up. Brent Peterson at
11:25 took care of a rebound by flying the puck over Mitchell.
At 15:14, Caravaggio was pulled from the ice to give Tech 2
extra men on an NMU penalty; but Meyer's took a makeup
interference penalty. NMU's Dean Seymour got a back breaking
open net goal at 15:19. Then MacGillivray got his hat trick on
another ppg at 16:59. The stands were empty as MTU fans could
not take the punishment. Thus few fans saw Tech awarded the
series Ramada Cup.
After the game Coach Mancini thought that this might be a
Friday-Saturday night thing in Tech losing pattern. There
are some clear patterns: On the first night of a WCHA game
Tech has scored 52 points while allowing opponents 47. On
the second game of a series, Tech has scored 45 points while
allowing opponents 72 points. (Tech has 8 WCHA wins on the
1st game of a series while only 4 the 2nd game.) At home, on
the first night, MTU has scored 28 WCHA points while the
opponent has scored 30. On the second night at home, MTU has
scored 24 points while the opponent has scored 52. On the
road, Tech has scored 24 points in the 1st game while giving
up 17. On the 2nd night, Tech has 20 scores while opponents
have 21. Thus home games on the 2nd night has been a kiss of
death for MTU hockey.
It appears to me that the big difference is not in Tech's scoring
but in the opponents scoring the 2nd game at home. It seems that
Tech's opponents are learning something and making better
adjustments for the 2nd game. OR/AND Tech is letting down the
2nd game. The key to finding a solution is to find out why the
opponent's are finding the ability to double scores in
the 2nd game of a series. A possibility is by playing the same goalie
on the 2nd night, the goalie is not sharp and is giving up points. Scoring
more points in the second game would help but we must stop
opponent's 2nd night scoring.
Walt Olson
MTU
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