Michigan came away with four points on Turkey weekend, pounding Western
Michigan 10-0 and getting by Notre Dame 5-1. A few game notes follow.
(I've been getting lax in keeping score. If anyone is interested in
complete Michigan boxes, let me know.)
Friday, November 27, Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor MI
Western Michigan 0 0 0 -- 0
Michigan 4 2 4 -- 10
I didn't take any notes...I was too busy enjoying Michigan beat the
stuffing out of the Broncos. Steve Shields gained the shutout, but
was rarely tested -- to the point where he didn't get a star. WMU and
Michigan close the season series 1-1-1.
Saturday, November 28, The Palace, Auburn Hills MI
Michigan 2 0 3 -- 5
Notre Dame 1 0 0 -- 1
6:12 ND Ling (Osiecki,Janicke) PPG 1-0
7:20 UM Roberts (Ouimet) 1-1
19:22 UM Hilton (unassisted) 2-1
41:11 UM Hogan (unassisted) 3-1
50:49 UM Stewart (Tamer,Wiseman) 4-1
51:28 UM Sittler (Hilton) 5-1
Three stars: 1-Tamer UM 2-Hilton UM 3-Ling ND
Attendance: *** 18,147 ***
They announced the attendance as a new NCAA regular season record. I
was under the impression that Minn-Wisc drew more than this at the Met
Centre last year. Can anyone confirm or deny this (Erik, Carol, Pam?).
Anyway, it was the first ever hockey game played at The Palace and it
showed. The ice was SO bad that the start of the game was delayed over
30 minutes until it was playable. The rink construction also left
something to be desired. The plexiglass had tremendous give to it, and
one of the posts holding the glass fell out during play. The scoreboard
crew had a difficult time comprehending that hockey is played in 20:00
intervals, not 12:00. They also didn't keep accurate shot totals, and
reset the shot clock after each period. As for the scoring summary I
posted, don't trust it. The announcers had no idea most of the time,
and struggled in getting the time correct. (I have posted the correct
times, regardless of what the "official" box may say.) All in all, I'd
say that The Palace was not and is not ready for hockey. One positive
point was that exiting the parking lot was about 30-40 minutes quicker
than it is at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit.
As for the game itself, Notre Dame scored first as Jamie Ling continues
to impress folks around the CCHA. Michigan answered quickly, and scored
the go ahead goal in the final minute of the first period. The second
period was sloppy and chippy, followed by more in the third. Michigan
began to hit the net and Notre Dame continued to hit Michigan. The
Wolverines may be one of the chippiest teams in the nation, but the
Irish held their own. I hope this isn't an indication of what to expect
from Notre Dame the rest of the season.
Also, I saw something that I hadn't seen in years. After Michigan's 5th
goal, Notre Dame's goaltender (#25, I'll avoid butchering his name by
not posting it) was so frustrated that he took a 10 minute misconduct
penalty. Nothing like seeing a goalie head into the penalty box. Number
30 (Lothrop, I believe) manned the Irish net for the remainder.
Steve Shields was again in the Michigan net. Although he allowed only 1
goal in 120 minutes this weekend, he was not one of the three stars in
either game.
Next up: Michigan-Michigan State in Ann Arbor Friday, and East Lansing
Saturday. GO BLUE!
John H
U Mich
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