As most of you know, Wisconsin edged out Michigan in Thursday's
nightcap in Albany by a final score of 4-2.  Although I've seen
some posting here saying that Michigan lost the game (as opposed to
Wisconsin *winning* it), I really have to disagree.  There surely
were opportunities for Michigan that they didn't take advantage of,
but I think that Wisconsin's strong team defense and well-
executed game plan were also major factors.
 
First, a recap of the goals (since I haven't seen one posted yet):
 
[ Apologies if this rambles.  I stayed up last night to watch the
  rebroadcast on public TV after listening to the game live on
  radio.  As a result, I got around 3 hrs sleep. |-o zzzz]
 
1st Period
 
About 6 minutes into the game, Wisconsin digs the puck out of the
corner and centers it to Jason Francisco.  As Francisco winds up to
shoot, he gets checked by the Michigan defenseman.  This changes his
shot and it heads towards net as an off-speed, end-over-end
knuckleball.  The goalie went to block the shot with his stick, but
the puck appeared to bounce over it and skip into the goal.
- Wisconsin 1, Michigan 0
 
About 52 seconds later, Michigan's star forward and hobey candidate
(can't recall his name right now...) get's a pass just outside the
Wisconsin blue line and breaks in between the Wisconsin defense.  He
heads towards his backhand side, and as Duerksen comes out to play
him, he cuts across hard bringing the puck over to his forehand,
getting by Duerksen and sliding the puck into the now-empty net.  A
sweet move indeed but, as the TV announcers were saying, one which
Duerksen might have tried to poke-check the puck rather than trying
to block the shot.  None the less, a good goal which ties the game.
- Wisconsin 1, Michigan 1
 
With about seven minutes remaining in the period, Wisconsin goes on
the power play.  When the penalty time was down to around :30, the
puck is passed to Barry Richter at the point.  Michigan's Strong (I
think) came up to challange Richter, and pokes the puck out of the
zone and into Wisconsin's end.  Now it's a race to the puck between
Duerksen and Strong.  Duerksen get's to it first, about 10 feet
inside the blue line, and goes to pass the puck past Strong.
Anticipating the play nicely, Strong breaks to his left and picks
Duerksen's clearing pass out of the air with his hand, drops it to
the ice, skates in on the now-empty net and tucks it away.
- Michigan 2, Wisconsin 1
 
With under a minute left in the period, Wisconsin Brett Kurtz heads
in over Michigan's blue line and swings wide to his left around the
MU defenseman.  The defense has no choice but to wrap him up with
his arms and haul him down.  As he is going down, Kurtz gets off a
one-handed centering pass.  UW's Dan Plante, cruising down the slot,
dives forward and deflects the pass into the net.  Time of the goal,
19:33 (or so).
- Michigan 2, Wisconsin 2
 
Second Period
Wisconsin comes out strong in the beginning of the period, but
Michigan weathers the storm.  No scoring until there was less than
two minutes left.  On a Wisconsin rush, Michigan's #6 (Tamer?) tries
to check the puck-holder (#9) into the boards at Wisconsin's bench.
The badger pulls up, and Tamer checks himself *into* the UW bench.
At this point, #9 decides it's time for his shift change and jumps
over the boards, pushing Tamer ALL the way into the bench.  (In a
post-game interview, UW coach Sauer jokes that he stood on Tamer's
shoulders after he came by for his visit!)  This results in MU
being a man short in the defensive end.  The Michigan goalie comes
out just outside of the crease to meet the rush.  Wisconsin fires
one at him, which the goalie stops but lets the rebound go out to
his left.  Jason Francisco snares the puck, pulls it back and slides
it into the now-empty net (is that phrase starting to sound
familiar?).
- Wisconsin 3, Michigan 2
 
Third Period
Wisconsin goes into a bit of a defensive shell, and then re-asserts
it's game plan.  No scoring until the end of the game.  Michigan has
pulled it's goalie and is putting on the pressure.  Two shots from
the point are stopped by the defense in front of the UW net.  After
the second shot, with about 20 seconds left, Wisconsin's Jason Zent
ends up with the puck in the high-slot area and shoots it out of the
zone (backhanded, I think...).  It slides all the way down the rink
and clangs off the inside of the pipe on it's way into the net.
- Wisconsin 4, Michigan 2
 
The only stats that I remember are shots on goal (Wisc 32, Mich 20)
and power play (both teams 0-for-7).
 
Now some thoughts on the game:
* Michigan was strong in the first period and put a lot of pressure
on Wisconsin, particularly on their first power play.  As the game
wore on, Wisconsin's defensive game-plan seemed to wear on the
Wolverines.  They began to take more frustration and retaliation
penalties (not that it did the Badgers much good, ppg-wise) which
perhaps took them out of their game.  Wisconsin played a closer
checking style of game and this seemed to really slow down Michigan.
 
* In both pre- and post-game interviews, Jeff Sauer cited the
tournament experience of Wisconsin as a major advantage that his
team had over Michigan.  The Badgers have been in the NC** playoffs
for the last 5 years and won the title two years ago.  The seniors
(and some juniors, too) on this team know what it takes to win it
all.
 
* Sauer also said that Duerksen's injury near the end of the season
(a lacerated tendon on his stick-hand wrist suffered while playing
North Dakota) was the catalyst for this team.  When Duerksen went
down, the team had to really turn up the intensity on defense.  When
Duke came back, the team had moved it's game to a higher level, and
IMO they are now one of the better defensive teams I have ever seen.
Duerksen wasn't really a *major* factor in this game.  He made some
good saves, but it seems to me that *both* Michigan goals could have
been stopped, so he certainly didn't work a miracle between the
pipes.  (No knock on the Wolverines intended!)
 
* Referee Cole didn't seem to call *too* bad a game, though an icing
called on Wisconsin when they were short-handed seemed to be a rather
glaring error.  If the refing *was* weak, at least it seemed to be
weak in both directions.  Both teams had goals disallowed, there
seemed to be marginal calls made in both directions, and for the
most part he seemed to have the game under control.  The officiating
crew did a good job at the end of the first period when tempers got
hot after some post-horn checks were thrown (by Michigan only, of
course :-).
 
* This was a *great* college hockey game, and I am proud of our
Badgers for being a part of it.  With no NHL action, the spotlight
is on Albany, and both teams did an excellent job of showcasing
collegiate hockey to the rest of the country!  Congratulations to
both sides!
 
* Most of all, it seems to me that this needs to be said:
 
	WISCONSIN IS FOR *REAL*!!!!!!!!
 
They are peaking at exactly the right time, and there is no reason
why they can't pull off the upset on Saturday.  Minn-Duluth coach
Mike Sertich commented between periods to one of the Radio
broadcasters that if Wisconsin played this way for the rest of the
tourney, no one could stop them.  Of course I agree :-) :-).
 
Well, that's about it for now.  I will post 1993 "NCAA Championship"
ticket information to the list when I can.  Tickets should be on
sale in early May, and I look forward to meeting lots of
"hockey-ellers" at the Bradley Center here in Milwaukee next April
1st and 3rd.
 
Steve Manning
Milwaukee, WI
UW '85
UW Varsity Band '77-'79
(I played clarinet, okay?  Wanna make something of it?!?)