Friday: Michigan 5 LAKE SUPERIOR 1
Saturday: Michigan 4 LAKE SUPERIOR 3 OT
 
I knew it was going to be a good trip when we encountered
car trouble on the way North (just like last season) and, upon
finally reaching the Soo, were given the same motel room
as a year ago.  (Michigan defeated LSSU, 4-2, in the lone
game between the two at the Norris Center in 1993-94.)
What, me superstitious?
 
As for the games, Jeff Weiss has posted the summaries
so I'll just add a couple of comments.  On Friday night,
Michigan was clearly the better team but referee Perry
Petterle did everything in his power to keep LSSU in the
game.  The Lakers were on the power play throughout,
getting 10 man-advantage opportunities (Michigan had
4).  I don't mind the calls on Michigan...but rather the lack
of calls on Lake Superior.  I wondered if it was Frank
Anzalone himself wearing the orange armbands.  It's safe
to say that I don't remember ever seeing a 5-1 game were
the officiating was so blatantly biased in favor of the losing
team.
 
One thing that doesn't appear in the boxscore is a scary
injury to LSSU defenseman Mike Matteucci.  During a UM
power play in the second period, Matteucci went down to
block a shot by Michigan's Bill Muckalt and never came up.
A gentleman, presumably a doctor, came from the stands
onto the ice to help attend to Matteucci, who at that point
was spitting up blood.  After some time, Matteucci was taken
from the arena on a stretcher.  Over the course of the next
24 hours I heard that Matteucci had:
  A) broken ribs and internal injuries
  B) broken ribs and a collapsed lung
  C) two broken ribs and a punctured lung
  D) two broken ribs and a bruised lung (no further damage)
I never received a definitive report, but let's hope for (D)
among the above choices.
 
On Saturday night, another one of the CCHA's supposed
finest was on hand to entertain us.  Roger (Steffi) Graff was
almost as bad a Petterle the night before.  Thankfully, he
sucked in both directions.  (I never thought I'd be a card
carrying member of the Steve Piotrowski fan club, but I'll
take Pio over any other CCHA official these days.)  So,
both teams were made to battle the officiating as well as
each other.
 
The game was fairly one-sided in favor of Lake Superior.
The Lakers controlled the play throughout, outshooting
Michigan in each of the three regulation periods and finishing
with a 45-30 edge in shots on goal.  Defenseman Keith
Aldridge played a fantastic game for LSSU, even when
he was being a chippy little SOB (which is often a component
of playing a fantastic game in the UM-LSSU series).  On the
Michigan side, the standouts were Marty Turco and Warren
Luhning.  Turco made a career high 42 saves and, at times,
seemed to singlehandedly be keeping Michigan in the game.
(For his efforts, he was the CCHA Defensive Player of the
Week.)  Luhning did everything else.  With LSSU leading 2-1
and owning a man advantage, Luhning's solid forechecking
paid off when he won the puck from a Laker in the neutral zone
then carried it in for an unassisted shorthanded goal to tie the
score and derail some of the momentum the Lakers had
built.  Luhning later sent the game to OT when, in a mad scramble,
he managed to jam the puck behind LSSU goaltender John
Grahame with only :09 remaining in regulation.  He was also
a physical presence throughout, once sending two Lakers to
the bench on the same shift as a result of crushing hits.
 
For most of the third period, it looked like the typical Laker
showing...gain a lead, and know how to protect it.  But, in the
end, Michigan did something that is generally more associated
with teams such as the Lakers.  The Wolverines found a way
to win a game that by most accounts they should have lost.
 
After seeing their Saturday performance I can say that although
the math isn't favorable (under .500 in mid-January), Lake
Superior is far from dead.  I'm not sure that they have enough
season left to get back into NCAA consideration via the RPI,
but they are capable of making a sustained run in the CCHA
playoffs.  Right now, their goal has to be to work their way into
fourth place in the CCHA, to establish home ice for the first
round as well as the single elimination game between the 4th
and 5th best first round winners.
 
Lastly, the post-game meal at The Antler's on Friday wasn't as
lively as usual, but, the food was delicious.
 
Apologies for the negative opinions on the CCHA officiating,
but officiating in general (not solely the CCHA) has become
one of if not the biggest problem for college hockey in the
1990s.  Not only is poor officiating becoming the norm rather
than the exception during the regular season, it has helped mar
the last three NCAA tournaments in some way or another. :-(
 
 
John H
U Mich
"If you can't be good, at least be consistent."
  --  Hopefully the CCHA officiating creed, someday.