THURSDAY [Notre Dame 4 at Western Michigan 9]
Boring!  This game wasn't worth the price of admission.
WMU took command early and the last 45-50 minutes
didn't produce anything worth sticking around for.  The
only thing of moderate interest was the botched handling
of a third period penalty.  WMU tough guy Mike Whitton
went into the box at approx. 4:55 of the third for 2+10.  An
ND player joined him for 2.  My friend and I lamented that
Whitton would not be back until the three minute mark to
do any rumbling...about the only thing that was going to
make this game interesting.  But, with over 4:00 remaining,
Whitton hopped out and went to the WMU bench.  We
screamed to put him on the ice, hoping that he would take
a penalty and we could see the inconsistency in the box
score.  No luck.  With a little more than 3:05 left, a goal
was scored and while the ref was at the scorer's table
*someone* figured out that Whitton was supposed to still
be in the box.  So, Mr Whitton was escorted from the bench
back to the box.  Then...they wouldn't let him out. :-)  He
stayed in following a stoppage in play that was well past
his original 2+10.  Go figure.
 
FRIDAY [Miami 4 at Michigan 3]
Miami goaltender Charles Thuss was huge, the officials
were WAY too involved in the game [and determining the
outcome] and Michigan didn't play over either of the above.
And, the Redskins showed a good deal of hustle.  Michigan's
Jason Botterill apparently knocked a Miami glove that was
lying on the ice out of his way.  This, plus Botterill's heated
response to the initial call [interference], resulted in a
2+10+game...complete BS...while still in the first period.
Already playing without Mike Knuble, the loss of Botterill
completely screwed up the UM lines, and, more drastically,
the power play units.  But, in the end, it was Thuss who stood
tall and deserved the #1 star in Miami's moderate upset win.
Robb Gordon's [UM] six game goal scoring streak was
snapped.  [I believe his point scoring streak...9 games...also
ended.]
 
SATURDAY [Miami 4 at Michigan 7]
With both Botterill and Knuble in the lineup, Michigan scored
twice on the first shift of the game [the Hilton-Knuble-Morrison
line], including Knuble goal at :12, and it looked like a blowout.
But Miami clawed back into the game making it 5-4 in the
third.  Michigan hung on and padded the margin with an empty-
netter.  Miami star Kevyn Adams was non-existent, as he did
not net a single point on the weekend.
 
 
John Haeussler
Univ of Michigan
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