The attendance was fairly good.  The crowd was more spread out than if it
had been held at the Joe (Joe Louis Arena - Red Wings, GLI...).
 
Wisconsin flat out OUTPLAYED Michigan.  The Michigan defenders were constantly
having to turn around to catch a streaking Badger as he took a long pass
from a teammate at the Blue Line and bear down on Shields.  The first 3 minutes
I did think that Michigan would walk away with it.  They had a 5 - 3 power
play and scored tiwce from the exact same spot - a blast from the blue line
directly in front of the goal.  But MI wouldn't score again on the power play.
 
Ryan Sittler spent half the first period in the box and WI took advantage to
tie the game up 2 - 2 at the end of the first.
 
Shields didn't play very well at ALL.  He was his usual flop around the ice
and maybe my 6'4" 225 lbs body will hit the puck!  There was no scoring in
the second period.  I thought that there was too much clutch and grab going on
If MI had just skated they may have beat WI.  They didn't look to be the #1
team that they are.  (I don't think Sittler had a shift in the second.)
 
The Wolverines seemed to want to win for a time, but then they just stopped
playing and the Badgers jumped all over them.  John Madden did everything but
score goals in an effort to lift the Wolverines to victory, but had little help
except from Brian Wiseman.  Carey looked decent, there just weren't very many
shots in the game for either team to score goals.  The WI goals that tied and
won the game were played very poorly by Shields.  The tying goal came on a
cross-ice pass from Steve's right at the dot on the face-off circle and into
the slot.  Shields slid across the crease on his side and the puck was then put
into the top shelf.  It was a slow pass, and if Shields had just stayed on his
feet, the shot would have hit him.
 
The game winning goal was ABSOLUTELY Shields fault!  The Badgers got in deep,
then took the puck behind the net.  Shields was wathing the puck (so I thought)
No one could see the puck behind the net, they were all watching Shields.  The
offense was heavily loaded to Steve's right.  The Badger puck carrier fooled
around with the puck, then faked going out into traffic, and slid a pass to
the left slot where the streaking Badger buried the puck in a whole big enough
to drive a mack truck thru.  Shields bought the weak fake and so did everyone
else on the ice.  The wolverines pulled Shileds in the final 1:30 and WI
scored an empty netter with :39 left.
 
I will have to think long and hard to figure out the number one team now!
 
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[log in to unmask]         |   Michael Sheridan
[log in to unmask]                 |   95 Benevolent St.
[log in to unmask]              |   Providence, RI  02906
[log in to unmask]              |   (401) 351-9721
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