Michigan
Bowling Green State
Michigan Downs Falcons, Moves to CCHA Semifinals
3/13/1999 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
The Wolverines (22-10-6) got a balanced effort against Bowling Green as seven Michigan players scored goals and 12 tallied points. Freshman Mike Comrie (Edmonton, Alberta) led the way with four points on one goal and three assists, while Bobby Hayes (Westland, Mich.) and Josh Langfeld (Coon Rapids, Minn.) each added two goals.
Comrie opened up the scoring for the evening 15 minutes into the game with assists from Dave Huntzicker (Ann Arbor, Mich.) and Langfeld. Huntzicker took the initial shot from the point, but it was blocked by a Falcon defenseman. The rebound went to Comrie, who poked the puck into the empty half of the net for his 18th goal of the season.
Two minutes later Langfeld scored off a rebound on the power play, from Jeff Jilson (North Smithfield, R.I.) and Comrie, as the Wolverines took a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
Bowling Green (17-18-3) closed the gap three minutes into the second period with a power-play goal from Greg Day, but five minutes later Geoff Koch (Exeter, N.H.) finished a pass from Huntzicker to give Michigan back a two-goal edge, 3-1. Nearly six minutes after Koch's goal, Sean Ritchlin (Conseco, N.Y.) found himself alone in front of the net with a pass from Mark Kosick (Victoria, B.C.) to put the Wolverines ahead 4-1.
The Falcons cut the lead to 4-2 with 3:42 left in the second stanza when Dan Price tallied a power-play goal, but before the period let out, Hayes answered back. With 7.2 seconds remaining in the period, Hayes managed a breakaway, deked to get Falcon goalie Mike Savard sprawled out, then flipped a backhand shot into the net.
The evening was not over for the Falcons' Price, who scored 28 seconds into the third period, but it proved to be Bowling Green's last point of the game as Michigan ended the contest with four unanswered goals. Hayes started the barrage when he scored his second goal of the game -- and third of the series -- on the power play four minutes into the period. The goal was barely celebrated when Mike Van Ryn (London, Ontario) scored another power play goal 41 seconds later from Kosick and Comrie.
Greg Crozier (Williansville, N.Y.) put the puck in the net 2:21 after Van Ryn, with assists from Ritchlin and Bubba Berenzweig (Arlington Heights, Ill.). Then, with less than 30 seconds left in the game, Langfeld capped off the scoring with assists from Comrie and Sean Peach (Langley, B.C.).
Josh Blackburn (Choctaw, Okla.) made several key saves with the outcome of the game still in question and ended up with 21 stops on the evening as he ran his record to 22-9-6.
The Wolverines return to action on Friday, March 19, when they face the Ohio State Buckeyes at 8:30 p.m. in the CCHA semifinals at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit. Michigan State will play either Notre Dame or Northern Michigan at 5 p.m. in the other semifinal, with the semifinal winners to play for the CCHA title and automatic NCAA berth Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
GAME SUMMARY
| Goals By Period | 1 | 2 | 3 | F |
| Bowling Green | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Michigan | 2 | 3 | 4 | 9 |
1st period
1, MICH, Mike Comrie 18 (Dave Huntzicker, Josh Langfeld) 15:01.
2, MICH, Josh Langfeld 20 (Jeff Jillson, Mike Comrie) 17:04 (pp).
PENALTIES - Zach Ham, BGSU (HOLDING THE STICK) 05:26; Sean Peach, MICH (INTERFERENCE) 09:02; Bob Gassoff, MICH (ROUGHING) 15:37; Austin de Luis, BGSU (ROUGHING) 15:37; Mike Jones, BGSU (INTERFERENCE) 16:48.
2nd period
3, BGSU, Greg Day 10 (Mike Jones, Marc Barlow) 03:25 (pp).
4, MICH, Geoff Koch 4 (Dave Huntzicker) 08:09.
5, MICH, Sean Ritchlin 10 (Mark Kosick) 13:56.
6, BGSU, Dan Price 20 (Mike Savard) 16:18 (pp).
7, MICH, Bobby Hayes 5 19:52.
PENALTIES - Dennis Williams, BGSU (HITTING AFT WHISTLE) 01:24; Geoff Koch, MICH (HITTING AFT WHISTLE) 01:24; Sean Ritchlin, MICH (SLASHING) 02:01; Scott Hewson, BGSU (SLASHING) 08:28; Josh Langfeld, MICH (INTERFERENCE) 15:01; Ryan Murphy, BGSU (HOOKING) 16:39; Sean Peach, MICH (SLASHING) 16:39.
3rd period
8, BGSU, Dan Price 21 (Ryan Murphy) 00:28.
9, MICH, Bobby Hayes 5 (Jeff Jillson, Sean Peach) 04:27 (pp).
10, MICH, Mike Van Ryn 10 (Mark Kosick, Mike Comrie) 05:06 (pp).
11, MICH, Greg Crozier 5 (Sean Ritchlin, Bubba Berenzweig) 07:27.
12, MICH, Josh Langfeld 21 (Mike Comrie, Sean Peach) 19:37 (pp).
PENALTIES - Doug Schueller, BGSU (HOLDING) 02:33; B.J. Adams, BGSU (SLASHING) 03:52; Austin de Luis, BGSU (ROUGHING) 07:27; Dennis Williams, BGSU (ROUGHING) 12:22; Mike Comrie, MICH (ROUGHING) 12:22; Marc Barlow, BGSU (10-MINUTE MISCONDUCT) 14:59; Scott Matzka, MICH (10-MINUTE MISCONDUCT) 14:59; Geoff Koch, MICH (INTERFERENCE) 16:14; Craig Desjarlais, BGSU (CROSS-CHECKING) 17:09; Craig Desjarlais, BGSU (TRIPPING) 17:09; Dennis Williams, BGSU (FIGHTING) 17:09; Bob Gassoff, MICH (FIGHTING) 17:09; Dennis Williams, BGSU (GAME DISQUALIFICATION) 17:09; Bob Gassoff, MICH (GAME DISQUALIFICATION) 17:09; Mike Jones, BGSU (10-MINUTE MISCONDUCT) 17:09; Bobby Hayes, MICH (10-MINUTE MISCONDUCT) 17:09; B.J. Adams, BGSU (SLASHING) 18:40; Andrew Merrick, MICH (10-MINUTE MISCONDUCT) 18:40.
Shots on goal: BGSU 9-12-5-26; MICH 14-10-15-39.
Power plays: BGSU 2 of 4; MICH 4 of 9.
Goalies: BGSU, Mike Savard 16-14-2 (39 shots-30 saves); MICH, Josh Blackburn 22-9-6 (24-21) , Kevin O'Malley (14:39 3rd, 2-2).
Referee: Steve Piotrowski
Linesmen: Dave Kronenberg, Butch Freidman
Attendance: 6,328
Time: 2:30
QUOTES
HEAD COACH RED BERENSON
"This should give our team some confidence going into the next round."
On the play of center Bobby Hayes ...
"He had a great weekend. I think he knew he'd be playing against (Bowling Green's Adam) Edinger's line and that would be a key to the series if they could shut that line down. And Bobby Hayes is a great hockey player at his best and you saw him at his best this weekend."
On the home crowd ...
"The crowd was great. In a series like this, if the home team can get a lead I think the crowd really gets into the game and makes home ice important."
MICHIGAN CAPTAIN BUBBA BERENZWEIG
"Everyone was hitting, everyone was doing all the little things and that helps to win games."
"My team is playing even harder (right now). They realize this is playoff hockey."
MICHIGAN ASSISTANT CAPTAIN BOBBY HAYES
"I feel like the old Bobby Hayes from last year. I'm not down on myself. We won games, I played hard. Maybe I had a different role this year, maybe I didn't score goals. ... This weekend was my shot. I had opportunities and I put them in."
Contact: Jason Gerdom (734) 763-4423
