Michigan
5-1-0, 2-1-0
Northern Michigan
3-2-0, 2-1-0
Werner, Montoya Help U-M Shut Out Northern Michigan
10/24/2003 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 6 University of Michigan ice hockey team defeated the Northern Michigan Wildcats 2-0 Friday night (Oct. 24) at Yost Ice Arena to extend its winning streak to four games. The Wolverines were paced by junior defenseman Eric Werner (Gross Pointe Woods, Mich), who notched a two points (1-1-2), including a first-period goal that proved to be the game-winner.
Sophomore goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) made 19 saves, including 10 in the third period, to preserve his fifth career shutout, and junior forward Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.) added an insurance goal for the Wolverines in the third period.
From the opening whistle, tensions were high between the Wolverines and Wildcats as a result of the hard-fought series in the past between the two squads. The first 10 minutes of the opening period were marked by physical play and five penalties between the two teams.
Werner broke the deadlock when he netted his second marker of the year at 9:48 to give the Wolverines an early 1-0 lead. Freshman forward T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) initiated the play when he stripped a Northern defender behind the Wildcats net and sent a centering pass to Werner, who snuck past the Northern defense into the slot. Werner calmly sent a one-time shot low to the left side past NMU goaltender Craig Kowalski. Hensick's assist extended his point streak to three games.
Kowalski kept the Wolverines off the board for the remainder of the first period as he turned away 21 Michigan shots, while Northern Michigan managed only four shots in the period.
Kowalski kept the score 1-0 early in the second period when he made an acrobatic split save to deny a tipped shot by sophomore forward Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) and then reached behind his head to grab the puck just before it dribbled over the goal line. Montoya matched his counterpart just one minute later when he denied Darin Olver with a left pad save on a breakaway opportunity.
With just over four minutes remaining in the second period, Kowalski once again turned away the Wolverines when he stuffed junior Eric Nystrom (Syosset, N.Y.) on a point-blank shot from just outside the right side of the crease. Nystrom's shot came on Michigan's second power play of the period. Later in the same Michigan power play Kowalski utilized his head to keep the puck out of the net as a Wolverine shot knocked off Kowalski's helmet.
Kowalski finished the second period with 27 saves as his foil Montoya turned away five Wildcat shots.
Led by the stellar play of their goaltender, the Wildcats kept the Wolverines from extending their lead midway through the final period, as the U-M defense outmuscled the NMU forwards and kept the majority of the play in the Northern zone.
The Wolverines finally beat Kowalski for their second goal 10:19 into the third period, when Gajic netted his first marker of the season on Michigan's second power play of the period. Gajic, who was stationed just inside the left circle, received a pass from Werner and ripped a one-time slap shot past Kowalski into the upper right corner of the Wildcat net.
Only one minute later, the Wildcats failed to convert on their own power-play opportunity when forward Andrew Contois flipped a shot high over an empty Michigan net. Montoya, who made a sprawling save on the initial Wildcat shot, was still on the ground when the puck dribbled to Contois just inside the right side of the crease.
In the final eight minutes of the game the Michigan defense, backstopped by Montoya, dug in to protect its two-goal lead. The shutout win marked Montoya's first shutout of the season.
The Wolverines (5-1, 2-1 CCHA) will complete their two-game series against Northern Michigan (3-2, 2-1 CCHA) on Sunday afternoon (Oct. 26) at Yost Ice Arena. Faceoff is scheduled for 3:05 p.m.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
