Michigan
11-6-1 7-4-1CCHA
Nebraska-Omaha
4-11-3 3-9-2CCHA
Nystrom, Gajic Help Wolverines Rally to Tie Mavericks
12/13/2003 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
OMAHA, Neb. -- The University of Michigan ice hockey team rallied from a two-goal deficit in the second period to earn at 3-3 overtime tie with Nebraska-Omaha Saturday night (Dec. 13) at the Qwest Center Omaha. The ninth-ranked Wolverines (11-6-1, 7-4-1 Central Collegiate Hockey Association) took three of four points in the weekend series with UNO (4-11-3, 3-9-2 CCHA) to pull within two points of the conference-leading Miami (Ohio) RedHawks.
Junior forward Eric Nystrom (Syosset, N.Y.) scored two goals for the Maize and Blue, while classmate Milan Gajic (Burnaby, B.C.) tallied the game-tying goal 8:14 into the third period. Sophomore forward Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) and junior defenseman Nick Martens (Ann Arbor, Mich.) added two assists apiece.
Nebraska-Omaha took a 1-0 lead 9:56 into the opening period with a power-play goal by sophomore captain Mike Lefley. Freshman Scott Parse threaded a pass behind the Michigan defense from the top of the right circle to Lefley. Lefley then swatted a backhanded shot by sophomore goaltender Al Montoya (Glenview, Ill.) for the score.
The Maize and Blue got a second chance on the power play early in the first when Maverick forward Justin Chwedoruk was called for tripping at 13:34. UNO held Michigan's power-play units without a shot, however, extending U-M's scoreless streak on the power play to 0-for-29 over the last eight games.
At the end of the first, Michigan had only managed two shots on net against Maverick goaltender Kris Tebbs, tying its lowest total in a period this season.
Michigan came out with a power play to begin the second frame and earned a rare power-play marker just 41 seconds into the new stanza to tie the game 1-1. Freshman T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) carried the puck into the UNO zone and dished a pass to sophomore Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) at the left hash marks. Kaleniecki tipped the puck across the slot to Nystrom, as Tebbs came out to cut down Kaleniecki's angle. Nystrom had to dive to get around the last UNO defender and get his stick on the pass, but he was able to redirect the puck past the out-of-position goalkeeper.
The Wolverines produced a flurry of action with another man advantage at the 15-minute mark. Junior forward Dwight Helminen (Brighton, Mich.) and Nystrom had chances on the doorstep, but Tebbs was able to keep the puck out of the net. Gajic found a loose puck in the crease but could not get a shot on net with Tebbs on the ice, as UNO finally cleared the zone.
Nebraska-Omaha responded to Michigan's tying score with tallies two minutes apart, at 6:36 and 8:19, to take a 3-1 lead. Senior Andrew Wong netted the go-ahead marker, burying a pass from Parse at the top of the crease. Lefley then scored his second goal of the game, off a faceoff in the Michigan zone. Anthony Adams pushed the puck back to Lefley, who fired through a screen to beat Montoya.
With U-M on the penalty kill, Montoya made sure UNO did not increase its lead with a big blocker save on Lefley's best bid for a hat trick at 12:43. Lefley one-timed a pass from Bennett on goal from the right corner of the net, but Montoya deflected to puck away.
Michigan drew within one, 3-2, at 16:02. Ebbett carried the puck into the zone, leaving a drop pass for Martens. Martens' one-timer was saved wide by Tebbs, and Ebbett was the first to close on the loose puck behind the net. Ebbett then found Nystrom in the slot with a pass from the left corner. Nystrom snapped the puck past Tebbs for his second tally of the night.
In the final seconds of the second, UNO's Dan Hacker was denied an open-net chance by junior defenseman Brandon Rogers (Rochester, N.H.). A Maverick shot from the point bounced out of Montoya's glove out to the hash marks. The U-M goalie was unable to cover the puck and Hacker gained possession with only Rogers guarding the net. Hacker's shot went off Rogers' right leg and deflected safely into the corner.
The Wolverines tied the game with goal from Gajic, whose strong one-on-one play in the neutral zone -- gathering a pass behind him from Ebbett and chipping the puck off the boards around the defenseman -- allowed him room to slide the puck on goal. The puck knocked off the leg of a UNO defender and slipped under Tebbs' pads for the tying goal at 8:14.
At 8:37 Michigan got a stroke of luck as defenseman Brett Davis' bouncing shot from the point eluded Montoya but hit the post behind him. The puck sat untouched in the crease for a moment until the U-M netminder could reach back with his glove to cover it.
Michigan's offense began to click in the final half of the third period. Ebbett won an offensive zone faceoff with 4:23 on the clock and had a one-on-one chance with Tebbs. Ebbett could not deke the goalie, however, and without much to shoot at, his shot was knocked high over the net.
In the first minute of overtime, Helminen had a hard wrist shot in the slot sail just wide of the net. That was all the offense either team could drum up until Hensick fed Gajic a saucer pass above the hash marks with 35 seconds remaining. However, Gajic's quick shot was stopped by Tebbs to preserve the tie.
The Wolverines are idle unitl they participate in the 39th annual Great Lakes Invitational on Dec. 27-28 at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich. Michigan will face off against second-ranked Boston College in the GLI's first semifinal on Friday (Dec.27) at 2:30 p.m.
Contact: Andrew Ladd (734) 763-4423
