Michigan
21-7-3, 18-3-2CCHA
Nebraska-Omaha
15-11-3, 11-9-3
Kaleniecki, Nystrom Help Michigan Battle Past Mavericks
2/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
OMAHA, Neb. -- The No. 6-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team survived a back-and-forth contest that featured four ties to earn a 6-4 win over Nebraska-Omaha on Friday (Feb. 11). Maverick killer Eric Nystrom (Syosset, N.Y.) recorded his 15th and 16th points in 12 career games against UNO with two goals, and his second tally of the night gave him the 100th point of his career. Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.) (1-2-3) and Andrew Ebbett (Vernon, B.C.) (0-3-3) each tied single-game career bests for points. U-M was 4-for-7 on the power play while UNO was 1-for-7.
Brandon Kaleniecki (Livonia, Mich.) picked a good time to end his eight-game goal drought by notching the game-winning goal on the power play at 12:29 of the third period.
Through the first few minutes of the game the Wolverines had little going offensively. But on Nystrom and Ebbett's second shift of the game they put U-M on the scoreboard first at 3:14. Coming off the bench, Ebbett received the puck at center ice and slid it into space just over the UNO blue line. Nystrom then charged in to pick up the puck, pass a Maverick defender and send a shot past goalie Chris Holt on his glove side.
The Michigan lead was short lived, however, as the Mavericks tied the game at 4:07. From the left corner, Scott Parse threw a pass out into the lower left slot to Alex Nikiforuk, who wheeled around and slid the puck around Al Montoya's (Glenview, Ill.) outstretched leg inside the far right post.
Michigan capitalized on a two-man advantage at 7:06 when a fortuitous bounce allowed Kolarik to flip the puck into the UNO net behind a surprised defense. From the center point Jeff Tambellini (Port Moody, B.C.) fired a slap shot that was blocked in front but bounced directly to Kolarik at the left of the crease.
Yet again Nebraska-Omaha responded shortly thereafter at 9:20. Montoya came out to play the puck in the left corner and managed to pass it along to a defenseman. The puck was subsequently turned over near the top of the left circle where Parse beat Montoya as he was settling back into the U-M crease.
The Mavericks took their first lead of the game at 11:51 with a power-play marker from Dan Hacker, which snapped U-M's streak of 15 consecutive penalty kills. Hacker deflected Joe Grimaldi's point shot between the legs of Montoya for the score.
Nystrom kept the scoring going at 16:49 while on the power play to make it 3-3. Ebbett set up behind the UNO net and gave Kolarik a feed for a one-timer at the right side. Holt made the first save, but Nystrom beat the prone goalie with a rebound chance in front.
The Maize and Blue went 2-for-3 on the power play in the first period while the Mavericks were 1-for-2. Even with the numerous power plays the shots were just 10-9 in favor of the Wolverines in the opening period.
Michigan took its third lead of the contest at 2:15 of the second period with another power-play goal to make the score 4-3. Eric Werner (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.) snuck in from his right point position and received a backdoor pass from Kolarik at the right post. Holt thwarted Werner on his first two shots from the right post, but the puck was finally whacked up and over the goalie for the tally.
The Wolverines appeared to up their advantage to 5-3 when Werner tipped a hip-high shot past the Maverick goalie. However, stationed just to the right of the net was the referee, who quickly ruled that Werner deflected the puck with a high stick.
The best save of the period came with 10:30 on the clock when Matt Hunwick (Sterling Heights, Mich.) kicked away a sure goal by Mike Lefley from between the circles.
With less than one minute left in the period, Ebbett made a great move on both a UNO defender and the goalie, leaving him space to shoot at inside the left post. Unfortunately, his shot clanked off the post and bounced around in the crease until it was covered.
Michigan's defense dramatically improved in the middle stanza, allowing just five shots on goal and denying two Nebraska-Omaha power plays late in the period.
U-M took a penalty at 7:09 of the third period, but UNO's power play was cut short by its own penalty one minute later and another infraction against UNO was called at 10:34. Despite their disadvantage the Mavericks scored at 11:27 on a breakaway goal by Parse to create the fourth tie of the game at 4-4.
On the same power play Michigan grabbed the lead right back at 12:29. Kaleniecki parked himself at the top of the slot and T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) hit him with a pass from the left circle that was quickly blasted into the top of the UNO net.
Hensick added an insurance goal with 30 seconds left in the game by banging in his own rebound.
The Wolverines will wrap up their series with Nebraska-Omaha tomorrow night (Saturday, Feb. 12) with a 7:05 p.m. CST faceoff at the Quest Center Omaha.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
