Michigan
6-3-0, 3-2-0CCHA
Nebraska-Omaha
3-3-3, 2-2-1CCHA
Michigan's Top Line Propels U-M Past Mavericks
11/10/2006 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 10-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team came from behind against Nebraska-Omaha on Friday (Nov. 10), winning by a final score of 6-4. The Wolverines' top line contributed three goals and five assists en route to the victory. Kevin Porter (Northville, Mich.) tallied his second career hat trick, while T.J. Hensick (Howell, Mich.) chipped in a trio of assists for the second straight game. David Rohlfs (Northville, Mich.) tied his career high with two assists.
Danny Fardig (Ann Arbor, Mich.) was whistled for interference midway through the first period, giving Nebraska-Omaha a power-play opportunity. U-M was able to keep the puck in the UNO end for most of the penalty, but a breakaway by Adam Bartholomay proved costly for the Maize and Blue. Bryan Marshall slid the puck up to Bartholomay, who raced up the middle of the ice and around a Michigan defender before lifting a shot over Billy Sauer's (Walworth, N.Y.) outstretched glove at 12:19, giving the Mavericks the 1-0 lead.
Nebraska-Omaha extended its lead to a pair of goals at 13:36. Bartholomay scooped up the puck behind the goal line and carried it to the right faceoff circle. Bartholomay backhanded a pass to Marshall, who relayed it behind him to Scott Parse in the slot. Parse's one-timer found the back of the net for the 2-0 advantage.
The Wolverines cut the lead to one goal on a two-on-one breakaway at 15:40. Hensick chipped the puck away from UNO in front of his own net and, joined by Porter, skated the length of the ice in on Jerad Kaufmann. Hensick hesitated long enough to fool the UNO netminder, then threaded a pass to Porter. The junior forward roofed the pass for his eighth goal of the season.
UNO's power-play unit capitalized once again in the middle stanza, pushing its lead to 3-1. Alex Nikiforuk picked up a Tomas Klempa dish at the top of the slot and rifled a shot in on Sauer. A screen in front of the mesh prevented the U-M goalie from seeing the blast until it was already nestled in the back of the net at 4:14. Eddie Del Grosso also picked up an assist on the power-play tally.
Quick passing off the faceoff brought Michigan within a goal at 9:00. Hensick won the faceoff in the Nebraska-Omaha zone, nudging the puck over to Rohlfs' stick. Rohlfs deflected the disk back to Porter, whose shot bounced off a UNO defenseman. Porter corralled his own rebound, roping a shot over the goal line for his second goal of the night. The marker cut the deficit to 3-2.
Andrew Cogliano's (Woodbridge, Ontario) goal at 16:21 knotted the game at 3-3. Chad Kolarik (Abington, Pa.) banked a pass off the boards to Tim Miller (Davisburg, Mich.). Miller flipped the puck cross-ice to Cogliano, who picked up the feed and raced along the boards, shrugging off pressure from a Maverick defender. Cogliano scooted across the front of the crease, flipping the puck behind Kaufmann for his fifth goal of the year.
Michigan took its first lead of the night on a Brian Lebler (Penticton, B.C.) marker at 5:36 of the third period. Tim Cook (Montclair, N.J.) connected with Mark Mitera (Livonia, Mich.) just inside the blue line. Mitera's initial shot was blocked aside by Kaufmann, but Lebler's second attempt lit the lamp for the Maize and Blue, giving it the 4-3 edge.
Nebraska-Omaha answered back, tying the game at 4-4. Klempa gobbled up a rebound and dished to Dan Charleston in his own end. Charleston skated end-to-end, capitalizing on a hard wrister that caromed off the crossbar and into the U-M net at 7:42.
The Maize and Blue took a lead it would not relinquish at 13:58. Rohlfs muscled the puck out of a scrum behind the net, finding Hensick at the goal line. Hensick laced the puck to Porter in the slot. Porter's one-timer fooled Kaufmann, giving the Wolverines the 5-4 lead. The goal was the junior's third marker of the game and his team-leading 10th of the season.
An insurance goal by Jack Johnson (Ann Arbor, Mich.) put the game out of reach at 18:36. Travis Turnbull's (Chesterfield, Mo.) shot was turned away by the UNO goalie, but Johnson took control of the puck just outside of the crease. The offensive-defenseman looped around the goal, putting the puck past Kaufmann for his sixth goal of the year.
UNO pulled its goaltender in an attempt to knot the game, but time expired with Michigan on top, 6-4.
The Maize and Blue will face off against the Mavericks again on Saturday (Nov. 11) at Yost Ice Arena. The game is scheduled for 7:35 pm and will be televised by Comcast Local.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
