Notes & Quotes: #1 Michigan 6, Providence 0
12/28/2007 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
N O T E S
Michigan's record in the semifinals of the Great Lakes Invitational improves to 25-13. Its overall record is 44-30-1.
Michigan has advanced to the GLI Championship Game for the third time in four years and the seventh time since its last GLI title in 1996.
Michigan's only other shutout in the GLI came in the 1994 semifinals when the Wolverines beat Michigan Tech 13-0.
Billy Sauer made a career-high 50 saves in the win. He had 44 saves in an 8-2 loss at Minnesota on Nov. 25, 2006. Sauer's 18 saves in the third period set a season high for saves in a period. U-M is 14-5-2 when Sauer has made 30-plus saves in his career.
Tonight's win over Providence was U-M's first GLI triumph against a team other than Michigan Tech since the 1999 semifinals when the Wolverines defeated Lake Superior State.
Louie Caporusso returned to the lineup for the first time since November 10. He missednine games due to a knee injury. He scored on his first shift of the game tonight.
Caporusso notched a goal and an assist for his third multi-point game of his career.
Aaron Palushaj, Michigan's third leading scorer (6-16-22), notched a goal and two assist for his sixth game with multiple points, and his second three-point game of his career.
Michigan did not allow a first period goal for the sixth time in seven games. Michigan has allowed just eight first period goals so far this season.
Michigan's three shots in the first period tied for its fewest shots in a single period this season. The Wolverine's also had three shots on October 20th in the second period at Northern Michigan and on Nov. 3 in the second period at Nebraska-Omaha.
Kevin Porter recorded his 150th career point on an assist to Anthony Ciraulo in the second period.
With a goal and an assist on the night, Porter continued his point streak to a season-best nine games. Over that span he has accumulated a 10-9-19 line.
On Thursday (Dec. 27), head coach Red Berenson announced that junior defenseman Mark Mitera has been named an alternate captain in the stead of junior forward Tim Miller.
Q U O T E S
Michigan Head Coach Red Berenson
On the game tonight ... "I think if you watched the game and especially the first period, you saw a really hard forechecking team in Providence. I thought they kept us off balance most of the game. I thought we were really fortunate to score the go-ahead goal. I am glad we didn't have to come from behind in a game like that, with them forechecking us the way they did. I wasn't sure if they could keep it up the whole game; I thought we started playing better in the second period. But still, they were getting 16 shots a period. And from a coaching standpoint, you don't know what you are going to get in this tournament. You are off for two or three weeks, and even though you are together the last two or three days, it is not the same as game conditions. Billy Sauer was definitely a factor, particularly on the power play. They had a few isolated chances, but they have averaged over 37 shots a game so it is not unusual for their team, but it is unusual for us to give up that many."
On what Michigan has to do differently tomorrow night ... "Well, we have to play better than that. We can't play (Providence) by the score; we have to play better. We adjusted a little bit coming out of our zone, but we have to start doing the things we are good at. I can't tell you how many times we turned the puck over. We were lazy and sloppy and we were playing inaccurately. We played right into their hands. We started playing better in the second period. We got the timely goals in the game - the shorthanded goal by (Anthony) Ciraulo, and the power-play goal by (Kevin) Porter. We were getting the goals, but we were still not happy with our overall five-on-five play. We have four new lines, which is not an excuse, but we never really seemed to get going with or without the puck. But, hopefully we will play better tomorrow."
On Aaron Palushaj's play ... "All our young kids continue to amaze me. Palushaj's puck touches are very good. He has got a nose for the net. He is a hardworking player. He has had a great first half, and is off to a good start for his second half."
On not having won the GLI since 1996 ... "It has been talked about a lot. We are not here in this tournament just as a guest, we are here as a team that wants to compete. We want to get in the final game, and then we want to have a good final game. It is a mini-championship, if you will. It has been important when we have been winning it, and it has been important for us when we haven't been winning it. So, we want to put our best foot forward."
Freshman Forward Aaron Palushaj
On the efforts from his line, which includes Louie Caporusso and Tim Miller "Our line in the first period played pretty well -- we got the early goal by Louie (Caporusso) on the first shift out there in Louie's first game back (from injury). It was pretty good for him to pop that goal in there early. Then we got another one late on a great pass by Lebler (to me). We got peppered defensively in the first period. We came out on top in the first period because Billy Sauer stood on his head."
On if the first period felt like an uphill battle after being out-shot 16-3 "They were forechecking and we weren't really used to seeing their forecheck. We definitely were fighting uphill that first period. We regrouped after the first and came back in the second (period) and I thought we had a lot better second."
Junior Goaltender Billy Sauer
On if he's ever made 50 saves before "That's the most I can remember, at least in college. I think back in my midget days I probably had 50, but not any time recently. I felt really good. A lot of the shots weren't exactly the toughest. A lot of them were from the outside, perimeter shots, which are pretty easy saves. Overall, it was a good night."
On what it would mean to win the Great Lakes Invitational "We were talking about it the other day about how we won it like nine years straight or 10 out of 11 years and we haven't won it since. It's a big thing for us. A goal we had this year was to win the College Hockey Showcase, which we did. We're trying to check things off our list, so a win tomorrow will check another one off."
On his play in the first period, making 16 saves "When we went out there and scored in the first minute I was feeling pretty comfortable. I knew we had a lead and I was making some saves. Once we got the second goal I was pretty calm and I knew I had to keep playing the way I was and give the team a chance to win. I knew we were going come back and play better than we had in the first period."
