Michigan
20-9-0,14-7-0-0CCHA
Lake Superior State
9-12-8,6-9-6-1CCHA
Michigan Sinks Lakers with Five-Goal Run
2/6/2009 12:00:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Score: #4 Michigan 6, Lake Superior 2
Records: U-M (20-9-0, 14-7-0-0 CCHA), LSSU (9-12-8, 6-9-6-1 CCHA)
Attendance: 6,847
Next U-M Event: Saturday, Feb. 7 -- vs. Lake Superior State (Yost Ice Arena), 7:35 p.m.
Boxscore | Notes & Quotes | Photo Gallery | Video Report
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The No. 4-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team pummeled Lake Superior State, 6-2, on Friday night (Feb. 6) at Yost Ice Arena. The Wolverines were paced by sophomore centers Matt Rust(Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Louie Caporusso(Woodbridge, Ont.), who each chipped in a pair of goals in the winning effort. Caporusso scored his 21st and 22nd markers of the season, giving him sole possession of the nation's lead in goals.
After Michigan gave up the first goal of the contest, Rust got the equalizer in the final seconds of the initial frame. Rust's tally kicked off a five-goal run for the Maize and Blue.
LSSU lit the lamp first, registering the go-ahead tally at 6:05 in the opening period. After a Michigan turnover in its own zone, Matt Cowie gained control of the puck at the left point and passed to Will Acton in the right circle where he wristed it past an unsuspecting Bryan Hogan(Highland, Mich.) and into the top of the net for the 1-0 advantage.
With 5.8 seconds remaining in the first period, Rust stole the puck from an LSSU defenseman in the neutral zone, carried it down through the right circle and skated across the front of the net where he flicked the puck up and over goaltender Pat Inglis. The unassisted, shorthanded tally made the score even at 1-1 just before the first intermission.
The Wolverines kept the momentum in the second frame, scoring at 1:14 to go ahead 2-1. Travis Turnbull (Chesterfield, Mo.) took the puck from a Laker blueliner behind the goal line and dished it to David Wohlberg(South Lyon, Mich.) just outside the crease, and the rookie one-timed it past Inglis for Michigan's first lead of the game.
A mere 34 seconds later at 1:48, U-M padded its lead 3-1. Following a faceoff in the left circle, rookie Luke Glendening (Grand Rapids, Mich.) gained control of the puck near the left post and fired it past the blocker of Inglis for his second goal of the season.
A power-play goal from Caporusso increased Michigan's advantage to 4-1 at 9:06. Wohlberg jump-started the play, sliding the puck to Chad Langlais(Spokane, Wash.) at the left point. Similar to Lake Superior's lone goal, Langlais passed the puck to Caporusso at the bottom of the right circle, and the center shot it past the left side of Inglis for his nation-leading 21st goal of the season.
U-M carried its three-goal lead into the second intermission. During the middle stanza, the Maize and Blue had outshot the Lakers by a substantial 17-5 margin.
Michigan did not let up in the final period, tallying a marker at 2:54 to make the scoreboard read 5-1. Rust skated with the puck in the LSSU zone and backhanded it to Carl Hagelin(Sodertalje, Sweden) in the left circle where he quickly passed back to Rust, who took a hard wrister that entered the net past the stick of Inglis.
The Lakers ended U-M's five-goal run at 6:39 with a power-play marker. Rick Schofield took a shot from the left circle that crossed by Hogan's glove and into the right side of the net to make the score 5-2. Acton and Nathan Perkovich were credited with the assists on the play.
Following a LSSU power-play chance, Caporusso scored his second goal of the evening at 11:27. Ben Winnett(New Westminster, B.C.) spotted Caporusso coming out of the penalty box, and Winnett slid the puck to him near the LSSU blue line and he skated into the zone to go one-on-one with Inglis, with Caporusso winning the battle, sending the puck into the back of the net for the 6-2 advantage.
Tomorrow night (Saturday, Feb. 7), the Wolverines will complete their weekend series with Lake Superior State at Yost Ice Arena. The contest will begin at 7:35 p.m. and be televised by Comcast 900.
Contact: Matt Trevor (734) 763-4423
