MiCHO Power Poll 2.6.2008

The Michigan Wolverines cling to the top spot in this week’s edition of the MiCHO Power Poll. But just barely.

The Wolverines are enduring their longest winless streak of the season, which now stands at four games, after a pair of 3-3 ties vs. Northern Michigan at Yost. The #2 Maize and Blue trail #1 Miami by just 1 point in conference with a pivotal two-game battle in Oxford looming this weekend.

The Michigan State Spartans have gone 4-1-1 in their last six including a split over the weekend against Nebraska-Omaha at Munn. Friday night, the Mavericks surprised the #6 Spartans with a 5-4 OT win. The Green and White responded the next night with a 4-2 victory to stay just 3 points shy of CCHA first place Miami.

Complete Poll

1) Michigan, 22-3-3 (tied NMU twice)
2) Michigan State, 18-6-5 (split w/ UNO)
3) Northern Michigan, 10-15-3 (tied UM twice)
4-t) Michigan Tech, 10-12-4 (lost/tied UAA)
4-t) Ferris State, 10-12-4 (lost, tied LSSU)
6) Wayne State, 8-18-2 (split w/ Bemidji )
7) Western Michigan, 7-19-2 (swept at Alaska )
8) Lake Superior, 5-16-5 (won, tied FSU)

Each week, MichiganCollegeHockey.com editors Matt Mackinder and Tom Balog will compile the MiCHO Power Poll. The poll will comprise the eight Division I teams in the State of Michigan.

Michigan and NMU tie two straight

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan Beat Writer

Never in their 86-year history has Michigan tied three straight games, but after knotting Northern Michigan in consecutive home games last weekend, history was made.

In Friday’s game, despite out-shooting the Wildcats by a 44-24 margin and holding two one-goal leads, the Maize and Blue could not pull through with an outright win. Senior captain Kevin Porter and Max Pacioretty each tallied a power-play goal and an assist in the game, while Travis Turnbull chipped in a marker of his own.

Gregor Hanson, Matt Butcher and Mark Olver scored for NMU.

Brian Stewart stopped 41 shots for the Wildcats and Billy Sauer made 21 saves for the Wolverines.

"We did not come prepared,” Michigan forward Chad Kolarik said. “We just did not do it today. We were a little loose in the locker room, and we like to be a little loose, but not that loose. We took it for granted."

“For the first 10 minutes, we were on our heels, we weren't as sharp, they were taking it to us, and it could have been 2-0 or 3-0 in the first 10 minutes,” added U-M head coach Red Berenson. “Then I thought that the last seven or eight minutes we started to play better and then for the most part we were in the game and we were playing well. The game comes down to mistakes and penalties."

Saturday night, the Wildcats erased a two-goal deficit to force another 3-3 tie.

Butcher scored midway through the second period and Nick Sirota tied the game seven minutes into the third period for Northern Michigan, who got a 34-save performance from Stewart.

Sauer was given the night off and Bryan Hogan turned aside 18 shots for Michigan.

"Bryan Hogan battled – that early goal was a tough goal to give up,” said Berenson. “Both of these games were tough games for our goalies to play because they didn't see a lot of shots, and then when they did it was important, obviously. There was a near-breakaway on one of (Northern Michigan's) goals and Billy Sauer had the same type of play last night. So, our goaltending needs to stay focused just like the rest of our game. I thought Hogan did fine."

Carl Hagelin, Louie Caporusso and Kolarik registered Michigan’s goals.

Ray Kaunisto scored the other Wildcats’ goal.

Michigan (22-3-3, 15-2-3 CCHA) travels to Miami to play a pair against the top-ranked RedHawks this weekend, while NMU (10-15-3, 7-11-2 CCHA) has two at home against Michigan State.

Spartans split with Mavericks at home

By Matt Mackinder/Michigan State Beat Writer

The Michigan State Spartans had their eight-game unbeaten streak snapped Friday night against Nebraska-Omaha in an overtime loss, but rebounded to start a new streak with a big win Saturday night.

Friday night, Michigan State's streak of 20 consecutive overtime games without a loss came to an end when Dan Charleston put the puck past Jeff Lerg at 2:53 of the overtime period to give the visiting Mavericks a 5-4 victory over the Spartans.

MSU had gotten a pair of goals in the final 12 minutes of regulation, including an extra-attacker goal from senior captain Bryan Lerg with 1:04 remaining, to battle back from a two-goal deficit.

“We deserved at least the tie,” Spartans head coach Rick Comley said. “I'm not sure that we deserved to win, but we tied it late. And you'd hope that we'd at least get a point out of it. My fear was that we would come out flat and have struggles getting in the game, and that's what happened. It was a tough night for Jeff [Lerg] - bad goals, but great saves. I tried to warn them all week. What we feared is what you saw. We didn't play well enough until we were forced to. You have to come and play, and if you don't, good teams are going to beat you.”

Justin Abdelkader scored twice and added an assist, Corey Tropp added a goal and two assists and Tim Kennedy chipped in two helpers for MSU. Lerg finished with 28 saves.

Then the next afternoon, Lerg made 37 saves, including 18 (one on a penalty shot) in the third period, to backstop Michigan State to a 4-2 victory.

The Andrew Rowe-Bryan Lerg-Tim Crowder line combined for all four goals and six assists, as the win earned the Spartans a split in the weekend series.

Lerg scored a pair and Rowe and Crowder had one apiece. Crowder had three assists and Rowe tallied two more.

“I thought we played a lot better for around 40 minutes,” MSU defenseman Daniel Vukovic said. “Defensively, we played a lot better, and the forwards back-checked much better today. I thought the defense played better and [Jeff] Lerg stepped it up. So, yes, there was definitely an improvement today.”

The Spartans (18-6-5, 14-3-3 CCHA) prepare for their final two-game road trip of the regular season as they will travel to Marquette this weekend for a series with Northern Michigan. Game times each evening are 7:35 p.m.

Lakers Take Three Points From Bulldogs

By Mike Burrill/LSSU Beat Writer

The Lake Superior State Lakers were taken to the limit over the weekend by the Ferris State Bulldogs, sqeaking out a 3-2 win on Friday and skating to a 1-1 tie on Saturday.

On Friday, the Lakers put on a strong defensive effort, shutting out FSU for the last two periods. Going down 1-0 in the first, Josh Sim would tie the game at the 5:00 mark, on a nice goal assisted by Zac MacVoy and Troy Schwab. Pat Aubry then gave the Lakers the lead just a 1:13 later, putting away his third of the year set up by Dan Eves and Chad Nehring. The Bulldogs would tie things up again at two all to end the first period.

It only took LSSU 1:36 into the second period to tally the game winner by MacVoy on the power-play. Will Acton and Simon Gysbers would draw the assists. The rest of the game was a defensive stalemate.

Laker netminder Brian Mahoney-Wilson made 21 saves in the game, including 11 in the third period. Lake State went 1-8 on the power-play, while Ferris went 0-3.

Saturday night was a battle between two hot goaltenders. The Lakers Pat Inglis and the Bulldogs Mitch O'Keefe put on quite a show for the rabid fans at Taffy Abel Arena. Inglis played his best game of the season, making 36 saves on night. He was key in the second period when the Lakers were steadily being sent to the penalty box by referee Matt Shegos. He would make 15 second period saves, 11 in the third, and five in overtime. O'Keefe made 23 saves, and kept the Lakers off the board on the power-play in overtime.

Sault Ste. Marie native Jason Blain scored his first goal of the year, and the only Laker goal of the game in the first period. His goal was a nice deflection on a shot by Nathan Perkovich, who would earn the only assist.

Next weekend, the Laker travel to Kalamazoo, where they hope to keep Western Michigan in the CCHA cellar.

WSU Splits Series With BSU

By Karl Henkel/Wayne State Men's Beat Writer

Although the weekend didn't end on a high note, this past weekend's series against Bemidji State showed the Wayne State Warriors can play with the big boys.

In the opener Friday night, Dylan Exton scored the game-winner midway through the third period for WSU's first win in Bemidji, Minnesota since 2002. Stavros Paskaris and Derek Bachynski also scored for the Warriors, who overcame a 2-0 first period deficit.

Brett Bothwell was strong in net, turning aside 28 shots in WSU's third straight win.

Saturday night, after Chris Kushneriuk tallied his second goal in three games, Jordan Inglis scored twice to give Wayne State a 3-1 third period lead.

But two Beaver power play goals later, the game headed to overtime tied at three. Matt Pope scored 2:57 in, sending WSU back home with a split.

Bothwell turned aside 31 shots, as the Warriors were outshot by two touchdowns, 35-21.

“It was a hard fought series,” head coach Bill Wilkinson said, “they play very intense in their own building.”

Part of WSU's recent success is due in part to more spread out scoring, with five Warriors netting goals in the series. In the last four games, there has been nine different goal scorers.

“The more guys who score, the less pressure on one or two guys. That's a big factor for the whole team,” Wilkinson said.

WSU (8-18-2, 4-8-0 CHA) is back at the friendly confines of the Michigan State Fairgrounds next weekend to take on the Robert Morris Colonials (11-11-3, 6-4-2 CHA). RMU has already beaten WSU three times this season, by a combined score of 11-3.

Wayne sweeps Niagara, extends winning streak

By Susannah Nichols/ WSU Women's Beat Writer

With a pair of road wins over Niagara, the Wayne State Warriors extended their school-record winning streak to eight games.

Senior goaltender Valery Turcotte (pictured) extended a streak of her own: after shutting out Niagara on Saturday for the 4-0 win and recording 24 saves in Sunday's 4-3 victory, she is unbeaten in her last nine consecutive starts.

Amanda Hungle started the scoring in Saturday's game; she tallied her first goal of the season with some help from captain Ashley King and Becky Sonn. Early in the second period, Sam Poyton scored her 25th of the season off assists by Katrina Protopapas and Lindsay DiPietro.

The Warriors fought off an impressive offensive effort by Niagara in the second stanza--Turcotte recorded 17 of her 32 saves in the middle twenty minutes.

Protopapas and Poyton combined to help DiPietro put the Warriors up by three in the third period, and Protopapas notched a goal of her own (assisted by DiPietro and Poyton) in the waning minutes.

Niagara was out for vengeance in Sunday's rematch, and took a 2-0 lead off a pair of goals by Ashley Riggs. Poyton responded in the second period with a pair of goals of her own, and Protopapas added a third to give the Warriors their first lead of the game.

In the third period, Christine Jefferson (who also assisted on one of Poyton's earlier goals) and Melissa Boal set up Poyton for a breakaway goal that sealed her hat trick--the third of her career.

Niagara scored again to come within a goal of Wayne State, but the Warriors held off their offensive attempts and preserved the 4-3 score.

DiPietro also recorded a pair of assists in Saturday's game, bringing her season total to an impressive 40.

The Warriors, now 16-6-2 and 4-0-0 in the CHA, continue their conference play next weekend, when they face Mercyhurst on the road.

MTU struggles in Alaska

By Andy Bourdeau/ MTU Beat Writer

Michigan Tech (10-12-4, 6-9-3) went into the weekend, with 2 games in hand, and three points out of 4th in the WCHA, but all they could muster was 1 point from the last place Anchorage Seawolves. Still with 2 games in hand on the two teams tied for 4th (Wisconsin and UMD) the Huskies goal at of home ice is not out of the question, just not as attainable after this weekend.

Tech came out of the gate sluggish and gave up two goals in the first period. The defense looked slow and Michael Lee Teslak could not come up with the saves when needed. Teslak only lasted half the game, as Robbie Nolan replaced him after the third goal was scored. Teslak made 15 saves, while Nolan make 12.

Saturday, the Huskies look much better, but could not find the back of the net early. AA jumped to a 2-0 lead early in the second, and looked as if a repeat from the night before was in the cards. That is until freshman Jordan Baker was able to get a goal in the second half of the third. Derek Kitti followed suit 3 minutes later, tieing the game at 2, where it would end after a 5 minute overtime.

Nolan was in net again and made 20 saves on the night.

Michigan Tech returns home for a Winter Carnival weekend series with Wisconsin.

Broncos swept in Alaska

By Tom Morelli/WMU Beat Writer

Western Michigan made the long trek out to Fairbanks, Alaska but came back with little to brag about. In both games, Alaska won by a 3-2 margin.

In Friday’s game, Western Michigan was down early by a goal, but defenseman Tyler Ludwig put his team back in contention with a power-play goal. Forwards Jeff LoVecchio and Dave Krisky were credited with the helper.

Senior Jeff Pierce gave the Broncos their first lead of the game with less than three minutes in the second period. Nathan Ansell and Max Campbell assisted on the goal, which came with the man-advantage.

Braden Walls scored a game-tying goal for the Nanooks just before the end of regulation. Teammate Dion Knelsen finished off Western Michigan at the 4:14 mark of overtime, scoring his ninth goal of the season.

The Broncos power-play converted on two of seven opportunities, and goaltender Jerry Kuhn stopped 40 shots.

Despite firing a season-high 45 shots, Western Michigan found themselves on the losing end once again on Saturday night.

Much of the Broncos offense waited too long, with both of their goals coming in the final period of play.

Down by a 3-0 margin, Western Michigan used an extra attacker to their advantage, as co-captain Chris Frank notched his second goal of the season with 1:53 gone by.

Freshman Ryan Watson joined in on the scoring fray, taking a pass from linemates Travis Paeth and Patrick Nagorsen with about six minutes left in the game.

While they didn’t tally any goals on the power-play this time around, the Broncos went a perfect 4 of 4 on the penalty kill.

Seeing action between the pipes in this game for Western Michigan was junior Riley Gill, who finished with 34 saves.

The Broncos (7-19-2 overall, 3-16-2 CCHA) will have a great opportunity to better their record this weekend, as they face Lake Superior State in a two-game series at Lawson Arena in Kalamazoo. The puck-drop is expected to be at 7:35 pm on Friday and Saturday.

Both teams currently rank at the bottom of the conference standings, but the Lakers (5-16-5 overall, 3-13-4) remain ahead of Western Michigan by three points.