Inside College Hockey | 2003 Midwest Regional First Round

March 29, 2003
NCAA Midwest Regional
The defense never rests

NCAA Tournament Coverage

By Mike Eidelbes

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – After watching WCHA cohort Minnesota waltz past MAAC champion Mercyhurst last night, one couldn't help to think that Colorado College might enter its first-round game with Wayne State with an air of superiority. Early on, however, it seemed as if Murphy's Law was in effect for the Tigers, and not just because referee Dan Murphy turned into the biggest whistleblower since Ralph Nader.

Murphy called a combined 29 PIMs in the first period alone, including a five-minute major and game misconduct assessed to Colorado College defenseman Andrew Canzanello 10 minutes into the contest and four infractions whistled during a 90-second stretch that led to a rare three-on-three situation.

Colorado College 4, Wayne State 2
Team	Goal	Str
Time	Assists
First Period
1-CC	Brett Steling (25)	PP
16:26	J. Laux, T. Preissing
Second Period
1-WS	Keith Stanich (5)	EV
4:51	D. Kingston, J. Durbin
2-CC	James Laux (7)	EV
5:31	C. Stuart
3-CC	Noah Clarke (21)	PP
14:09	B. Sterling, T. Preissing
Third Period
2-WS	Billy Collins (12)	EV
6:31	G. Poupard, K. Stanich
4-CC	Tom Preissing (23)	PP
10:02	P. Sejna, N. Clarke
Goaltending
WS: David Guerrera, 58:27, 27 saves, 4 GA
CC: Curtis McElhinney, 60:00, 23 saves, 2 GA
Penalties: WS 8/16; CC 12/35
Power Plays: WS 0-9; CC 3-6
Attendance: 6,798

"We've had four games this year when Andrew hasn't played, so we moved into the same adjustments that we always do," said coach Scott Owens.

The barrage of Wayne State power plays, which included four in the first frame and nine for the game, put the Tigers on their heels. But Colorado College's five-man defensive corps -- Tom Preissing, Jason Jozsa, James Laux, Richard Petiot and Mark Stuart -- weathered the storm, keeping the Warriors at bay while CC's offensive machine attempted to find its niche (more on this later) and goaltender Curtis McElhinney, who handled the puck as if it were a grenade, struggled to get into the groove in his first NCAA Tournament start.

"We weren't really used to reffing this tight,"said Preissing, who scored a goal and added two assists. "There was a little bit of a transition period, so it took us a while to get adjusted. But while everyone else was getting adjusted, the defense had to take over."

"Last weekend (at the WCHA Final Five), we had guys jumping up trying to create scoring opportunities," said McElhinney, who admitted he didn't get into the flow of the game until halfway through the first period. "Tonight, we played textbook defensive hockey."

Once the rearguards were done killing penalties, they took the challenge of sparking Colorado College's offensive attack. Laux ended up bearing that responsibility and, according to Owens, was the key to the team's offense during the game's first 30 minutes.

"We had known that (the Warriors) were going to run that kind of trap and we had some set plays designed to cut through it," said Laux, who set up the Tigers' first goal and scored 40 seconds after Wayne State's initial tally in the second period to give CC the lead for good. "They ran it well, so it was real difficult. Most of the time it was an ugly dump-in."

Unfortunately for Wayne State, they negated the effectiveness of their best weapon by allowing the Tigers to go on the power play five times during the course of the game. Three of those man-advantage efforts ended in Colorado College goals.

"We have 30 wins this year and we've won a lot of different ways," Owens remarked. "Tonight it was the power play. Was it picture perfect? No. But we knew it wasn't going to be."

Michigan 2, Maine 1
Team	Goal	Str
Time	Assists
First Period
No scoring
Second Period
No scoring
Third Period
1-MI	Eric Nystrom (14)	EV
6:47	M. Woodford
1-ME	Colin Shields (14)	EV
16:06	M. Kariya, L. Lawson
2-MI	Jed Ortmeyer (17)	PP
18:29	J. Tambellini, E. Nystrom
Goaltending
MI: Al Montoya, 60:00, 34 saves, 1 GA
ME: Frank Doyle, 59:02, 25 saves, 2 GA
Penalties: MI 6/12; ME 5/10
Power Plays: MI 1-3; ME 0-4
Attendance: 6,798

THAT MICHIGAN MAGIC

It wasn't a matter of if Jed Ortmeyer would score the game-winning goal for Michigan in the team's Midwest Regional first-round game against Maine. It was a matter of when.

Less than two minutes remained in regulation when the Black Bears' Travis Wight was assessed a two-minute minor for tripping. On the ensuing power play, Ortmeyer got to a loose puck that rattled around in traffic in front of the Maine net and jabbed it past sprawling Maine netminder Frak Doyle and across the goal line with 1:31 remaining to give the Wolverines a thrilling 2-1 victory.

"The shot was there I and I was able to just poke it through," said Ortmeyer, who also scored the game-winner against Ferris State in last week's CCHA playoff championship game. "Nothing special."

For a while, it looked like all Michigan would need is the goal scored by Eric Nystrom 6:47 into the third period because of the sharp effort turned in by Wolverine goaltender Al Montoya. Montoya, a freshman who turned 18 six weeks ago, was particularly sharp in the third period when the Black Bears relentlessly pressured the U-M end. His play was so stellar that Maine players became visibly frustrated as the game progressed. In the final frame alone, he stonewalled Chris Heisten on a backhand, grabbed a Martin Kariya laser out of mid-air with his glove, stymied Tom Reimann on a blast from the point and made a nice stop on a chance by Robert Liscak from about 20 feet out on the near wing.

"I went out there and didn't really think of the shots," said Montoya, who made 34 saves on the night. "I stayed focused, stayed composed and didn't worry about what was going on around me.

Not that a little luck wasn't involved. Liscak had a prime opportunity early in the third period after he slipped between a pair of Wolverine defensemen as he carried the puck into offensive zone and broke on Montoya uncontested. Liscak beat the U-M netminder with a sneaky wrist shot but the puck hit the near post, wobbled parallel to the goal line and glanced off the far stanchion.

"(Maine) probably deserved to win the game if you look at the scoring chances, especially in the third period," Michigan coach Red Berenson said.

Saturday's Three Stars

3. Wayne State coaching staff
Head coach Bill Wilkinson and assistants Willie Mitchell and Erik Raygor had the perfect game plan in place to gum up the Tiger attack, and his charges executed it to near perfection. Unfortunately for the Warriors, they had no answers to the CC power play.

2. James Laux, Colorado College
One could nominate any of the Tiger defensemen for this honor, but Laux was sensational in the defensive zone and jump started the the team's offensive effort with an assist on the first CC goal and later added a marker of its own.

1. Al Montoya, Michigan
He picked an opportune time to turn in his best performance of the year.

SEEN AND HEARD AT YOST

• Not to be outdone, Maine goaltender Frank Doyle was solid, turning in a 25-save effort against Michigan. Among them were a variety of highlight-reel stops, including saves against the Wolverines' Jason Ryznar and David Moss while lying flat on his back.

"If you're a fan of goalies," said Black Bear coach Tim Whitehead, "you had to be happy with this one."

• The manner in which the Maine-Michigan game ended must've been eerily similar to the conclusion of last year's NCAA championship contest against Minnesota. Last year, the Black Bears were hit with a two-minute minor in overtime; Minnesota's Grant Potulny scored the game-winner on the ensuing power play. Tonight, Ortmeyer got the deciding goal with 1:31 left in regulation as Travis Wight served a holding penalty.

• Maine finally solved Montoya with 3:54 left in the third period. Kariya, carrying the puck into the Michigan end along the near wall, flipped a pass to Colin Shields as he drove toward the net. Shields tipped the offering past Montoya for his first goal since Dec. 15.

• With all five Wayne State skaters clogging the neutral zone and playing the body, gaining the offensive zone with speed was about as easy as deciphering an Ozzy Osbourne monolouge and eliminated the Tigers' wishes of creating an up-tempo game. Particularly slowed was junior forward Peter Sejna, the nation's leading scorer and a top candidate for the Hobey Baker Award, who was held to two shots and goal and one assist. He said the Warriors' strategy 'played a major role in his off night, but also said he felt hamstrung by the lack of flow created by all the penalties.

"It seemed like you looked at someone and you'd get a penalty," he said.

• As expected, the Michigan faithful who comprised the vast majority of those in attendance at today's first-round games threw their vocal support behind Wayne State in the day's first contest. Wolverine fans even altered their traditional "Go Blue" cheer for the time being, shouting "Go Wayne" instead. Certainly, one wouldn't expect the U-M throng to root for the green-clad Warriors by hollering "Go Green."

• The loudest non-Michigan goal cheers of the day came during the pre-game ceremonies. After starting lineups were announced, those in attendance observed a moment of silence for coalition forces deployed in the Middle East. The crowd erupted in applause at the end of each moment of silence and many players banged their sticks on the ice in honor of the troops.

• Emblazoned on the back of a Michigan fan's jersey: a nameplate reading "Heckler from Hell" and the number 666. Way to think ouside the box, pal.

PLUSSES AND MINUSES

Colorado College forward Noah Clarke. His second-period power play goal, which gave the Tigers a 3-1 edge, was a result of pure fortitude. The senior controlled a rebound in front of Wayne State netminder David Guerrera, who stoned Clarke's the first attempt, but LaVerne, Calif., product muscled his second chance home just before he was hammered into the goal post by a Warrior defender.

Maine's effort Saturday in their first game after a 21-day layoff was outstanding. Said Berenson, "I think (the break) helped them. I thought they had the legs in the second half of the game."

Official Dan Murphy, who was in charge of the Colorado College-Wayne State affair and assessed a total of 20 penalties which led to 14 power plays between the two teams. He called a pretty good game...had the Tigers and Warriors been playing women's lacrosse and not hockey. The radius rule was definitely in effect.

Maine defenseman Travis Wight. Not only was he hit with a penalty with 2:02 left in the third period, but just as Michigan's Jed Ortmeyer was about to be whistled for tripping Todd Jackson eight minutes into the second period, Wight leveled Ortmeyer and received a elbowing minor, negating a Black Bear power play opportunity midway through a scoreless game.

WHAT'S NEXT

It's difficult to gauge whether Colorado College enters Sunday's Midwest Regional final with Michigan with a sense of relief knowing they were fortunate to escape the first round with a win over Wayne State or anticipating a chance to redeem themselves after a less-than-glowing performance in their opening match.

"We're happy that we played a tough, hard game today," Laux said. "We had to battle and compete today, but we've got to re-adjust to a different style (Sunday)."

Certainly, Peter Sejna and friends will relish the opportunity to face an opponent whose game plan is in more in line with theirs. On the flip side, one has to wonder how much gas the Wolverines will have in their tanks Sunday after their physical, emotionally draining first round affair with Maine. Of course, with their home-ice advantage, anything is possible.

"We know we're up against a very tough opponent," Berenson said. "We've got to get refocused and start thinking about an opponent...that may be the best team in the country."