4B - The Michigan Daily - SportsTuesday - January 18, 2005

LINE OF THE WEEK
Al Montoya
Goalie
Saturday vs. Alaska-Fairbanks
28 Saves, 2 GA

NOTABLE QUOTABLE

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

"He said he didn't want it, but the
team wanted to get it for him. It's
disappointing"
- Michigan forward T.J. Hen-
sick on not getting Montoya a shutout.

Kyle Greentree
(Alaska-Fairbanks)
Despite not scoring, Greentree was
a constant threat for the Nanooks,
peppering Montoya all weekend
long. He did notch two assists.

T.J. Hensick
(Michigan)
Hensick stepped up his game at both
ends of the ice. With a pair of goals, Hen-
sick continued his stranglehold on the
CCHA scoring leaderboard.

al

FRIDAY'S GAME
*U Alaska-Fairbanks
SFraser, Mcooed

2
5

w I I

Michigan Wolverines
Hensick, Brown, Hunwick,
Porter, Nystrom

Streaking Montoya
back in vintage form

SATURDAY'S GAME

p Alaska-Fairbanks
401.-Syvestre, Grinevitch

2

Michigan Wolverines 5
Tambellini, Gajic, Rohlfs,
Hensick, Nystrom
Alaska-Fairbanks 2, Michigan 5
Alaska-Fairbanks 0 0 2 - 2
Michigan 1 4 0 - 5
First period-2. MICH, Jeff Tambellini 12 (Chad
Kolarik, Matt Hunwick) 13:56. Penalties- Kelly
Czuy, UAF (roughing) 1:24; Milan Gajic, MICH
(roughing) 1:24; Darcy Campbell, UAF (holding
the stick) 9:51; Nick Martens, MICH (interfer-
ence) 17:39.
Second period -2. MICH, Milan Gajic 11 (David
Moss, Brandon Kaleniecki) 4:22; 3. MICH,
David Rohlfs 5 (Jason Ryznar, T.J. Hensick)
14:58; 4.MICH, T.J. Hensick 15 (Jeff Tambellini)
17:45; 5. MICH, Eric Nystroms (Matt Hunwick,
Chad Kolarik) 18:14. Penaities -Tim Cook,
MICH (interference) 4:31: Adam Powell, UAF
(obstruction-hooking) 5:08; Cramer Hickey, UAF
(obstruction-hooking) 7:57: T.J. Campbell, UAF
(holding) 11:29; Jason Ryznar, MICH (holding)
15:04: Brandon Kaleniecki, MICH (slashing)
15:10; Kelly Czuy, UAF (slashing) 15:10: Jason
Dest, MICH (obstruction tripping) 19:25.
Third period- 6. UAF, Jared Sylvestre 4 (Darcy
Campbell, Kyle Greentree) 15:50; 7. UAF, Jason
Grinevitch 3 (Corbin Schmidt, Lucas Burnett)
19:57. Penalties- Brandon Kaleniecki, MICH
(holding) 2:41; Aaron Lee, UAF (slashing) 9:34;
Cramer Hickey, UAF (boarding) 11:35; Jeff Tam-
bellini (obstruction-hooking) 15:43; Jason Dest,
MICH (obstruction-hooking) 19:15; Brandon
Kaleniecki, MICH (high sticking) 19:51.
Shots on goal: MICH- 16-13-7-36: UAF 12-7-11-30. Power
plays: MICH Oof 6; UAF 2of 8. Saves- MICH Al
Montoya (12-7-9) - 28; UAF, Wylie Rogers (15-
6-0), Keith Bartusch (0-3-7) - 31.
Note: Keith Bartusch replaced Wylie Rogers at
17:45 of second period.
Referee: Stephan Mclnchak
At: Yost Ice Arena Attendance: 6,794.
M' STATS

By Jake Rosenwasser
Daily Sports Writer
Six minutes into Saturday's game, Alaska-
Fairbanks forward Aaron Lee got behind the
Michigan defense and skated in toward Mich-
igan goalie Al Montoya on a breakaway. Lee
tried to slip a shot to Montoya's left, but the
junior goalie snagged Lee's attempt out of the
air with his glove.
The Michigan netminder looked like the
Montoya of old.
After four consecutive games in which he
surrendered at least three goals, Montoya held
the Nanooks to just two goals in each contest
this weekend.
"I thought he made a great glove save on
Aaron Lee early in the game," Alaska-Fair-
banks coach Tavis MacMillan said. "You know,
that's a big save. That's a timely save. If you're
going to be successful, you need those saves
early in the game."
Montoya made those saves throughout the
entire game. He was flawless in the first two
periods when he turned away 19 shots. He lim-
ited Alaska-Fairbanks's rebound opportunities
and looked sharp throughout.
"(Montoya) wasrockfsolid." Michigan
coach Red Berenson said. "I think this was
his best weekend."
The New York Rangers first-round draft pick
has struggled between the pipes in his third sea-
son in Ann Arbor. Statistically, he is having his
worst year at Michigan. His 2.68 goals-against-
average is worse than both his freshman and
sophomore seasons when he surrendered 2.33
and 2.23 goals per game, respectively. In addi-
tion, his save percentage is at .897, which is

lower than the .911 and .917 numbers that he put
up in his first two years. But even with all his
struggles, "Montoya has come up big when his .
team has needed him most, and it shows in his X
17-4-1 record.
During Michigan's 6-5 win at Western
Michigan last weekend, Montoya scrambled to d
make countless game-saving stops to preserve t
a 5-5 tie and then a 6-5 lead.
With the series sweep this weekend, Mon-
toya set a career-best winning streak with his
eighth-straight win.r
Berenson and the rest of the team have been
quick to point out that the onus does not fall
squarely on Montoya. They maintain that the
whole team - from the forwards back to Mon- X
toya - are to blame for a number of the oppo-
nents' goals. n
If this weekend is any indication, Montoya >ji
and the rest of the defense may return to the form
they displayed during the last two seasons.
On Saturday, Montoya was headed for a
shutout, but, with four minutes remaining in
the game, Alaska-Fairbanks finally got on the
board. Alaska-Fairbanks defenseman Darcy
Campbell fired a shot from the left circle that
hit off the far post. Forward Jared Sylvestre hit
in the rebound and prevented Montoya from
logging his 13th career shutout at Michigan.X'
We were just looking for the win and that's
what we got," Montoya said. "~We're happy g
about it. I don't really care about shutouts. It's TONY DING/Daily
always good to come away with a win at the Michigan goalie Al Montoya was sharp when he needed to be in a pair of 5-2 wins over Alaska-Fairbanks.
end. I felt good. I felt I did all I could do to stop
the puck." team could have helped him out a little more. front of the net. It's frustrating not to get him
Even though Montoya said he was not con- "Most of the goals that he gave up (this week- the shutout. He said he didn't want it, but the
cerned about getting a shutout, sophomore for- end) were scored on second chances and weren't team wanted to get it for him. It's definitely a
ward T.J. Hensick expressed wishes that the his fault," Hensick said. "We've got to clear the disappointment."
IEiipbocrd 3FF THE DRAW
icouting staff will review the tapes, talk to the H nwick
he team's performance. After all of this, J
ialysis on Michigan's weekend action.
AF Defende M
UAF Defende
j
son Jake Rosenwasser Ian Herbert__
OUT SPECIAL TEAMS SCOUT GOALTENDER ScOuT
Skating w/ puck " Skating w/o puck " . " Pass - - Shot
he Wol- The penalty kill strug- In his strongest perfor- How it happened: It wasn't much more than a puck
Alaska- gled again. All four mance of the year, Mon flung at the net, but the hot hand of sophomore Matt Hun-
ist four of Alaska-Fairbanks's toya let in just four goals wick broke Friday's 2-2 stalemate. As the puck came around
nd and goals were scored with on the weekend. And, a the boards, the Wolverirre defender waited at the left point. He
e y ate plerast neichiganm TaiskaFacirban sacd, wristed the puck to the far side of the net, past Wylie Rogers.
he the player watching o Tavis MacMillan sa ,,"I kind of wasn't expecting to get that pass," Hunwick said.
ey were gan needs to improve needed to be" The two "There was this guy on me pretty tight, but I just tried to get
'nsemen on its penalty kill in goals he let in in the wan- (the shot off) as quick as you can and get it to the net."
clearing practice so they'll be ing minutes of Saturday's Analysis: Heading into the third period, it looked like Alas-
et. ready for Ohio State. game hurt though. - ka-Fairbanks was up to the task of beating Michigan. But Hun-
ATION DAILY DETERMINATION DA ETERMINATIONwick's goal took all the life out of the team that had battled
,LY, closely through the first 40 minutes of the weekend. The Wol-
V/5 / /5 verines held the lead from that point on and carried it through
the following night.

Player
Hensick
Tambellini
Gajic
Moss
Kolarik
Hunwick
Ryznar
Ebbett
Kaleniecki
Rogers
Porter
Nystrom
Werner
RohIfs,
Martens
Brown
Dest
Henderson
Woodford
Olson
Cook
Montoya
Ruden
Player
Montoya
Ruden

GP
21
24
24
24
24
22
24
22
24
24
22
20
21
22
22
21
24
4
10
6
24
22
5

G
15
12
11
7
8
5
4
2
10
2
7
5
5
5
1
3
1
1
1
0
0
0
0

A
17
18
14
17
11
12
12
14
5
13
7
9
9
3
6
3
2
1
1
1
0
0
0
L
4
1

Pts +/-1
32 +9
30 +21
25 +4
24 +10
19 +8
17 +13
16 +1
16 +6
15 +7
15 +18
14 +4
14 +12
14 +13
8 +8
7 +7
6 +9
3 +12
2 +1
2 +3
1 +3
0 +6
0-
0 --

PIM Sht
12 .70
16 119
32 71
18 51
20 61
40 26
40 37
16 50
30 83
54 47
26 29
25 27
26 27
8 31~
24 18
58 42
34 27
4 4
8 14
6 2
34 8
20 0
0 0

GP W
22 17
5 1


T
1
0

GAA PCT
2.68 .897
1.54 .949

CCHA STANDINGS

Team

CCHA Overall

vs s vv r v

Michigan
Ohio State
Nebraska-Omaha
Northern Mich.
Bowling Green
Lake Superior
Michigan State
Alaska-Fairbanks
Ferris State
Miami (OH)
Western Mich.
Notre Dame

15-1-0
12-3-1
9-7-2
8-5-3
7-5-2
6-6-2
7-9-0
5-10-1
4-9-3
4-9-3
5-10-1
3-11-4


18-5-1
15-6-3
11-9-2
10-7-5
10-7-3
7-12-3
12-11-1
6-11-1
9-12-3
8-12-4
10-11-1
5-13-5

FRIDAY'S RESULTS:
MICHIGAN 5, Alaska-Fairbanks 2
FERRIS STATE 2, Nebraska-Omaha 2 (OT)
Ohio State 4, NOTRE DAME 1
WESTERN MICH. 5, Michigan State 4
NORTHERN MICH. 1, Miami (OH) 0
SATURDAY'S RESULTS:
MICHIGAN 5, Alaska-Fairbanks 2
Nebraska-Omaha 4, FERRIS STATE 1
Ohio State 3, NOTRE DAME 1
Michigan State 3, WESTERN MIcH. 1
NORTHERN MICH. 1. Miami (OH) 1 (OT)

Nystrom heats up after 55 days in the cold

By Ryan Sosin
Daily Sports Writer
As Michigan captain Eric Nystrom watched the puck go from his
stick into the net midway through the third period Friday, a weight
seemed to be lifted off his shoulders. When the Wolverines senior
threw his arms in the air, he looked to be breathing a sigh of relief as
much as he was celebrating.
It had been 55 days since Nystrom had celebrated one of his own
goals. His last came when he fired a bullet past Michigan State goalie
Dominic Vicari in November.
"I've had some chances," Nystrom said. "I've
been playing good defensive hockey and that's good,
but you always want to put a puck in the net."
Freshman Chad Kolarik fed the puck to Nystrom in p
the slot, and he put it in the back of the net.
"Tonight it was just sitting there, waiting for me,"
Nystrom said. "And the red light went on, and I forgot
what to do. I didn't know what to do."
He didn't have to wait nearly as long to score again, tallying his fifth
goal of the season on Saturday. Taking advantage of the Nanooks'
freshly inserted backup goalie Keith Bartusch, Nystrom grabbed a
rebound and slid it around the spread-out netminder.
During the recent scoring slump, Nystrom's contributions were not lost
on Michigan coach Red Berenson. In the 10 games between goals, the
senior had six assists and a plus-five rating. Berenson also commented on
Nystrom's intangibles, such as his physical presence and leadership.
"He's the glue on anything he does out there - penalty killing,
power play," Berenson said. "But it's still nice to see him get reward-
ed (with a goal) for his hard work."
HENSICK KEEPS SCORING: The phrase "you can't stop him, you can
only hope to contain him," is becoming ever more relevant to Michi-
gan forward T.J. Hensick. In each of the last seven games, the Mich-
igan sophomore has at least two points, and his plus-minus rating

FILE PHOTO
The Buckeyes welcome Michigan Friday.
UP NEXT:
OHIO STATE

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