KALAMAZOO - Questions about the will and desire of the Michigan hockey team might well have been answered Saturday night at Lawson Ice Arena.
It was with 7.1 seconds left in the game - the Western Michigan fans already celebrating victory - that forward Mark Kosick made the save.
He didn't save a goal - he scored one. But with that goal, Kosick saved a tie with the Broncos, 2-2, and he may have saved more than just the game.
"We've been going through some tough times these last four or five games," Kosick said. "This was another tough game, but I think we can take something out of the tie."
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| SARA SCHENCK/Daily Dale Rominski and the Michigan hockey team were 7.1 seconds away from losing their fourth straight game. But the Wolverines came back to tie Western Michigan 2-2. |
"This team is not about to give up," Berenson said. "Our team has shown that grit and that character that it takes to stay in these games."
And that's something Michigan fans may be happy to hear after watching their team extend its winless streak to six games - a first in 10 seasons for the Wolverines.
"The last four games we've played from behind - we never had the lead in any of these games," Berenson said. "But we've gotten back in the game - tonight we were down, 2-0, and we got back in the game, and I like that about our team. Hopefully that will help us somewhere down the road."
And the road is where Michigan appears to need the most help of late. The Wolverines have not won away from Yost Ice Arena since the first round of the Great Lakes Invitational against Michigan Tech on Dec. 26.
As for early-game deficits, Saturday's game was certainly no exception for Michigan. The Broncos came hard out of the gates, creating two scoring chances early, that were staved off only by the sharp play of goaltender Josh Blackburn.
In fact, by the time Western's Chuck Mindel finally beat Blackburn for the game's first goal, Michigan had yet to see a real scoring opportunity.
After the period's lone penalty was called on the Broncos, the Wolverines were able to set up a good power play cycle - only to be snubbed by Western goalie Matt Barnes. Shortly after the advantage expired, a Jeff Jillson poke-check kept the Broncos from tallying another goal before the end of the period.
Michigan seemed to be outmuscled in the first from the drop of the puck, and managed only four shots on goal to Western's seven.
But the second period was a different story completely. Michigan came out firing, and eclipsed Western's shot total in less than a minute. The Wolverines dominated play for much of the second - but that didn't stop Western defenseman Daryl Andrews form adding to Western's lead midway through the period.
Seemingly undaunted, Michigan continued its solid second-period play, killing off a 3-on-5 and another power play before Josh Langfeld finally put the Wolverines on the board.
The third period belonged to the goalies - as Blackburn had seven huge saves to keep the Wolverines in the game while Barnes came ever-so-close to recording a win.
With just more than a minute to go, Berenson spent his timeout and called for the hands team. Kosick was joined by freshman Mike Comrie - and after a quick changeup, Langfeld - for the game-tying sequence. Even with 7.1 seconds reaming, the Wolverines lined up for the faceoff, seemingly intent to net a go-ahead goal.
Michigan pressed for the win in overtime and had several chances, but the Broncos steadily dumped the puck into their offensive zone to quell Michigan pressure, waiting for the clock to run out on overtime and the Wolverines' momentum.
"I think our team realizes how hard we have to work every night just to stay even - just to have a chance," Berenson said. "We weren't playing for a tie, so I don't think we feel great about the outcome - but we can feel okay about the team effort."
- Comments about our hockey coverage can be sent via email to dailyhockey@umich.edu
02-15-99
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