March 29, 2024
BANGOR DAILY NEWS (BANGOR, MAINE

Oliver’s breakaway goal lifts Michigan by Maine

DETROIT – The championship game of the 26th annual Great Lakes Invitational Tournament came down to a bounce of the hockey puck and the bounce went the University of Michigan’s way.

The puck hopped over the stick of Maine defenseman Tony Link enabling David Oliver to score off a breakaway with just 3:35 remaining as Michigan beat the Black Bears 3-1 to win its third straight GLI championship Saturday night.

David Roberts iced the win with a shorthanded empty-net goal with just six seconds left.

Michigan is now 14-5-3 while the Black Bears fell to 14-5-1.

Michigan Tech won the consolation game over Michigan State 3-2.

The teams had swapped second-period goals in the championship as Martin Robitaille’s 15th goal of the season staked Maine to a 1-0 lead at the 7:19 mark but Aaron Ward tied it on the power play 6:14 later.

Jim Montgomery sent Jean-Yves Roy in on a clear breakaway late in the second period but Michigan freshman goalie Steve Shields robbed Roy by closing his pads on Roy’s wrist shot.

Both teams had some good chances in the third period but it was Oliver who capitalized.

“I had the puck at our blue line and when I went to swat at it, it jumped over my stick,” said Link. “He (Oliver) was flying at me and I got caught flat-footed. I tried to get back.”

Maine goalie Garth Snow came out to challenge Oliver.

“I wanted to move over but I ended up stopping right in my tracks,” said Snow. “I still got over with my body but he hit it in off the post.”

It was Oliver’s eighth goal of the season and his third game-winner. He is tied for the team lead in game-winners with Denny Felsner.

“We didn’t get any breaks,” said Snow. “The pucks weren’t bouncing our way.”

Maine received a power-play opportunity with 1:16 left when Black Bear Coach Shawn Walsh had Felsner’s stick measured and it turned out to be illegal.

The Bears pulled Snow with 33 seconds left and had a two-man advantage but they couldn’t get the equalizer and Roberts found the empty net for his 14th goal of the season.

Michigan outshot Maine 11-5 in the first period thanks to two power-play advantages but Snow came up with some good saves to preserve the 0-0 tie.

In the second period, Robitaille won a face-off back to Keith Carney and he passed it to Straub.

“Brian’s shot hit the goalie in the shoulder and rolled up over his arm,” said Robitaille. “It was sitting there and I put it in.”

Snow was assessed a high-sticking minor later in the period and freshman defenseman Aaron Ward tied it up with a drive from the point. It was his third goal of the year.

“I went down and it went between my legs,” said Snow. “I should have stayed up.”

Maine outshot the Wolverines 13-10 in the second period.

Michigan held a 10-3 shot margin in the final period to finish the game with a 31-21 edge in shots.

“Our kids played very well,” said Walsh. “We certainly received excellent goaltending and our defense played well enough to win. But I was disappointed that we didn’t capitalize on our chances. You have to give credit to the Michigan goalie for that.”

“We out-attempted them 56-52 and they had 16 Grade-A (high-percentage) shots on goal to our 12,” added Walsh. “I was very proud of our players. It was a fabulous game. This was the best game we’ve been involved in in terms of speed.”

Michigan went 1-for-5 on the power play to Maine’s 0-for-3.

Shields, who allowed just two goals on 44 shots in two tourney wins, was chosen the tourney’s Most Valuable Player. He was also the All-Tourney goalie.

He was joined on the All-Tourney team by teammates Felsner and Ward and Maine’s Montgomery, Robitaille and Carney.

Montgomery had his school-record tying 23-game point-scoring streak snapped by Michigan.

Maine, 3-3 in Hockey East, returns to league play with a Wednesday night home game against Providence, which is 11-3-1 overall and 3-3-1 in Hockey East.

Wolverines 3, Bears 1

Michigan 0 1 2 – 3 Maine 0 1 0 – 1

First Period – No scoring. Penalties – Michigan, Wiseman, cross checking, 8:10; Maine, Montgomery, cross checking, 8:10; Maine, Mercier, interference, 11:48; Maine, Murphy, interference, 15:35

Second Period – 1. Maine, Robitaille 15 (Straub, Carney), 7:19; 2. Michigan, Ward 3 (Wiseman, Stone), 13:33. Penalties – Michigan, Tamer, roughing, 3:39; Michigan, Felsner, high sticking, 9:00; Maine, Olson, cross checking, 11:10; Michigan, Ward, holding, 11:21; Maine, Snow, high sticking (served by Tomberlin), 13:06; Michigan, Ward, roughing, 18:09; Maine, Carney, roughing, 18:09

Third Period – 3. Michigan, Oliver 8 (unassisted), 16:25; 4. Michigan, Roberts 14 (unassisted), 19:54. Penalties – Maine, Widmeyer, tripping, 5:54; Michigan, Felsner, illegal stick minor and 10-minute misconduct, 18:44.

Shots on goal: Michigan 11-10-10 – 31; Maine 5-13-3 – 21

Goaltenders: Michigan, Steve Shields; Maine, Garth Snow

Attendance: 16,782


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