A two-goal first period that included a slew of odd-man rushes helped push the Michigan Wolverines to a 4-2 win over the Boston College Eagles in the second Great Lakes Invitational semifinal.
“Michigan created a lot of offensive chances on us, the 2-on-1s, 3-on-1s,” said Boston College coach Jerry York. “That’s a big concern for us as we look at the game.”
Michigan’s David Wohlberg scored on Michigan’s first odd-man rush just 1:32 into the contest. With Alex Guptil flanking him on the right side, Wohlberg get kept the puck and snapped a shot past Brian Billet.
The post aided Billet during Michigan’s first period onslaught as a breakaway attempt by Zach Hyman slipped past him. Boston College’s freshman netminder also denied Wohlberg on his own during a clean breakaway late in the first frame after Wohlberg shifted to his backhand.
“We showed the effects of a 15-16 day layoff,” said York. “We just stood around and watched Michigan. The long layover causes problems. We took too many chances with three guys down low and all of a sudden, Michigan has the puck on the breakout.”
Boston College came out strong in the second period and evened the game at two apiece by the midpoint of the frame. The Eagles’ comeback was aided by four power plays in the second period, including one they converted on to knot the game back up at two.
However, another odd-man rush by the Wolverines broke the tie.
“We got the jump and Boston College came back,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson. “We were fortunate for [A.J.] Treais’ game-winning goal. It was a hard-fought game.”
Treais fired a shot past Billet during a 2-on-1 that left Billet trying to cover both Michigan players as it appeared that Tommy Cross didn’t communicate which attacker he was going to cover.
“We’ve been working on that in practice, pushing the pace and getting the puck up ice,” said Wohlberg.
The goal was Treais’ third game-winning goal in a GLI contest. The junior forward had both game-winners in Michigan’s 2010 GLI championship.
Treais nearly added a second goal to his list of tallies at the Joe, but he fanned on a pass giving Billet time to get over and make the save on his second attempt.
Michigan’s comfort in Joe Louis Arena clearly showed in tonight’s contest.
“This is a rink we’re real familiar with,” said Berenson. “This is a tournament we won last year and we have confidence here.”
With the win, Michigan will face Michigan State in the GLI championship game for the first time since 2008 when the Wolverines defeated the Spartans 5-1, while the Eagles will face off against Michigan Tech in the consolation game.
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