The Michigan Wolverines kept their undefeated streak in tact when senior Scott Matzka netted the game-winning goal with just over a minute left in a 4-3 victory against Bowling Green on Sunday.
Matzka received a goalmouth pass from teammate Andy Hilbert and one-timed it past Bowling Green goaltender Tyler Masters, ending the Falcons’ hopes of getting their first points of the season.
“I was really glad he scored the winning goal,” Wolverines coach Red Berenson said. “He really did not have much to show for the weekend until then. He made some mistakes that cost us some goals, but he came up with the big play when we needed it.”
The Wolverines started the scoring when defenseman Jeff Jillson took the first shot at Masters, who left a rebound for Josh Langfeld. Langfeld took the puck from his forehand to backhand and placed it in the net.
Jillson would hit twine 12:52 into the first session when he one-timed a Mike Cammalleri pass on the power play from the blue line. Andy Hilbert was also credited with an assist on the play.
The Falcons got their first goal of the night when Greg Day beat Michigan goaltender Josh Blackburn on a breakaway during a 4-on-4 situation.
The second period started with another Michigan goal in the first 30 seconds. Masters was struck with a shot in the upper chest area, causing the Falcon trainer to come out and evaluate the sophomore. The stoppage put the faceoff in the Bowling Green zone, where Hilbert passed the puck to a wide-open Langfeld, who scored to give the Wolverines a 3-1 lead.
Unlike last Friday, the Falcons had more to say than one goal. Greg Day got his second goal of the night when he scored on a 2-on-1 situation, bringing the lead down to one goal. Then, with nearly five minutes to go in regulation, Bowling Green defenseman Grady Moore stopped a Wolverine clearing attempt and threw the puck across the net, where Day put a stick on it, beating Blackburn to complete the hat trick.
“It looked like we sat back,” Berenson said. “We got off to a great start and I thought we were dominating the game and then the game just changed. I do not know if it was the 4-on-4 goal or the way they started to forecheck, but they took a new life on their own in the second period. We escaped tonight with a win.”
The Wolverines record now stands at 4-0-2 on the season and 2-0-0 in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association standings. Bowling Green on the other hand is still looking for its first win and will have a chance against Alaska-Fairbanks next week.
