Wolverines repeat as GLI champs with dominating win over Spartans

After winning nine consecutive Great Lakes Invitational championships before going on a ten year drought, the Michigan hockey team captured their second consecutive title and started a new streak following a dominating 5-1 victory over Michigan State in the title game.

After giving up the game’s opening goal to Matt Schepke during a 5-on-3 Spartan power play 12:28 into the opening stanza, the Wolverines scored five unanswered goals and bombarded MSU goalie Jeff Lerg with 54 shots on goal.

Travis Turnbull started the rally four minutes after the Schepke goal with a backhander from the slot beating Lerg.  Chris Summers did a good job to hold the puck in at the point and Luke Glendening dug it out of the corner and setup Turnbull.

The game was tied 1-1 after the first period with the shots 18-15 in favor of U-M.  But in the second period, the Wolverines decided to stop toying with Little Brother.

Just 2:11 into the second stanza, Turnbull skated the puck down the right side, passed it to the center to Brandon Naurato, who slipped it to Ben Winnett for the chip shot over Lerg to make it 2-1.  It was Winnett’s first goal since the opening weekend.

On the power play with 5:22 left in the period, Summers sent a pass from the left circle across to Naurato at the right circle and he ripped a one-timer just inside the shortside post to give U-M a two goal cushion.

Three minutes later Tim Miller fanned on a pass from Summers, but kept control, got around a defender, and beat Lerg as he lunged out of the net for U-M’s third goal of the period.

Michigan outshot the Spartans 20-3 in the second period and carried a 4-1 lead into the third period.

They made it 5-1 with a power play goal at 1:16 of the third when Louie Caporusso skated around a defenseman, cut towards the net, avoided a diving Lerg, and sent a backhander top shelf.  That was one for the highlight reel.

The Wolverines shutdown the Spartans again in the third period keeping them off the scoreboard and outshooting them 16-2.  So after a relatively even first period, the Wolverines outshot MSU 36-5 over the final 40 minutes.

Bryan Hogan got the nod in net again and finished the game with 19 saves.  He was named to the All-Tournament team.

Others named to the All-Tournament team were Louie Caporusso, Chris Summers, Chad Langlais, Matt Schepke (Michigan State), and Jordan Baker (Michigan Tech).  Caporusso was named the MVP.