Really crunched for time this week so I don’t have a column-like thing to lead off with. Instead, please enjoy these non-sequiturs from Alex Guptill and Delonte’ Hollowell.

I love the all-caps philosopher. So true.

 

Ohio State at #13 Michigan

 

Friday, February 28, 2014

 

1^st Period

OSU 1 UM 0 04:26 EV

Schilkey from Niddery

Ohio State carries the puck through the neutral zone and gain the offensive zone, where it looks like the puck carrier is going to cut to the middle. That shouldn’t be a problem; Serville can take the guy skating towards the outside while Sinelli checks the guy in front of him.

Instead this turns into a lesson in why one shouldn’t chase the puck carrier. Sinelli gets caught up in his own feet trying to go front-to-back, but Copp’s close enough to check the puck carrier. Serville should stay in the circle that I’ve drawn around him and check the OSU player in said circle.

He skates all the way over, leaving the side of the front of the net exposed. Sinelli eventually fills the void, but he doesn’t notice the forward (Schilkey) who’s coming in with speed until it’s way too late.

I call this screenshot “Lost in Spacing.” Which is a stupid, punny way of saying hey maybe the defensemen shouldn’t defend an area with the same five-foot radius.

 

OSU 1 UM 1 19:31 EV

Guptill from Compher

 

2^nd Period

OSU 2 UM 1 10:00 PPG

Szczechura from Jardine & Jedig

Lynch does a good job of getting back across the ice and into shot blocking position. He gets his stick in the shooting lane, and Jardine’s shot deflects off of it.

It takes a strange bounce, and Szczechura comes in behind the play to tap it into the net.

 

3^rd Period

OSU 2 UM 2 14:44 EV

Guptill from Allen

Allen wins a battle in the corner and rifles an incredible pass to the slot for Guptill.

Guptill’s initial shot is stopped, but Tomkins gives up a rebound off of his left pad. Guptill is right there to put the puck up and over the already-butterflyed Tomkins.

 

 

#13 Michigan at Ohio State

 

Sunday, March 2, 2014

 

1^st Period

UM 1 OSU 0 02:26 PPG

Kile from Copp & Downing

Copp has the puck at the top of the circle, and you can see that Michigan has two players in front of the net. They’re there, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re screening the goaltender.

That does not, however, mean that the netfront players are in a bad position. Copp shoots, and the puck goes in off of a redirection from the blade of Kile’s stick.

 

UM 2 OSU 0 7:03 PPG

Moffatt from Copp & Downing

OSU is in a traditional box on the penalty kill. Looking at the red arrows below, you can see that none of the sticks that OSU players have in the passing lanes dissuade Copp from passing to a wide-open Moffatt.

Moffatt puts a great shot on net, but credit Kile for setting a great screen in front of Tomkins.

 

2^nd Period

UM 2 OSU 1 3:03 EV

Gust from Niddery & Healey

Downing gives up the puck after getting run over in the defensive zone. OSU picks it up and moves the puck through the neutral zone. They end up on a break with a 2-on-none advantage.

De Jong almost gets back on the backcheck but, like, doesn’t. Racine’s in a bad position; his stick is out like he thought about poke-checking Niddery before he passed. He vainly tries to apply that poke-check to Gust, but Gust just puts the puck over Racine’s blocker.

 

UM 3 OSU 1 6:12 PPG

DeBlois from Guptill & Nieves

Nieves misses a shot high and wide that then ends up in the corner. Guptill gets it and passes to DeBlois in the slot. OSU’s defenders are a step too deep, and they can’t do anything to stop the one-timer.

 

UM 3 OSU 2 17:45 PPG

Angeli from Jardine & Gedig

OSU enters the zone with speed. Like, lots of speed.

Angeli runs over Racine and the puck somehow goes in. Sigh.

Circled below: a centaur, but worse.

 

3^rd Period

UM 4 OSU 2 10:30 PPG

Di Giuseppe from Clare & Nieves

The defender circled above in red is shaded off of Di Giuseppe, instead choosing to check Guptill. This leaves Di Giuseppe open on the outside. Clare, playing his signature point position on the power play, moves the puck down to PDG.

PDG one-times the puck into the open corner of the net before Tomkins can flinch. Di Giuseppe cathartically jumps for joy after he scores.

 

UM 4 OSU 3 11:49 EV

Jardine from Niddery & Johnson

Racine stops the first shot and the rebound bounces all the way out to the faceoff circle. That’s actually not that dangerous, but this still ends in a goal. Jardine gets the puck near the blue line, holds it, and then unleashes a big shot that beats Racine (who stays upright for too long).