DETROIT, Mich.--Greetings from historic Joe Louis Arena and the 44th annual Great Lakes Invitational!
The opening game between Michigan and Michigan Tech is about seven minutes old and the Wolverines are already up 2-0 after scoring on their first two shots of the game. Pretty sparse Saturday afternoon crowd, although both schools' bands are in attendance.
It's been as smooth a trip as could be to this point. After team dinner on Friday night, the players dropped their equipment off in the Red Wings' locker room and it was interesting to watch them snapping pictures on their camera phones, most of them with a look of awe on their faces.
Much like at Engelstad Arena, it is impossible to walk anywhere in the "Joe" without being reminded of the incredible tradition of the Red Wings franchise.
3:21 p.m.
A couple of people with past ties to UND athletics are lending their efforts to the GLI.
Former Sioux defenseman Abbey Strong, who played on UND's first two women's hockey teams, is assisting host Michigan Tech with the press box operations. Strong, a Houghton, Mich., native and former MTU athletics employee, now works in the compliance office at New Jersey Tech, a Great West Conference peer of North Dakota's.
Also, former UND assistant media relations director Mitch Wigness is helping out. Wigness is now the assistant athletic director for media relations at the University of Indianapolis.
3:25 p.m.
Michigan is up 3-0 just 12 minutes into the game on a natural hat trick by sophomore Louie Caporusso. The shots are 5-2 in favor of the Wolverines.
3:38 p.m.
Michigan leads 4-0 after the first period. Shots are 10-7 and MTU starting goalie Josh Robinson has already been chased from the game.
4:25 p.m.
Still 4-0 Michigan after two periods. Unofficially, the shots in the second period were 10-1 in favor of the Wolverines.
4:49 p.m.
Just got back to the press box from the ice level media room where I ran into none other than former UND assistant coach Brad Berry. Berry, one of the nicest people I have ever had the pleasure of dealing with in athletics, now scouts for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks.
5:13 p.m.
It's finally over. Michigan blanks Michigan Tech, 5-0. The Huskies manage just 15 shots on goal, including only eight over the final two periods.
6:36 p.m.
Time to drop the puck. Brad Eidsness starts in goal, with the Watkins-Zajac-Martens line up front and LaPoint and Genoway on the blueline.
0-1, 7:14 mark
Puck rolls in front to Schepke, who fans on the puck but gets enough of it to dribble it over the stick of a sprawled Eidsness for the power-play goal. It's Schepke's team-leading eighth goal of the year.
First Intermission
UND trails 1-0. The Sioux were plagued by penalties in the early going, but got much stronger as the period went on. Both Eidsness and MSU goalie Jeff Lerg acquitted themselves well, with each stopping 10 shots. UND had a handful of scoring opportunities in the final 10 minutes, including a Joe Finley rocket off the post from the high slot.
2nd Period
0-2, 1:39
Finley and defense partner Brad Miller get tangled up inside the Sioux blueline on an odd-man MSU rush and Schepke one-times a Corey Tropp pass to make it 2-0.
Second Intermission
UND trails 2-0 despite throwing 27 shots on goal through two periods. Schepke, with two goals, and Lerg, with 27 saves, are the difference.
3rd Period
Underway. The Sioux are 1-7-0 this year when trailing after two periods.
1-2, 16:34 (PP)
The Sioux finally beat Lerg on a Matt Frattin one-timer from the right faceoff dot, his team-leading eighth goal of the year.
Genoway with a great chance to tie it, but his slap shot from just inside the hash marks with 42.6 seconds left is stopped by Lerg.
Final, 1-2
UND doesn't get another quality chance after the Genoway opportunity and a four-game winning streak comes to an end.
