DEFENSE LEADS THE ATTACK
Hunwick, Johnson combine for nine points in 5-3 victory

It was a career night for a pair of defensemen at Yost Ice Arena.

Junior defenseman Matt Hunwick posted a career high five points, including his second career hat trick, and freshman defenseman Jack Johnson added a career high four points, including his first career goal, as the Michigan hockey team completed the sweep of Quinnipiac with a 5-3 victory.

Hunwick is the first U-M player to score five points in a game since Mike Comrie in November '99.

He put the Wolverines on the board 7:48 into the opening stanza on the power play.  Johnson's shot was stopped by Bobcats goalie Wes Russell and Hunwick buried the rebound.

The Wolverines held the lead all of 45 seconds when Brian Leitch took a whack at the puck and it somehow snuck past U-M goalie Billy Sauer.

With the game tied heading into the second period, the Wolverines would break the game open with three goals in a 2:49 span.

Playing four-on-four hockey, Hunwick netted his second goal of the night at 5:59, followed by Andrew Ebbett's first tally of the season 52 seconds later.  Then at 8:48 Johnson released a shot from the blueline that beat Russell to make it 4-1.

The Bobcats would get one back with 3:37 left in the period when Matt Sorteberg's shot redirected off Hunwick's skate past Sauer.  This is the second game in a row Sauer's had a goal scored against him that deflected off a Wolverine.

With 6:48 left in the third period, the hats came flying on the ice when Hunwick completed the hat trick during a five-on-three power play.

Quinnipiac would get one more with 1:36 left in regulation on the power play.  Dan Henningson beat Sauer with a shot off the draw.

Sauer finished the game with 24 saves, while Russell turned aside 33 Wolverine shots.

Both teams were 2-for-10 on the power play.

A solid start for the new look Wolverines, but they'll get their first real test next Friday night at Boston College visits Yost Ice Arena in a big showdown.  That game can only be seen on Comcast local in Ann Arbor, and as always you can listen to it on WTKA.

FRIDAY NIGHT CORRECTIONS:  A few corrections from Friday night.  Thanks to those of you who pointed out I had Josh Siembida in net for Quinnipiac when in fact it was Bud Fisher.  Also, the box score changed quite a bit after the game.  Travis Turnbull went from being credited with two goals to no goals, but he had two assists.  Ann Arbor native Danny Fardig was credited with the first goal, while Kevin Porter netted the other two.

CCHA SCORES
Michigan State 5, Wayne State 1 - Lefty McFadden Invitational
North Dakota 3, Miami 0 - Lefty McFadden Invitational
Western Ontario 4, at Ferris State 3 (exhibition)
at Western Michigan 9, Brock 0 (exhibition)
at Northern Michigan 9, York 2 (exhibition)
U.S. Under-18 Team 4, at Lake Superior State 3 (exhibition)

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That's all for now...

Go Blue!

Jason
Michigan Hockey Net
http://MichiganHockey.net/