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Denver 'Jinx' Strikes Skaters Again

Denver 'Jinx' Strikes Skaters Again image
Parent Issue
Day
29
Month
November
Year
1975
Copyright
Copyright Protected
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Donated by the Ann Arbor News. © The Ann Arbor News.
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Denver 'Jinx’ Strikes Skaters Again

Special to The News

DENVER — Michigan Coach Dan Farrell wasn’t talking after the Wolverines lost their Western Collegiate Hockey Association game to Denver, 3-2, Friday night.

Maybe that’s because there wasn’t too much to say.

The Wolverines haven’t won in the Mile High City is almost six years, not since a 4-2 triumph back on Feb. 28, 1970, and they get their last chance for another year tonight at 10 p.m. (EST) in Denver University Arena. The game will be broadcast on WAAM (1600).

It was defense that did the trick for the Pioneers, who raised their record to 6-5 overall and 4-5 in the WCHA with the upset. Michigan outshot Denver, 64-52, but couldn’t cash in on its opportunities, thanks to a back line that kept 40 of those attempts from ever reaching goalie Jim Bales.

Denver was a man short for the last 49 seconds of the game but still kept up so much pressure that Farrell couldn’t pull netminder Robbie Moore. Michigan only took 16 shots in the entire third period: four were blocked by the defense, six were off target entirely and Bales took care of the other half-dozen.

In the first period, when Michigan racked up a 28-15 margin in shots attempted, the best the Wolverines could do was a 1-1 tie. Gary Morrison gave the Blue a quick lead with a goal at 1:49 but Doug Berry tied it for Denver on a power play at the 18:20 mark.

Dave Robinson gave the Pioneers a short-lived lead at 4:40 of the second period before Chris Manery tied it again 12 second later.

That set the stage for a breakaway goal by Gordon Gibson with 13:03 elapsed in the stanza. Denver needed no more, shutting the door the rest of the way to drop the Wolverines- to a 5-4 mark overall and a 4-3 ledger in the league.

The Pioneers didn’t have a big home crowd cheering them on. The students here are on their six-week semester break and only 2,930 fans paid their way into the 5,000-seat facility.

Denver increased its lead in the all-time series between the two schools to 37-20. In the 26 seasons the teams have faced off against each other, only one tie has been recorded.

Michigan is now in a three-way tie for fourth place with Michigan Tech and Minnesota-Duluth. Minnesota (5-3) is second to front-running Michigan State (7-2). Colorado State (4-3) leads the Wolverines by 15 percentage points, while Denver and Notre Dame are deadlocked for seventh at 4-5, followed by Wisconsin (2-5) and North Dakota (2-7).

FIRST PERIOD
SCORING: 1 — (M) Morrison (T. Lindskog, DeBol)m l:49; 2 — (D) Berry (Campbell, Thomson), PP, 18:20

PENALTIES: 1 — (D) Schlitts (cross checking), 2:39; 2 - (M) Rob Palmer (holding), 10:18; 3 — (M) Moore (delay of game), 11:45; 4 - (M) Hughes (tripping), 14:52; 5 (D) Gibson (tripping), 15:19; 6 — (M) D. Lindskog (hooking), 17:55; 7 - (D) Woods (interfernece), 19:12.

SECOND PERIOD

SCORING: 3 — (D) Robinson (Graiziger, Sandbeck), 4:40; 4 — (M) Manery (D. Lindskog, Fox), 4:52; 5 — (D) Gibson (unassisted), 13:03.

PENALTIES 8 — (M) Morrison (high sticking), 6:03; 9 - (D) Thomson (hooking), 7:43.

THIRD PERIOD

SCORING: None.

PENALTIES: 10 — (D) Falcone (hooking), 10:21; 11 — (M) Kawa (tripping), 14:01; 12 — (D) Jajac (high sticking), 18:05; 13 (M) D. Llndskog (high sticking), 11:05; 14— (D) Falcone (tripping), 18:11.

SCORE BY PERIODS

MICHIGAN .........................1 1 0 — 2

DENVER ............................1 2 0 --- 3

GOALIE SAVES

BALES (D) ..........................11 5 6 --- 22

MOORE .............................(M) 5 14 8 --- 27

ATTENDANCE: 2,930. OFFICIALS: Gordon Lee, Dick Haigh.