Re: tUMD @ UNO - We have our separate forums so this should be a quiet thread
Odds and ends from the game yesterday.
I thought UMD largely outplayed UNO in the first period and they got off to a fast start, taking a 1 zip lead very early in the game. UNO got a cheap power play goal on a rebound (errant pass?) that went to the right place at the right time and Zombo slammed it home. Then, UNO got another goal from Matt White, who was skating his first shift of the game (that I saw--my wife and I had already had a "where is he?" conversation just before this happened), for some odd reason, at the 15:44 mark. Then, UNO gave up a bad one with less than a minute left and the period ended, 2 - 2.
Right before UNO gave up the game tying goal in the 1st, I said to my wife that UMD had to be a bit disillusioned since they were behind, and, had outshot and largely outplayed UNO to that point.
The 2nd period was largely uneventful until late and then UMD's wheels just came off as, with under two minutes left they took a tripping penalty, and then, of all things, UNO scored again on the power play just under a minute later. UNO came into this series with the 49th ranked power play in D-1, just so you know. Our power play has been dyslexic, to put it mildly. To add insult to injury, UMD gave up a another goal with just under 10 seconds left in the period to make it 4 - 2 going into the 2nd intermission.
In the 3rd, UMD got a power play goal after UNO took yet another "too many men on the ice" penalty. For you UMD fans and others, that is the fifth such call on UNO this season. Or, to put it another way, more than we had all last season, and, the season before that, combined!. Utterly ridiculous. That put a little spring back in UMD's step except UNO got it right back about 5 minutes later and then, at the 11;41 mark, UNO captain Brent Gwidt got behind the UMD defense for like the umpteenth time in the game and finally scored the goal he'd come close to getting on at least 3 other occasions and both teams then pretty much mailed it in from there.
I was astounded by how often UNO got behind UMD's defense the whole game, though, and how UMD didn't wall UNO off at their own blue line at all, either. I thought UMD let UNO skate around with entirely too much impunity. They also looked a little gassed in the 3rd period.
I haven't looked to try and see when or if, but, I am trying to remember that last time we were outshot in consecutive games--and won both games.
Crummy crowd (size-wise) for a conference opponent, considering it's an opponent a season removed from winning the title and less than a year removed from being here as the #1 team in the country.
It'll be interesting to see where UMD is by season's end, as, guess where UNO ends it's regular season?
