The UNM Ice Wolves played perhaps their most inspired game of the year holding heavily favored University of Colorado Buffaloes to a 3-3 tie Saturday after losing 8-2 on Friday.
Welcoming the touted Buffaloes this weekend to the Outpost Ice Arena, the Ice Wolves looked to get a solid home start in the 2003 season.
As the two teams stepped onto the ice it was apparent that the Wolves were the smaller club. The Buffaloes represented opponents of considerable size and also nearly doubled UNM in terms of their sheer number of players.
With the Buffs holding an obvious size advantage, from the moment the puck dropped, it was clear they intended to use it.
CU established a fast, aggressive game immediately controlling the puck in front of the Ice Wolves net and playing a hard-hitting defensive style. Just two minutes after the opening face-off the Buffaloes had a 1-0 lead. The goal came as CU forward Ryan Bronson caught Ice Wolves goaltender Josh Kinnunen out of position, it would be Kinnunen's only mistake of the game.
"It was a lucky thing," Bronson said. "I had a good position on the puck and it worked out."
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With a one-goal deficit, the Ice Wolves began to get into a rhythm. Playing an equally physical game as the Buffaloes, UNM players responded to CU's challenge with some hard hitting of their own. It also became apparent that the Buffaloes had not anticipated UNM's speed. However, every time the Ice Wolves threatened to settle into a solid tempo, penalties would thwart further momentum. Overall, UNM played 17 minutes of the 20 minute period with a man in the penalty box. At the end of the first period the Wolves trailed 2-0.
The second period saw a completely different UNM team as it established itself as more disciplined, and began to exorcise some of its penalty demons still lingering from the first period. Getting off to a fast start and relying on spectacular goal keeping and penalty killing, the Ice Wolves began to climb out of the cellar, just needing a small break to capitalize and shift the momentum. Finally, with a mere 3:24 left in the second period, that break would come by way of a UNM power play. With a man advantage, the Ice Wolves converted the power play opportunity on Oscar Solis' goal that cut the Buffalo lead to one. The good fortune did not stop there for UNM and three minutes later Anthony Martinez erased the CU lead with his equalizing goal. At the end of the second period the score was tied 2-2.
The start of the third period marked yet another metamorphosis in the flow of the game as the tempo became amplified to a frenzied pitch creating odd-man rushes for both teams. It became just a matter of time before one team would catch the other off balance. The Ice Wolves would be the first to seize the advantage and seven and a half minutes into the third period they gained control of the lead for the first time in the contest by way of a Nick Hoffman goal. It appeared that UNM had maintained its quality play long enough for an impressive upset victory. But with just 3:09 left to play in regulation, the CU Buffaloes tied the game 3-3 and forced sudden death overtime.
In the extra session, neither team could take control and the contest ended tied at 3-3.
"We sure underestimated these guys," CU forward Bronson said of the Ice Wolves. "You should never look past an opponent, I don't think we exactly did that, but they surprised us."
After Friday night's loss and Saturday night's tie, the Ice Wolves are 3-9-2-2 overall. UNM's next home series is Friday, Feb. 7 at 9 p.m. and Saturday, Feb. 8 at 5 p.m. at the Outpost Ice Arena when the Ice Wolves take on the Ice Devils of Arizona State University.
