Stoykewych's OT Goal Lifts Colorado College; Keeps NCAA Hopes Alive

The Colorado College Tigers came into the playoffs as the WCHA's eighth seed and were almost an afterthought heading into the Final Five; an appetizer before their opponents, North Dakota, had one last battle with rival Minnesota before the two go their separate ways once the season is over. But the Tgers, who came into the playoffs knowing they needed to win their first ever Broadmoor Trophy to play in the NCAA tournament weren't ready to go home yet. A shot from the point by Peter Stoykewych in overtime deflected off a North Dakota defender and into the net to give Colorado College a shocking 4-3 overtime win over North Dakota.

The Tigers got the scoring started first when Rylan Schwartz tapped in a loose puck in the crease after a nice play by teammate Cody Bradley to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. North Dakota answered back with two goals of their own, and seemed to be in control of the game until a Rylan Schwartz pass sprung teammate Alex Krushelnyski on a shorthand breakaway. Krushelnyski confidently backhanded the puck into the net to tie the game. Hunter Fejes gave the Tigers a 3-2 lead 3:42 into the third period, but North Dakota answered back with the game-tying goal with just 7:15 left.

The game headed to overtime when Stoykewych's harmless-looking shot deflected off a North Dakota pad at 4:52 of overtime, sending the Tigers to the Final Five semifinals and a date with 2nd seed, and #1 in the country Minnesota.

Goalie Joe Howe was once again outstanding for the Tigers, making 29 stops, including a number of high quality saves to give his team a chance to win. He'll need an equally stellar performance tomorrow evening against one of the nation's top offenses.