SB Nation College Hockey: All Posts by Sean DavichCollege Hockey's Home on the Blogospherehttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/49993/wchb-fav.png2022-11-05T21:09:03-07:00https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/authors/sean-davich/rss2022-11-05T21:09:03-07:002022-11-05T21:09:03-07:00Minnesota Sweeps Notre Dame with Saturday Shutout
<figure>
<img alt="COLLEGE HOCKEY: OCT 01 Lindenwood at Minnesota" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/0qpz4Q2s4F2FksnWG-ExQ3Nx9j8=/0x0:3553x2369/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71590735/1243658379.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Bailey Hillesheim/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="4CNpUb"><strong>MINNEAPOLIS – </strong>For Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko and his team, the home conference schedule couldn’t have started off any better.</p>
<p id="fuqprH">Three different players scored goals, and Justen Close made 21 saves to earn a shutout as the #3 Minnesota Golden Gophers blanked the #12 Notre Dame Fighting Irish 3-0 on Saturday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci, sweeping the Big Ten series and jumping to a 3-1 start in conference play.</p>
<p id="tCzrIR">It was all Gophers on both ends of the ice as Minnesota put 31 shots on goal and didn’t allow Notre Dame any quality chances. A complete game both nights this weekend, in other words.</p>
<p id="8xREBy">“We knew it was gonna be a battle,” Motzko said. “You knew they were gonna have a push. I thought our defensemen did a terrific job tonight.”</p>
<p id="cvq07I">For the third straight weekend, it was mostly a struggle for the Notre Dame offense. In their last six games, they’ve scored just nine goals, and five of those came in a 5-0 victory over Michigan State on October 28. They scored just once all weekend against the Gophers, and on Saturday night they had trouble in the neutral and offensive zones with passing and getting off quality shots. By the time they killed off a five-minute major penalty near the end of the second period, they trailed the Gophers 2-0 and had just seven shots on goal for the game.</p>
<p id="vFGcY7">“Any time you play against great players, it’s always a challenge,” said Notre Dame head coach Jeff Jackson. “You have to possess the puck and minimize the time you have to defend. We just need to get better at that.”</p>
<p id="XaiB6q">The first period was mostly quiet with Minnesota getting most of the limited open looks. But the tough Notre Dame defense snuffed them out, and Ryan Bischel, who was pounded on Friday with 45 shots faced, kept the Gophers off the scoreboard in the initial 20 minutes for the second straight night. He finished Saturday with 28 saves.</p>
<p id="Qv4lw7">“He’s a good goaltender,” Jackson said. “We’re only gonna go as far as he takes us, so we just gotta get on track offensively.”</p>
<p id="7he0Wk">Jaxon Nelson got things started in the second period for Minnesota, scoring on a backhand shot. A major and a game misconduct were issued to Irish forward Jesse Lansdell, who hit Brock Faber, following a review after the Nelson goal, then the Gophers added to their lead on the ensuing major when a Jimmy Snuggerud shot was deflected to the crease right in front of Matthew Knies, who knocked it into a wide-open net.</p>
<p id="0AYbes">Notre Dame didn’t find any offensive rhythm until under two minutes left in regulation when they finally started applying pressure, but they couldn’t get anything past Close and Logan Cooley capped the weekend’s scoring with an empty-net goal with 3.1 seconds left.</p>
<p id="IVhM1b">Overall, it was a very good series for Minnesota; a dominant sweep over a ranked conference foe. Is there a lesson to be learned from all this?</p>
<p id="z7WLae">“A great growing game for our group. I like to have lessons like that when you win,” Motzko said.</p>
<p id="aRuX6H">Jackson believes there’s something to be learned too.</p>
<p id="Pz4hr9">“We played better, but obviously you gotta score to win,” he said.</p>
<p id="buSKwy">Minnesota will host Penn State in a two-game series next weekend, while Notre Dame heads home to South Bend to host Michigan.</p>
<p id="2kCueO"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="KB4ZLV"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="DGK1tz">No scoring.</p>
<p id="lZmD2y"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="zyFdpy">MINN goal at 10:15: Jaxon Nelson (2). Assisted by Bryce Brodzinski (2) and Mason Nevers (3).</p>
<p id="a5xV89">MINN power-play goal at Matthew Knies (7). Assisted by Jimmy Snuggerud (4) and Ryan Johnson (6).</p>
<p id="qMzYGu"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="6pK99N">MINN empty-net goal at 19:57: Logan Cooley (3). Assisted by Ryan Johnson (6).</p>
<p id="YB7TZI"><strong>Power plays: </strong>ND 0-2, MINN 1-4.</p>
<p id="G2u9uc"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>ND 21, MINN 31.</p>
<p id="AYZAoH"></p>
<p id="ipiZAl"></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/big-ten/2022/11/5/23442912/minnesota-sweeps-notre-dame-with-saturday-shutoutSean Davich2022-10-22T21:05:27-07:002022-10-22T21:05:27-07:00North Dakota Earns a Split with Minnesota in a Wild 5-4 Victory
<figure>
<img alt="COLLEGE HOCKEY: MAR 18 NCHC Frozen Faceoff - Western Michigan v North Dakota" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/3lH4xMrIhFnXDk9ABwDEEf9zlFA=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71531342/1239451590.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p id="fraqgh"><strong>MINNEAPOLIS – </strong>In one of college hockey’s most intense and storied rivalries, you have to expect the unexpected and be prepared for anything. Especially in front of an electric crowd that loves seeing games like those.</p>
<p id="EkDRze">After dropping an overtime heartbreaker on Friday night, #7 North Dakota returned the favor Saturday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci with a 5-4 overtime victory over top-ranked Minnesota, splitting the nonconference series in front of a very loud sold-out crowd.</p>
<p id="qxVXgU">Mark Senden scored twice for the Fighting Hawks, who used a four-goal rally over a span of 3:54 in the second period to overcome a two-goal deficit and take control of the momentum after the Gophers jumped ahead in the first nine minutes of the middle frame.</p>
<p id="oZHL9b">“Just happened to stay mentally focused,” said Senden, who also scored the game-winning goal about halfway through overtime.</p>
<p id="U39PS8">Four different players lit the lamp for Minnesota, but they were done in by some untimely second-period penalties in a game they otherwise dominated offensively.</p>
<p id="l4wUm2">“We absolutely dominated for 55 minutes,” said Gophers head coach Bob Motzko. “Then we took penalties after whistles. After whistles. And we let them back in the game.</p>
<p id="YWonmg">“Outside of that little window, our guys battled tonight.”</p>
<p id="2CZAg5">The first period was an intense display of physical hockey, reminiscent of how these two successful programs and longtime archrivals have battled over the years. Minnesota outshot North Dakota 15-6 in the opening 20 minutes, but UND played with a tough backcheck and didn’t allow many quality chances in front of goaltender Drew DeRidder.</p>
<p id="sZVotR">With just 16 seconds left in the first, Fighting Hawks defenseman Tyler Kleven was assessed a major and game misconduct after hitting Brody Lamb up high with his elbow in the neutral zone.</p>
<p id="qXLGWW">Matthew Knies, who had Friday’s overtime winner, scored the only Minnesota goal on the major penalty 48 seconds into the second period as a Jackson LaCombe shot from the right point rebounded to him on the doorstep. Rhett Pitlick doubled the lead exactly eight minutes later on a low wrister, but that’s when the real craziness began. In a moment of celebration, Pitlick tossed his hockey stick into the crowd after the goal, and the refs sent him to the penalty box for a ten-minute misconduct.</p>
<p id="rwtTrG">It was that moment that seemed to light a fire under the Fighting Hawks, who had been outshot 27-6 by the Gophers at that point and hadn’t had a shot on goal in about 20 minutes, and they went to work shortly after. Cal Thomas was called for boarding halfway through the second period, and 40 seconds later Jackson Blake beat Owen Bartoszkiewicz five-hole for a big goal, cutting the UND deficit to 2-1.Then after Ryan Chesley was called for hooking, it took 28 seconds to tie the game as Riese Gaber scored the equalizer.</p>
<p id="062Mn6">“Let’s keep our foot on the gas,” Fighting Hawks head coach Brad Berry responded when he was asked about what he told his team after the game was tied.</p>
<p id="gPwLO8">Senden scored his first goal just 18 seconds after Gaber’s tally, and just like that, North Dakota was in the lead. Then the special teams nightmare continued for Minnesota as Logan Cooley was assessed a major and a misconduct for facemasking. The ensuing long power play saw Jackson Kunz join the scoring party, completing a scoring barrage of four goals in a span of three minutes and 54 seconds and making it a 4-2 Fighting Hawks lead. Bartoszkiewicz was relieved in favor of Justen Close after that.</p>
<p id="0uCJko">“We kinda hung him out to dry there. I feel bad for him,” Motzko said. “We did some things in front of him you shouldn’t do.”</p>
<p id="VPYYxI">The Gophers weren’t done, however. Connor Kurth got one past DeRidder out front in the dying seconds of the second period to make it 4-3, and Jimmy Snuggerud tied it early in the third after a lengthy offensive zone shift of nearly two minutes. Momentum was back on the Minnesota side, but they couldn’t find a way to get another puck past DeRidder.</p>
<p id="eu6Pjq">“He was composed,” Berry said of his senior goalie transfer from Michigan State. “Drew made some huge saves tonight.”</p>
<p id="ABjPEz">Senden finally ended what turned out to be a tremendous hockey game by scoring on a rebound of a Gaber shot, giving UND a gigantic series split against their archrivals in front of an announced crowd of 10,193.</p>
<p id="cnjLwe">“It’s really special,” Senden, a native of nearby Medina, said of his winning goal. “Being a Cities guy, it’s something I’ll definitely remember.”</p>
<p id="zuG5bv">What’s also special is how the Fighting Hawks were able to respond after a tough series at home against Quinnipiac a week ago.</p>
<p id="Bf961n">“I felt that this weekend our group [had] grown exponentially over the course of these two games,” Berry said.</p>
<p id="xYtAaU">DeRidder made 37 saves for North Dakota, and Bartoszkiewicz had 10 for Minnesota. Close made five in relief of him.</p>
<p id="8Wtx2t">North Dakota will take on Arizona State next Saturday night in Las Vegas in the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game while Minnesota begins Big Ten play next weekend by visiting Ohio State.</p>
<p id="vHeQVA"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="qe3uV6"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="YfCqnN">No scoring.</p>
<p id="fav0xX"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="k4n2rh">MINN power-play goal at :48: Matthew Knies (4). Assisted by Jackson LaCombe (5) and Jaxon Nelson (3).</p>
<p id="9kic0b">MINN goal at 8:48: Rhett Pitlick (1). Assisted by LaCombe (6).</p>
<p id="zRW3Qs">UND power-play goal at 10:57: Jackson Blake (4). Assisted by Chris Jandric (8).</p>
<p id="CZtwEX">UND power-play goal at 11:51: Riese Gaber (5). Assiseted by Jandric (9) and Blake (4).</p>
<p id="6K4MU8">UND goal at 12:09: Mark Senden (2). Assisted by Gavin Hain (1) and Cooper Moore (3).</p>
<p id="dM38n6">UND power-play goal at 14:51: Jackson Kunz (1). Assisted by Moore (4) and Ethan Frisch (2).</p>
<p id="DdBHk8">MINN goal at 19:26: Connor Kurth (3). Assisted by Mike Koster (3) and Luke Mittelstadt (2).</p>
<p id="IqAAUf"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="DWfJ6g">MINN goal at 6:30: Jimmy Snuggerud (5). Assisted by Brock Faber (4).</p>
<p id="NdYL5J"><strong>Overtime:</strong></p>
<p id="aVv2o8">UND goal at 2:21: Senden (3). Assisted by Gaber (2) and Frisch (3).</p>
<p id="42Kv4d"><strong>Power plays: </strong>UND 3-5, MINN 1-3.</p>
<p id="5Yl6tv"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>UND 20, MINN 41.</p>
<p id="TFTdov"></p>
<p id="2GJvkG"></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2022/10/22/23418668/north-dakota-earns-a-split-with-minnesota-in-a-wild-5-4-victorySean Davich2022-10-08T20:17:51-07:002022-10-08T20:17:51-07:00Minnesota State Tops Minnesota to Earn Weekend Split
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA HOCKEY: APR 09 Div I Men’s Frozen Four - Denver v Minnesota State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/mtlV2DvXjD9mRX1c-82uO4ROttQ=/0x0:3900x2600/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71472161/1239892682.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="6x0Zev"><strong>MANKATO – </strong>Mike Hastings talked about wanting to defend home ice after a rare loss to Minnesota.</p>
<p id="YVD4vE">#5 Minnesota State-Mankato snatched momentum following an uneven first period and a lengthy penalty kill to start the second period, and Ryan Sandelin scored with 5:58 remaining in regulation to lift the Mavericks past the 2nd ranked Golden Gophers 3-2 on Saturday night at Mayo Clinic Health System Event Center, salvaging a split of their non-conference series.</p>
<p id="8fY6FM">Mankato never really got started in a loss Friday night in Minneapolis, and Hastings talked about the importance of avoiding an 0-2 start in front of their home crowd.</p>
<p id="F3oaRU">“Didn’t get off to the start we were looking for,” said Hastings, as his Mavericks (1-1) beat the Gophers for the 8th time in their last 10 meetings, including twice in the last two NCAA tournaments. “I thought we stuck with it. I thought the guys banded together. It was a good win for us.</p>
<p id="IKMsfr">“Minnesota’s a really good hockey team. We knew they’d be coming in to try and finish us off from last night. I like the way we stuck around and didn’t go away.”</p>
<p id="gfAlSb">Sandelin, a senior forward from Hermantown and the son of Minnesota Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin (whose Bulldogs visit Mankato for a two-game series next weekend), beat Minnesota goaltender Justen Close down low for his game-winner.</p>
<p id="bdChlS">“We could’ve easily sat back and felt bad for ourselves, but we kinda dug our heels in and battled, and we ended up getting the game-winner,” said Sandelin. “That shows the resiliency of this group.”</p>
<p id="OIxX8j">Jimmy Snuggerud opened the scoring in the first period for the Gophers (3-1) with a beautiful top-shelf shot for his 4th goal of the weekend, but a lengthy period of time spent on the power play with nothing coming out of it proved costly in the end as Minnesota fell for the first time this season.</p>
<p id="b5XM4e">“We were okay tonight. Okay ain’t gonna cut it though in a game like this,” said Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko. “We have to be better than okay.”</p>
<p id="RiTfy8">Neither team possessed the puck for long periods of time in their respective offensive zones in the first ten minutes of the game – it became a defensive battle early. With under five minutes to go in the first, Snuggerud got things started. The freshman forward, a St. Louis Blues draft pick from Chaska – about an hour’s drive northeast of Mankato – continued his outstanding weekend with a sniper from the left circle to give the Gophers a 1-0 advantage after one. Snuggerud, whose hat trick on Friday powered Minnesota to a 4-1 victory in the series opener, is likely to be voted Big Ten First Star of the Week for his actions.</p>
<p id="AteZrx">Things seemed to be going more the way of the Gophers early in the second period as two penalties were called on the Mavericks 1:07 apart, one of which was a boarding major and a game misconduct on David Silye that had Minnesota on a long power play. But despite five or six shots on the power play time, the Gophers could not find a way to get one of them past Keenan Rancier, who ended up having a great night in net for Minnesota State.</p>
<p id="gvHpVf">“I’m wanting to see how Keenan would handle back-to-back,” Hastings said. “He lets the first one in, but I think he’d like to have [that] back, but I asked him to shut the door after that and I thought he did a really good job of that.”</p>
<p id="WBHzPU">Motzko figured a momentum shift was coming after nearly six minutes of power play time for the Gophers ended up with no goals.</p>
<p id="v7BzHH">“You see that in hockey all the time, especially on the road,” he said. “Our D handled it, but I was disappointed in our forwards tonight. We needed a little more bite tonight out of our forwards.”</p>
<p id="ADjTHT">At that point, the Mavericks took the momentum, not allowing a shot on goal on their end and peppering Close on the other end until a Campbell Cichosz shot from the slot found its way through heavy traffic and in, giving the freshman defenseman from Albert Lea his first collegiate goal and tying the game at 1.</p>
<p id="VucCS4">“I think it’s everything,” Hastings said when asked about the momentum swing.</p>
<p id="UE5RA6">Mankato took their first lead of the weekend early in the third as an Ondrej Pavel rebound went right to Josh Groll on the doorstep, who tapped it in for a 2-1 lead. But the Gophers had an answer barely a minute later as a centering feed from Charlie Strobel found Mason Nevers on the backdoor, and the Edina native put it in to tie the game at 2.</p>
<p id="eHrFmG">“It started with a great play by [Jaxon Nelson] on the backcheck, kinda pickpocketed the guy in the neutral zone and we had three guys go on with speed so a nice little 3-on1,” Nevers said. “[Strobel] and [Ryan Johnson] had a little yin and yang, and Strobes found me backdoor and I probably did the least of the work.”</p>
<p id="ZwgsBy">Missed opportunities continued to hurt the Gophers, however, and after a turnover in their own zone, Sandelin scored the 30th goal of his career on a low laser to the glove side of Close, and it was 3-2 Mavericks. Rancier concluded his fine performance with a series of saves over the final 1:15 while Minnesota had the extra attacker on. He finished with 25 saves, while Justen Close had 30 for the Gophers.</p>
<p id="Bmt6th">Minnesota is idle next week before the archrival North Dakota Fighting Hawks visit 3M Arena at Mariucci in two weeks.</p>
<p id="Ktk0zO"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="el0D7g"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="LmEfJn">MINN goal at 15:31: Jimmy Snuggerud (4). Assisted by Rhett Pitlick (4) and Jackson LaCombe (4).</p>
<p id="bSTkhP"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="qsqPnN">MSU goal at 14:36: Campbell Cichosz (1st collegiate goal). Assisted by Ondrej Pavel (1).</p>
<p id="BptC2p"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="dDjZnM">MSU goal at 4:17: Josh Groll (1). Assisted by Pavel (2) and Jake Livingstone (1).</p>
<p id="VeX5LV">MINN goal at 5:18: Mason Nevers (1). Assisted by Charlie Strobel (1st collegiate point) and Ryan Johnson (5).</p>
<p id="xWRLBx">MSU goal at 14:02: Ryan Sandelin (1). Assisted by Sam Morton (1) and Christian Fitzgerald (1st collegiate point).</p>
<p id="NcPiQh"><strong>Power plays: </strong>MINN 0-3, MSU 0-4.</p>
<p id="INjuJa"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>MINN 27, MSU 33.</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/big-ten/2022/10/8/23394839/minnesota-state-tops-minnesota-to-earn-weekend-splitSean Davich2022-10-01T20:00:26-07:002022-10-01T20:00:26-07:00St. Cloud State Defeats St. Thomas, But Loses Luedtke to Injury
<figure>
<img alt="2021 NCAA Division I Mens Ice Hockey Championship - Northeast Regional" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/IvoPXxjElrUEHyF664uLdO1BgbU=/247x0:2952x1803/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/71441881/1231970207.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="8ZkDWn"><strong>MENDOTA HEIGHTS – </strong>Usually, when you open a season, you’re tested in many ways.</p>
<p id="WqSd7i">13th ranked St. Cloud State ended up being tested in more ways than anyone thought they would, but they pulled through by game’s end, and they did it for an injured teammate that is surely proud of their effort in winning it for him.</p>
<p id="mhhiUL">After Huskies sophomore defenseman Josh Luedtke took a vicious hit to the glass in his defensive zone prior to the game’s first media timeout and had to be stretchered off after nearly 15 minutes, the rest of his team fought through tears to score three times within the next ten minutes, and it was enough to allow SCSU to overcome an emotional night and a good effort by the St. Thomas Tommies for a 3-1 nonconference victory Saturday night at St. Thomas Arena.</p>
<p id="94kiUM">As tough as it was watching their teammate and brother being tended to on the ice, head coach Brett Larson and his squad gathered together and promised to bring home a victory for Luedtke.</p>
<p id="lzpwMc">“I think we played for Josh tonight,” Larson said. “Josh is one of the most respected guys on this team. He’s a really good person - a guy that cares about this program a lot, loves his teammates. There’s no doubt that that kinda lit a fire under our group to want to play for him.”</p>
<p id="ONnYB6">Larson later went on to say that preliminary reports surrounding the injury were not as bad as initially feared, but he did not have any further information available.</p>
<p id="RVE1zE">Early on, it was a fierce battle as the Tommies countered the pressure of the Huskies with speed and some timely saves by Aaron Trotter. </p>
<p id="btndkA">Then just before the first media timeout of the night, Luedtke was skating along the near boards after the puck was knocked out of his defensive zone, but was then checked hard into the glass, hitting his head and slumping to the ice. Luedtke remained down for nearly 15 minutes before four paramedics were able to put him on a stretcher and strap him down before wheeling him out of the arena and to a nearby hospital.</p>
<p id="Klm2c2">“There were tears on the bench – there were watery eyes, probably including mine,” Larson said. “The message was he’d want us to play for him.</p>
<p id="FzToLK">“And I just tried to get the guys to take an emotional reset for a second.”</p>
<p id="HEvEui">While the Huskies were down a teammate, they became determined to win the game for him. Dylan Anhorn, a senior transfer from Union, scored his first goal in an SCSU uniform at 8:44 and Zach Okabe followed up 24 seconds later with a goal on a 2-on-1 break with Veeti Miettinen following a Tommies turnover.</p>
<p id="5Akbo0">“We all said it on the bench: ‘we want to do this for him,’” said Anhorn, who also had an assist Saturday.</p>
<p id="XxyjBG">Freshman forward Adam Ingram scored his first collegiate goal late in the first period on a power play to make it 3-0 after one, a top-shelf snipe through a screen that deflected in off the crossbar. He did it in front of family members, no less – his parents and his grandmother.</p>
<p id="YokGy1">“Didn’t really see it go in, but that’s awesome,” he said.</p>
<p id="1YWcgE">But SCSU just couldn’t put St. Thomas away despite the early onslaught, and the Tommies came within two as Carson Peters put away a Jarrett Lee centering feed late in the second period. St. Thomas showed some fight and were able to get some power play opportunities while the Huskies allowed them to hang around, and head coach Enrico Blasi liked the effort despite the final score.</p>
<p id="Jn1Eem">“I thought our compete level was pretty good,” said Blasi, who enters his second year as Tommies head coach. “It was a good step forward.”</p>
<p id="tRKuwv">In the third period, the penalties started coming for St. Cloud. They took three in that period alone, and five for the game while allowing a total of four power play opportunities. But the penalty kill was outstanding all game long and did not allow the Tommies to generate many good looks.</p>
<p id="Z1T5MN">“Penalty kill was really good,” Larson said.</p>
<p id="8ugMse">With their minds still on their hurt teammate, the Huskies did enough to hold on for the victory over the final minutes, and after speaking with media, Larson intended to head for the hospital to check on Luedtke.</p>
<p id="Rm97Bc">Castor made 10 saves to earn the victory for SCSU, and Trotter made 20 in a losing effort for UST. The teams will meet again Sunday in St. Cloud.</p>
<p id="5fXG0S"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="1lwobW"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="vTDUFC">SCSU goal at 8:44: Dylan Anhorn (1). Assisted by Jami Krannila (1) and Zach Okabe (1).</p>
<p id="wA9lQL">SCSU goal at 9:08: Okabe (1). Assisted by Veeti Miettinen (1).</p>
<p id="bCNioR">SCSU goal at 16:02: Adam Ingram (1). Assisted by Anhorn (1) and Miettinen (2).</p>
<p id="8rgbNK"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="21pbsj">UST goal at 17:16: Carson Peters (1). Assisted by Jarrett Lee (1).</p>
<p id="0myVuw"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="r6Jeh0">None.</p>
<p id="kJP4EU"><strong>Power plays: </strong>SCSU 1-5, UST 0-4.</p>
<p id="6ta3ct"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>SCSU 23, UST 11.</p>
<p id="wsfT2v"></p>
<p id="fhFcdC"></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2022/10/1/23382790/st-cloud-state-defeats-st-thomas-but-loses-luedtke-to-injurySean Davich2022-04-09T22:39:19-07:002022-04-09T22:39:19-07:00Denver Captures Ninth Title with Third Period Comeback
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA HOCKEY: APR 09 Div I Men’s Frozen Four - Denver v Minnesota State" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/Y-rnTGLlylJ52dyO1YyVUJA6MMs=/0x0:3900x2600/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70732135/1239879646.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by M. Anthony Nesmith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="8oEFEj"><strong>BOSTON – </strong>Like they were able to do for much of Thursday against the Michigan Wolverines, the Denver Pioneers needed to play their game.</p>
<p id="nQMz27">For most of the first 40 minutes, Minnesota State-Mankato kept them off their game like they did against Minnesota. But once the Pioneers saw an opening, they jumped on it. The floodgates opened from there, and Denver once again reigns as the champion of college hockey.</p>
<p id="34BoEu">Five different players lit the lamp in the third period, igniting the rally for the Denver Pioneers as they came back to thump the Mavericks 5-1 on Saturday night at TD Garden, winning their ninth title in front of 17,850 fans.</p>
<p id="hBE4hu">“Words don’t describe the feelings. I’m so proud of our team and what they were able to accomplish this year,” said Denver coach David Carle, who at age 32 became the fourth-youngest head coach to win a national championship. “I can maybe count on one hand the amount of bad practices we had. They just worked all year, believed in each other all year, and we faced our biggest test tonight.”</p>
<p id="vROBN7">Not too many people believed the Pioneers should have been this good or should have been here in Boston. But it’s hard to argue with knocking off the top two seeds in the NCAA tournament in the Frozen Four – and two very good teams at that. But they did, and the plane ride back to the Rockies is going to be a fun one.</p>
<p id="dftjiZ">“They made us earn it,” Carle said. “And you gotta earn this trophy. And our guys earned it tonight. And we are so proud of them.”</p>
<p id="UH2D1k">Ryan Barrow, who tied the game early in the third period and essentially began the rally, set the program record for games played with 168 after initially arriving after the 2017 season, which was the last time Denver won the title. He’s probably happier to etch his name in Pioneers history in another way, however, by being part of the record-tying team.</p>
<p id="G32NmY">“Took five years, but we’re here now,” Barrow said. “Unbelievable feeling.”</p>
<p id="dZCteV">Yet another dream season came to a crashing halt for the Mavericks, who completely unraveled defensively after Barrow’s tying goal and couldn’t recover. A second consecutive Frozen Four after not winning an NCAA tournament game at the Division I level at all prior to last year is something to be proud of, though. Things keep getting better for a Mankato program that had never even tasted this kind of success before head coach Mike Hastings took over before the 2012-13 season.</p>
<p id="P7PpRK">For ten years, Hastings has done an unbelievable job turning Minnesota State into a tremendous power in college hockey. In that timespan, no team has won more games than Mankato. Despite another heartbreaking setback in the Frozen Four, Hastings and his team still won 38 games on the year and are officially on the college hockey map if they weren’t before. And they should be.</p>
<p id="ihMSDR">“Incredibly proud of them because they’ve gone to work every day,” Hastings said. “And so the ride they took our staff on and our program on was special.”</p>
<p id="86pqVO">Hobey Baker winner Dryden McKay made 15 saves in his last game for the Mavericks.</p>
<p id="rL2xLS">Denver forechecked well in the first half of the period, making McKay hold his ground. But he only faced three Pioneers shots. Meanwhile, the Mavericks took control of the second part of the period, drawing a Mike Benning trip for a power play and cashing in on it on a Sam Morton rebound goal.</p>
<p id="mgKaOm">The Pioneers continued to be held in check, but Carle wouldn’t let his team lose their cool despite the one-goal deficit that held up after 40 minutes.</p>
<p id="4HO72Q">“I think it was just, obviously, like, they were outplaying us, but at the end of the day they were only up 1-0. So one shot changes the entire outlook of the game,” Barrow said.</p>
<p id="Cp3jfE">Barrow tied the game at last for Denver early in the third on a rebound, and Benning followed up not long after with a one-timer blast from the left circle.</p>
<p id="M5uIIV">“I saw a shot and took it. Went with my gut,” Benning, the Frozen Four’s Most Outstanding Player, said.</p>
<p id="MRLMSr">At that point, Hastings knew his team was reeling.</p>
<p id="2sbv5P">“Once we gave up the first one, I thought we started leaking oil a little bit and couldn’t stop the bleeding,” Hastings said. “And then we started chasing the game a little bit.</p>
<p id="UpOyzl">“I thought we had a good 40 and not a great last 20.”</p>
<p id="zYyKez">Massimo Rizzo scored with six and a half minutes left to increase the lead to 3-1, and at that point it felt like the Mavericks weren’t going to rally. That didn’t seem likely a mere thirteen-and-a-half minutes of game clock before, and suddenly the Pioneers were in complete control.</p>
<p id="Es1smD">“We just couldn’t find a rhythm again,” Hastings said.</p>
<p id="gtjRUY">Brett Stapley and Cameron Wright each had empty-net goals in the final 2:32 to cap the game’s -and season’s – scoring.</p>
<p id="IHJ87W">The Pioneers finished 31-9-1 this season, and they’re now tied with Michigan for the most all-time championships. The Mavericks conclude at 38-6, and they saw their 18-game winning streak halt.</p>
<p id="ch2Yk7"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="Y8PdPq"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="BnyzlY">MSU goal at 13:59: Sam Morton (9). Assisted by Lucas Sowder (16) and Brendan Furry (32).</p>
<p id="am9Smd"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="Aolwla">None.</p>
<p id="f69Euj"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="YdkjV5">DU goal at 4:46: Ryan Barrow (8). Assisted by Benning (23) and Devine (16).</p>
<p id="9U8Zj8">DU goal at 7:33: Benning (15). Assisted by Shai Buium (15) and Cameron Wright (11).</p>
<p id="42ItS0">DU goal at 13:34: Massimo Rizzo (12). Assisted by Carter Mazur (23) and Justin Lee (13).</p>
<p id="PBBqJE">DU empty-net goal at 17:28: Brett Stapley (18).</p>
<p id="HWOlgV">DU empty-net goal at 18:00: Wright (23). Assisted by Mazur (24).</p>
<p id="EJrHsi"><strong>Power plays: </strong>DU 0-3, MSU 1-1.</p>
<p id="8GHztB"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>DU 20, MSU 28.</p>
<p id="ETkyiW"><strong>Frozen Four All-Tournament Team</strong></p>
<p id="idCzbb"><strong>Forwards:</strong></p>
<p id="z9ivUn">Carter Savoie – Denver</p>
<p id="CRO7aR">Ryan Barrow – Denver</p>
<p id="gEc8p0">Sam Morton – Minnesota State</p>
<p id="GgRkyT"><strong>Defensemen:</strong></p>
<p id="ZdiQTQ">Mike Benning – Denver</p>
<p id="tBsA04">Jack McNeely – Minnesota State</p>
<p id="2HD3xR"><strong>Goaltender:</strong></p>
<p id="HwVHWv">Magnus Chrona – Denver</p>
<p id="JOyP26"><strong>Most Outstanding Player:</strong></p>
<p id="lekYyZ">Mike Benning – Denver</p>
<p id="EKvcmV"></p>
<p id="veqrq3"></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2022/4/9/23018687/denver-captures-ninth-title-with-third-period-comebackSean Davich2022-04-08T08:46:36-07:002022-04-08T08:46:36-07:00Minnesota State Earns First Frozen Four Win with 5-1 Rout of Minnesota
<figure>
<img alt="2022 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/S7s0s0AQvoPObc1KUUO-POyLBmw=/0x0:3488x2325/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70726623/1390198746.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="AqebDX"><strong>BOSTON – </strong>There would be no loss to an in-state rival to derail the Mavericks’ season this time.</p>
<p id="rSMg3B">One year after a heartbreaking loss to St. Cloud State knocked them out of the Frozen Four semifinals, Minnesota State came roaring back into the Frozen Four this year, and their winning streak reached 18 games Thursday night as they defeated Minnesota 5-1 at TD Garden, reaching the championship game for the first time in school history.</p>
<p id="HR4Fms">“The guys did a really good job of just sticking with it,” said Mankato head coach Mike Hastings. “As they have this entire season, they stuck with it and they were rewarded for it.</p>
<p id="09Bv2K">“It was a good effort for us. We’re excited to have an opportunity to play for a national championship.”</p>
<p id="TEGz4Z">Five different skaters scored for the Mavericks (38-5), who have won seven of the last eight meetings with the Gophers (26-13) including both NCAA tournament meetings the last two seasons; Mankato beat Minnesota 4-0 in the West Regional championship last season.</p>
<p id="hzmGCr">“Mankato, you’ve got to give them an enormous amount of credit,” said Gophers head coach Bob Motzko. “For big chunks of the game they kicked our butt.”</p>
<p id="4SQgTH">A nice run to Boston ended with a thud for the Gophers, who won nine straight games in the second half to put themselves in position to make a run for their sixth title after an uneven first half. They had won 11 of 12 games prior to Thursday.</p>
<p id="lastRZ">“This was not indicative of what the season we had was,” Motzko said. “Been a terrific season, a terrific team. We just ran into a really good hockey team tonight.”</p>
<p id="aqkFNv">Minnesota didn’t score at all against Minnesota State in their tournament meeting last year. Matthew Knies and Bryce Brodzinski made sure that wouldn’t happen again as the two of them converted on a short 2-on-0 break, and Knies finished it on a tic-tac-toe sequence to put the Gophers up 1-0.</p>
<p id="YmwCe9">“Didn’t really seem to matter for the guys,” Mavericks goaltender Dryden McKay said. “We stuck with it. Eventually we were rewarded.”</p>
<p id="Cbp6T5">“I thought the guys just flushed it and moved on,” Hastings added. “They manage themselves. So they’ve made it easy on myself.”</p>
<p id="qfoNtv">Otherwise, it was all Mavericks in that period. Mankato outshot Minnesota 11-4 but Justen Close continued his terrific second half of the season with some big saves. He finished with 27.</p>
<p id="xV1Ytw">The Mavericks took control in the second period, going up 2-1 after wraparound goals by Benton Maass and Reggie Lutz in which the physical down-low offensive style Mankato likes to use wore out Minnesota’s defense on long shifts. It didn’t help matters that the Gophers couldn’t spread the Mavericks out when they had their own offensive chances.</p>
<p id="1nH7TK">“They’re a team that capitalizes on those,” said Minnesota forward Bryce Brodzinski about the second-period momentum shift.</p>
<p id="OO1g1r">Ondrej Pavel scored on a redirect early in the third period, putting Mankato up 3-1 and seeming to drain Minnesota of any chance at a rally. But Motzko had his team play more aggressively offensively from that point on and they kept McKay busy in the Mavericks net. But they couldn’t solve him, and his defense played outstanding in front of him to prevent any decent scoring chances down low.</p>
<p id="ErH8q8">David Silye essentially provided the dagger with a goal with 6:43 remaining, and Brendan Furry later capped the scoring with an empty-net goal</p>
<p id="CZony8">Mankato will face old conference rival Denver in Saturday’s title game. The Pioneers upset top overall seed Michigan 3-2 in overtime earlier Thursday. The two teams haven’t met since the 2012-13 season when they both still played in the WCHA. Denver won both those meetings in Mankato in November 2012, but Hastings and this Mavericks program have come a long way since.</p>
<p id="kWuwp0">[Former Denver coach George Gwozdecky] did a pretty good job of making me think we weren’t going to win a game, let alone get to this stage,” Hastings laughed. “You learn from the hard things.</p>
<p id="saNHOH">“We’ll see. We’ll take a kick at the can on Saturday.”</p>
<p id="vpHEQT"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="ZzNoRr"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="RRB33z">MINN goal at 8:52: Matthew Knies (15). Assisted by Bryce Brodzinski (14).</p>
<p id="SVnoXu"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="2sxOjl">MSU goal at 7:22: Benton Maass (3). Assisted by Lucas Sowder (14) and Ondrej Pavel (10).</p>
<p id="mNqN1W">MSU goal at 13:31: Reggie Lutz (15). Assisted by David Silye (9) and Jake Livingstone (22).</p>
<p id="YGNiKt"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="KcUQrF">MSU goal at 1:57: Ondrej Pavel (12). Assisted by Jack McNeely (15) and Josh Groll (8).</p>
<p id="pzMsi2">MSU goal at 13:17: Silye (8). Assisted by Sam Morton (16).</p>
<p id="8WTvjB">MSU empty-net goal at 18:51: Brendan Furry (13). Unassisted.</p>
<p id="Ic4S9G"><strong>Power plays: </strong>None.</p>
<p id="Htm0E0"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>MINN 17, MSU 32.</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2022/4/8/23016595/minnesota-state-earns-first-frozen-four-win-with-5-1-rout-of-minnesotaSean Davich2022-04-08T08:27:43-07:002022-04-08T08:27:43-07:00Denver Tops Michigan in 3-2 Overtime Duel
<figure>
<img alt="NCAA Frozen Four" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/wNVWXFfYjGqzxluuiT3LkZ5dVJQ=/0x0:3048x2032/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70726540/1239834385.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p id="kIUxCD"><strong>Denver upsets Michigan 3-2 in overtime to advance to title game</strong></p>
<p id="5MTsHI"><strong>BOSTON – </strong>It was a battle of power against power in one of the most anticipated college hockey match-ups of the year.</p>
<p id="qaTPAM">This one didn’t disappoint.</p>
<p id="h2FhEp">A Carter Savoie goal lifted the Denver Pioneers over top-seeded Michigan 3-2 in overtime on Thursday, ending the season earlier than expected for the star-studded Wolverines.</p>
<p id="u09lm7">“I just want to congratulate Denver,” said Michigan head coach Mel Pearson. “I couldn’t be more proud of the young men that I was able to coach this year.”</p>
<p id="MAQtKu">Four of the top five draft picks of the most recent NHL draft were on this season’s roster, and not everyone is expected to stay. It’s a disappointing ending to a season for a Michigan team with a bunch of expectations, but they did still make it to Boston.</p>
<p id="ytgsGA">As for the Pioneers? The nation’s best offense came through once again in the clutch during this NCAA tournament by scoring the game-winning goal in either the third period or overtime, and they find themselves back in the title game.</p>
<p id="91kCDo">“Unbelievable feeling,” Savoie said. “No better feeling than that.”</p>
<p id="8MLazA">Denver came out with a very good offensive gameplan, using patience and good passing to find openings on the forecheck, eventually striking first as Brett Stapley picked up a rebound of a Justin Lee shot, went to his backhand and beat Erik Portillo at 11:22 to put the Pioneers up 1-0.</p>
<p id="Tr5fjR">Meanwhile, Michigan found itself unable to generate much offense in the first period, and in fact they didn’t get any shots on Denver goaltender Magnus Chrona at all until 3:56 remained in the period. The Wolverines didn’t have too many second chance opportunities thanks to the Pioneers playing tight defense down low.</p>
<p id="kImTvI">“Our angling, our puck pressure was really good,” Denver head coach David Carle said. “Our sticks were great.</p>
<p id="cjY0ax">“And when that person got beat, Magnus was there to make a save. So it’s not easy to contain that team.”</p>
<p id="bazFW1">But Michigan wouldn’t go down that easily. After a Denver turnover in their own zone, Nolan Moyle fed Jimmy Lambert out front and Lambert roofed it to tie the game early in the second period.</p>
<p id="dfot9C">Denver matched their first period intensity early in the third and it paid off as a Mike Benning shot was deflected perfectly by Cameron Wright off the pipe and in, putting them back up by a goal. But Michigan had another answer less than four minutes later, tying it again as a Michael Pastujov bobble of the puck was handled and put in by Thomas Bordeleau.</p>
<p id="Ggl75h">Savoie’s game winner came with five minutes left in overtime as Bobby Brink found him on a nice centering feed. Savoie’s initial shot was saved by the pads of Portillo, but a big rebound found its way back to Savoie and he buried it, sending the Pioneers to their first title game since 2017. The ninth title in program history remains well within reach for Denver.</p>
<p id="TAqcXm">The Pioneers will take on old WCHA rival Minnesota State, who defeated Minnesota 5-1 later Thursday, in the national championship game on Saturday night.</p>
<p id="gmPIrD"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="SDf20b"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="idN1I3">DU goal at 11:22: Brett Stapley (17). Assisted by Ryan Barrow (13) and Justin Lee (12).</p>
<p id="cmjQKc"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="1fvfKS">MICH goal at 4:03: Jimmy Lambert (6). Assisted by Nolan Moyle (8) and Garret Van Wyhe (6).</p>
<p id="G5qwvw"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="yfRN6L">DU goal at 5:36: Cameron Wright (22). Assisted by Mike Benning (21) and Massimo Rizzo (24).</p>
<p id="SAIfcM">MICH goal at 9:09: Thomas Bordeleau (12). Assisted by Michael Pastujov (15) and Mark Estapa (9).</p>
<p id="OZY4fS"><strong>Overtime:</strong></p>
<p id="TAxrYj">DU goal at 14:53: Carter Savoie (23). Assisted by Bobby Brink (43) and Benning (22).</p>
<p id="ta7DU2"><strong>Power plays: </strong>DU 0-3.</p>
<p id="f0nB69"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>DU 33, MICH 21.</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/2022/4/8/23016559/denver-tops-michigan-in-3-2-overtime-duelSean Davich2022-03-20T04:40:53-07:002022-03-20T04:40:53-07:00Minnesota Duluth Wins the Frozen Faceoff
<figure>
<img alt="COLLEGE HOCKEY: MAR 19 NCHC Frozen Faceoff - Western Mighigan v Minnesota Duluth" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MJWiv90QJMSuIvGBW7jvS20VtIw=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70648056/1239349950.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p id="Ezx3hC"><strong>ST. PAUL – </strong>Did anybody really doubt Minnesota Duluth would be competitive in March again?</p>
<p id="YfIMAs">Two weeks after having home ice snatched out from underneath them by St. Cloud State, the Bulldogs got revenge on the Huskies with a two-game road sweep last weekend, then came to and left St. Paul with yet another Frozen Faceoff title.</p>
<p id="wv4pDL">Goals by Dominic James, Casey Gilling and Wyatt Kaiser provided all the offense necessary against the nation’s fourth-best scoring team, and Minnesota Duluth defeated the Western Michigan Broncos 3-0 on Saturday night, claiming the Frozen Faceoff championship for the third time in the last five seasons.</p>
<p id="VW5RRe">“Obviously, great result for us,” said Duluth coach Scott Sandelin. “Thought our guys did a really good job this whole weekend for us defensively.</p>
<p id="RsXYFI">“I’m really proud of this group because there were times in this second half that we weren’t sure where we were going.”</p>
<p id="2nqsss">Looking like an average team at best midway through the season, UMD got hot at the right time as they have done for most of the last six years, and they head into the NCAA tournament on a roll.</p>
<p id="uQjI10">And how about that guy between the pipes, Ryan Fanti? The NCHC goaltender of the year didn’t allow a single goal all weekend, and hasn’t allowed one at all since the third period of their Game 2 overtime victory at SCSU in the tournament quarterfinals.</p>
<p id="FfZzm9">“Thought I had a few good games in St. Cloud along with our guys, and I think that helped,” said Fanti, who made 25 saves. “I made a big save here and there, but I think overall our team was outstanding all 200 feet of the ice.”</p>
<p id="Kjoyo8">Brandon Bussi had 16 saves and played decently for the Broncos, but they proved unable to solve Ryan Fanti and the tenacious Duluth defense on Saturday just like Denver was unable to on Friday. They had 21 shots blocked by the Bulldogs.</p>
<p id="f2uzYj">“[Congrats to] Duluth on the victory; I thought they played a heck of a game,” said Western Michigan head coach Pat Ferschweiler. “I’m proud of our players; I thought they battled all game.”</p>
<p id="jkoSAI">Don’t expect Western Michigan to panic, though. They will still be seeded higher than any of their NCHC rivals when the NCAA tournament bracket comes out. And they still have two very good top lines capable of striking at any time.</p>
<p id="rrTN4v">“It’s a new season next weekend,” WMU defenseman Ronnie Attard said.</p>
<p id="37ta4N">Duluth struck first about five and a half minutes in as Dominic James weaved around two Western Michigan defenders, found a spot at the top of the left circle and fired it top shelf for his 6th of the season.</p>
<p id="d29db3">The Bulldogs added to their lead on a power play goal by Gilling in the second, and Kaiser essentially put the game out of reach with a backhand goal with just under eleven minutes to go in regulation.</p>
<p id="iLLV3j">After being two losses from elimination from NCAA tournament contention following a 2-0 home loss to St. Cloud State two weeks ago, Minnesota Duluth went back to formula and won four straight games with timely offense, outstanding physical play and defense, and very good goaltending. Once again, the Bulldogs look like a team nobody wants to face right now, and all of a sudden they will now be a #2 seed for the national tournament.</p>
<p id="fyoWKv">“We’re a better hockey team than we were,” said Sandelin.</p>
<p id="pPB9pM">Western Michigan did not drop in the Pairwise rankings despite the loss, and they will be a #1 seed when the NCAA tournament bracket is announced on Sunday afternoon. Ferschweiler is looking forward to the tournament, and he thinks the always-tough NCHC schedule and playoffs has his team ready.</p>
<p id="bpcW3h">“This weekend is gonna be as hard or harder than any regional,” he said. “Four of the top eight teams in the country are here.”</p>
<p id="3T0yZ6"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="38Lkt1"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="u5JJJ7">UMD goal at 5:26: Dominic James (6). Unassisted.</p>
<p id="0Qqd1U"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="TqXLAK">UMD power play goal at 5:59: Casey Gilling (8). Assisted by Wyatt Kaiser (17) and Koby Bender (18).</p>
<p id="DLI0MW"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="aAoixc">UMD goal at 9:12: Kaiser (2). Unassisted.</p>
<p id="E4BOJ5"><strong>Power plays: </strong>UMD 1-3, WMU 0-3.</p>
<p id="JAHWH7"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>UMD 19, WMU 25.</p>
<p id="PtKmfa"><strong>NCHC All-Tournament Team</strong></p>
<p id="VaNKyl"><strong>Forwards:</strong></p>
<p id="AXkmpT">Tyler Glover – Western Michigan</p>
<p id="Zq6ttf">Blake Biondi – Minnesota Duluth</p>
<p id="QpVukX">Dominic James – Minnesota Duluth</p>
<p id="1u166f"><strong>Defensemen:</strong></p>
<p id="2yH2df">Ronnie Attard – Western Michigan</p>
<p id="f93yAd">Wyatt Kaiser – Minnesota Duluth</p>
<p id="YbM4wL"><strong>Goaltender:</strong></p>
<p id="0dQBgj">Ryan Fanti – Minnesota Duluth</p>
<p id="oy6G11"><strong>Most Outstanding Player:</strong></p>
<p id="dDoEZK">Ryan Fanti – Minnesota Duluth</p>
<p id="Q27gxT"></p>
<p id="tpf1ON"></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2022/3/20/22987499/minnesota-duluth-wins-the-frozen-faceoffSean Davich2022-03-18T22:13:03-07:002022-03-18T22:13:03-07:00Minnesota Duluth Stymies Denver in Frozen Faceoff Semifinal
<figure>
<img alt="COLLEGE HOCKEY: MAR 18 NCHC Frozen Faceoff - Denver v Minnesota Duluth" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/aSsWSfFpnAoVPPPrM93fKpvpVw8=/0x0:5184x3456/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70644778/1239307651.0.jpg" />
</figure>
<p id="ILXiKD"><strong>ST. PAUL </strong>– There’s just something about Minnesota Duluth in the postseason.</p>
<p id="8CkWD5">Now that it’s March, you pretty much have to expect the Bulldogs to be on top of their game. They certainly were on Friday night in the first NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal, and they accomplished something no other team had done this season in the process.</p>
<p id="G4rI2g">A first period goal by Blake Biondi was all the offense UMD needed, and a 30-save shutout by Ryan Fanti complemented it in a 2-0 victory over the third-ranked and top-seeded Denver Pioneers, whose nation-leading offense (4.5 goals per game) was held off the scoreboard for the first time all year.</p>
<p id="gUff6F">“Good win for our team,” said Duluth head coach Scott Sandelin. “We got the lead, which was our goal – try and play with the lead.</p>
<p id="3jp8HZ">“Happy for our guys to advance and we get a chance to play tomorrow.”</p>
<p id="JtoTws">Early on, it was a display of both team’s strengths as Denver’s potent offense was offset by Duluth’s stingy defense and usual display of great goaltending by Fanti, who was voted the NCHC’s Goaltender of the Year.</p>
<p id="WR4rk7">“I got my eyes on a couple early, which was really nice,” Fanti said. “I was really happy with the way we defended.</p>
<p id="x4IHrl">“I thought that was a team shutout more than anything.”</p>
<p id="mH66Iv">Denver will be playing in Loveland, Colorado, as a host team in a week when the NCAA tournament begins, but their chances at a #1 seed took a hit with the loss. They were sitting at #4 in the Pairwise rankings while the Western Michigan-North Dakota contest was in progress and both teams are right on their heels in the Pairwise.</p>
<p id="bzYNTe">“It was a tight checking game, like we expected,” Denver head coach David Carle said. “I think for us to come here and play in a one-and-done situation is a good learning experience.</p>
<p id="U5b5pL">“I didn’t think we played our best game, but it’s an opportunity to learn and to get better and get ready for Loveland next week.”</p>
<p id="GykDX4">The Bulldogs broke through with just over five minutes left in the period as Jesse Jacques forced a defensive zone turnover, came up the ice 2-on-1 with Blake Biondi, and found Biondi on a backdoor feed as Biondi knocked it into a gaping net to put UMD up 1-0.</p>
<p id="72qx03">“Jesse made a great play in the D zone,” Biondi said. “We both just beat our guys to the net, and he made a great pass and I just had to tap it in.”</p>
<p id="sZSZGg">The Bulldogs continued their scrappy defensive zone play throughout the second period, and nearly went up 2-0 when Koby Bender knocked in a puck to the right of Chrona. But after review, it was determined Noah Cates was guilty of a hand pass in front of the net prior to Bender’s goal.</p>
<p id="BdUbSZ">Denver finally generated some good scoring chances in the third period, but there was just no solving Fanti, who finished with 30 saves and had 16 shots blocked by his teammates.</p>
<p id="krrF5q">“We knew Denver was gonna make a push,” Sandelin said. “They came out pretty good in the third, but our guys kinda weathered it.”</p>
<p id="8he2yq">Not even the potent power play of the Pioneers could get anything going. They came in converting over 26% of their power plays on the season but were held without a goal on three chances Friday.</p>
<p id="fUUv91">“[The guys] did a really good job on the penalty kill,” Sandelin said.</p>
<p id="iMygWf">“We’ve had guys willing to block shots, and that’s helped too.”</p>
<p id="4P27aJ">Kobe Roth finally put a wrap on the game with a late empty-net goal. Duluth will face the Western Michigan-North Dakota in Saturday night’s conference championship as they seek their third Frozen Faceoff title.</p>
<p id="wY7NaL">Magnus Chrona made 29 saves for Denver.</p>
<p id="2bvTVc"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="fxEyDZ"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="I6GOaK">UMD goal at 14:47: Blake Biondi (17). Assisted by Jesse Jacques (4).</p>
<p id="MjvO8e"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="EQHF3e">No scoring.</p>
<p id="Z0p6fx"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="xtlDTb">UMD empty net goal at 19:40: Kobe Roth (14). Unassisted.</p>
<p id="xBQohT"><strong>Power plays: </strong>UMD 0-2, DU 0-3.</p>
<p id="DbbW1T"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>UMD 31, DU 30.</p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2022/3/18/22985601/minnesota-duluth-stymies-denver-in-frozen-faceoff-semifinalSean Davich2022-03-18T22:12:02-07:002022-03-18T22:12:02-07:00Western Michigan Makes First Frozen Faceoff Final with 4-2 Win Over North Dakota
<figure>
<img alt="COLLEGE HOCKEY: JAN 04 Ice Vegas Invitational - UConn v Western Michigan" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/YrHH_YT_Wvv6GqQ6qvh5opvSekI=/0x0:3000x2000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/70644774/1077381986.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Marc Sanchez/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images</figcaption>
</figure>
<p id="Hys1e5"><strong>ST. PAUL </strong>– Pat Ferschweiler knew he had a chance to do something special when he took over as Western Michigan head coach following the sudden departure of Andy Murray.</p>
<p id="wAP7oM">Even he didn’t realize at least 25 victories and a #1 seed in the national tournament would be the result of his first year on the job, but hey, he believed in his group of players, and they came through. And he can add conference tournament title to the resume with one more victory this weekend.</p>
<p id="j7gamr">Two goals by Ty Glover helped jumpstart the offense, and the Broncos kept the North Dakota Fighting Hawks out of rhythm all game long as Western Michigan prevailed 4-2 on Friday night in the second NCHC Frozen Faceoff semifinal.</p>
<p id="YHYAe3">“We came out to battle. It was just a man’s hockey game all over the rink,” Ferschweiler said. “It was a good battle by us.”</p>
<p id="YhycLI">Hugh Larkin and Max Sasson added goals for WMU, which advanced to the NCHC title game for the first time ever by taking the rubber match from North Dakota after the two teams swept each other in their respective home rinks in the regular season.</p>
<p id="7ilubx">“It takes an entire team to win a hockey game,” WMU forward Drew Worrad said. “We had everyone going.”</p>
<p id="nDYahM">Judd Caulfield and Nick Portz scored for the Fighting Hawks, but their overall game seemed off all night – they had problems getting the puck deep, they weren’t forechecking as well as usual, and the power play unit had a rare off game.</p>
<p id="Umw5gO">“If they’re sharp and you’re not as sharp, that’s what happens,” UND head coach Brad Berry said. “Credit to them, they played hard.</p>
<p id="1zRMig">“It’s all about the mental side of the game; being sharp with the puck.”</p>
<p id="GJ0c5G">Caulfield put North Dakota on the board first with a backhand goal, but it didn’t take long for Western Michigan to respond as Glover tied it less than two minutes later by depositing a rebound through the five-hole of Zach Driscoll (22 saves).</p>
<p id="KZIGsf">Glover scored again almost exactly 20 minutes later to give the Broncos the lead by tipping in a Michael Joyaux shot, and Hugh Larkin made it 3-1 after serving a holding penalty and coming out of the box for a 2-on-1 break with Drew Worrad.</p>
<p id="TKaw16">“We had a lot of good happen for us in that second period,” Worrad said.</p>
<p id="hMlpW5">Desperately needing an answer, UND was able get a huge goal from Portz with seven seconds remaining in the second period to make it a 3-2 game after 40 minutes. But the inability to come through on the power play came back to bite the Fighting Hawks; they failed on five opportunities Friday, including three in the second period. And Griffin Ness also took a five-minute boarding penalty early in the third, forcing UND into a lengthy penalty kill.</p>
<p id="GNxrWI">“Discipline’s a big thing,” Berry said. “It’s something that we’re gonna make sure that we practice.”</p>
<p id="6v5bWc">North Dakota gained some momentum after killing the major and finally stepped up their forecheck over the final 15 minutes of regulation, but by then it was too late. Sasson converted a UND blue-line turnover into an empty-net goal with 1:33 remaining, sealing the first-ever Frozen Faceoff semifinal victory for the Broncos.</p>
<p id="9XlQiS">North Dakota is locked into a #2 seed for the NCAA tournament and they will await their regional when the brackets are announced on Sunday.</p>
<p id="Fl5cCZ">“I think for us, just sharpen up a few details,” said UND forward Mark Senden when asked about what his team needs to do to prepare for the regionals. “Everyone has to be going for a full 60 minutes.”</p>
<p id="OKB847">Meanwhile, Western Michigan has jumped up to #3 in the Pairwise rankings and have assured themselves of a #1 seed for the NCAA’s. They will be the #3 or #4 overall seed in the tournament depending on how their NCHC championship game against Minnesota Duluth – a 2-0 winner over Denver in the first semifinal – goes.</p>
<p id="DS3wTr">“I’m proud of their poise, I’m proud of their maturity, I’m proud of their work ethic,” Ferschweiler said. “Everyone in that locker room believes in each other and I believe in them as well.”</p>
<p id="GqwHew">Brandon Bussi made 21 saves for the Broncos.</p>
<p id="eRSujq"><strong>Scoring summary:</strong></p>
<p id="JP8TaU"><strong>First period:</strong></p>
<p id="Lo7xid">UND goal at 11:45: Judd Caulfield (11). Assisted by Riese Gaber (22) and Connor Ford (24).</p>
<p id="91IcWC">WMU goal at 13:38: Ty Glover (7). Assisted by Max Sasson (13) and Ronnie Attard (23).</p>
<p id="Kfc6ze"><strong>Second period:</strong></p>
<p id="0iRMb2">WMU power play goal at 13:34: Glover (8). Assisted by Michael Joyaux (24) and Drew Worrad (34).</p>
<p id="eZozgQ">WMU goal at 19:29: Hugh Larkin (3). Assisted by Worrad (35).</p>
<p id="0my3wP">UND goal at 19:53: Nick Portz (2). Assisted by Mark Senden (12).</p>
<p id="GzDRe6"><strong>Third period:</strong></p>
<p id="SEsfDL">WMU empty net goal at 18:27: Sasson (9). Unassisted.</p>
<p id="nWS8My"><strong>Power plays: </strong>WMU 1-3, UND 0-4.</p>
<p id="UqcrcT"><strong>Shots on goal: </strong>WMU 26, UND 23.</p>
<p id="mXB57R"></p>
<p id="3W05Ye"></p>
https://www.sbncollegehockey.com/nchc/2022/3/18/22986150/western-michigan-makes-first-frozen-faceoff-final-with-4-2-win-over-north-dakotaSean Davich