After the brawl, the fall: Minnesota 4, BU 2



By Joe Concannon

Globe Staff



            DENVER --­ In a tumultuous hockey game, set off by superb goaltending and marred by a sustained brawl that threatened to end it in the first minute and eight seconds, the University of Minnesota ended the dream of Boston University for a national championship last night.

            The final, before 5204 jammed into the Denver University Rink, was Minnesota 4, BU 2, on the strength of a pair of goals in the third period by Mark Lambert (9:56) and Tom Youghans, whose solo rush at 17:22 was the one that wrapped it up.

            At the outset, though, this one degenerated into as savage a brawl as this tournament has seen in its 29 years. After it began, in front of the Minnesota bench and the penalty box, it poured out onto the ice, involving just about everyone on each team for 15 minutes.

            When order was restored, Burt Smith of Michigan State, chairman of the NCAA tournament committee, handed out game misconducts to BU co-captain Terry Meagher and Minnesota defenseman Russ Anderson for leaving the penalty box to participate in the fight.

            Anderson, off for a cross check at 0:33, was joined by Meagher, for slashing, at 1:08.  As Meagher went to the penalty box, words were exchanged, Meagher and Minnesota trainer Gary Smith wrestled over his stick and Anderson joined in from the adjacent penalty box.

            "Actually," said Smith, "everybody on both teams was gone. We said, 'Why disrupt a national championship?' We threw out the two who started it. The goal judge (Western official Medo Martinello) said the Minnesota player slashed the BU player. We threw them out."

            "That had a big impact on the outcome," said coach Jack Parker, whose team (25-4) meets Brown in a meaningless consolation this afternoon. "The officiating was awful. They lose a little player. We lose a 30-goal scorer. We were a little tired, a little legless." After order was restored, goaltenders Brian Durocher (36 saves) and Tom Mohr (29) of Minnesota took turns making brilliant saves. It was scoreless after on period, with the fast, aggressive tempo established in the wake of the brawl.

            After Don Madson (5:24) of Minnesota and Ken Kuzyk (8:03 on a power play) exchanged goals in the second period, Mike Pidler gave BU its only lead when he picked up a little pass from Gary Fay in the slot and fired it past Mohr at 17:17.

            The final period, though, belonged to Minnesota, the Western Collegiate Hockey Assn. third place team that won a triple overtime game at Michigan State to get here. After Tom Vannelli, its inspirational leader, beat Durocher on a blast from inside the blue line (4:32), BU seemed tired.

            Lambert scored from a wrist shot from in close, and, after BU failed to capitalize on a power play, Vanelli sent Younghams in alone to seal it. "There was a lot of emotion," said Minnesota coach (27-14-2) Herb Brooks, "and it was a wild start. But the officials kept it in control."