Headline: Gophers magical on Friday night
Publish Date: 11/14/1994
Matthew Cross
Staff Reporter
 
Grand Forks, N.D. -- Five North Dakota hockey players stood around
goaltender Toby Kvalevog and looked at the scoreboard in disbelief
Friday night at Ralph Engelstad Arena.
 
It read :00 in the third period with the score tied 4-4. What took
place with one second remaining silenced most of the sold-out crowd.
 
The Gophers somehow found a way to kill a penalty that started with
2:18 left in regulation time and score the tying goal at the 19:59
mark to win a point despite a dismal performance.
 
This time, Brian Bonin was the hero.
 
North Dakota dominated the game from the opening faceoff, but much
like the common garden pest, the Gophers never went away. Minnesota
scored twice in the third period and erased any thoughts of a Sioux
sweep.
 
What North Dakota didn't realize was that it was the latest victim of
a Gophers season that has featured come-from-behind heroics in the
closing minutes of the third period. Typically, the Gophers followed
that with a blowout to wrap up the series Saturday.
 
Last weekend, however, history would not repeat itself. The Sioux won
4-3 in the finale.
 
Against North Dakota, the Gophers were outplayed for the first time
this season but still found the right combination to notch the tie.
 
Similarly, in Minnesota's first game of the season at
Minnesota-Duluth, it erased deficits of 2-0, 3-2 and 4-3 and
eventually scored the game-winning goal with 4:37 left to play.
 
The Gophers did the same thing the following Friday against
Wisconsin. Minnesota tied the game 1-1 midway through the third
period and won the game on Justin McHugh's overtime goal 47 seconds
into the extra period.
 
Minnesota's most amazing comeback came Nov. 4 against St. Cloud
State. The Gophers trailed 3-1 after two periods but scored four
goals in the third to win the game 5-3.
 
The Gophers have outscored opponents 10-0 during the third period in
Friday night games -- this after being outscored 12-7 in the first
two periods of those games.
 
The players said a superior training program and a never-quit
attitude helps, but good fortune is equally responsible.
 
Luck helped Dan Hendrickson score the winning goal against St. Cloud
State. A ``candy'' rebound from a Ryan Kraft shot hopped off Huskies
goaltender Brian Leitza's pad and rolled right to Hendrickson.
 
``I don't think I even aimed,'' Hendrickson said of his goal.
 
Nick Checco said luck had a lot to do with his winning goal in the
season's first contest.
 
``They were all lucky goals,'' said Checco of his hat trick. ``But we
won.''
 
Phrases like ``Every dog gets his day'' and ``I happened to be in the
right spot at the right time'' have rolled of off many players'
tongues this season. But luck alone has never scored a goal for the
Gophers, or saved one.
 
Woog believes good luck comes from hard work and intensity.
 
``You've got to have good fortune to win in this league,'' Woog said.
``And some of that you've got to earn.''
 
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