Hello everyone! Well, the Final Five is history and it was a great
tournament as expected. There were two great games, one pretty good
game, and two blow-outs. Let's look at each game.
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THURSDAY NIGHT (4 VS. 5 PLAY-IN GAME).
COLORADO COLLEGE 5
DENVER 2
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This one started out slowly with the Pioneers icing the puck repeatedly,
and the Tigers failing to capitalize on it. The game was tied 1-1 going
into the third period when Denver took a 2-1 lead just 28 seconds into
the period on Erik Andersson's goal. But the Tigers came roaring back
with the next three goals, including an empty netter as CC won it 5-2 to
advance to the semi-finals against North Dakota on Friday afternoon.
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SEMIFINALS: FRIDAY AFTERNOON.
NORTH DAKOTA 5
COLORADO COLLEGE 1
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The Sioux got on the board first as David Hoogsteen scored after a nice
feed from Curtis Murphy to give the Sioux a 1-0 lead. In the second, the
Sioux built their lead to 4-0 on goals by Curtis Murphy, Jesse Bull, Brad
Defauw. The Tigers made it 4-1 on a shorthanded breakaway goal, but in
the third period Matt Henderson scored early in the third to make it 5-1
Sioux, which was the final.
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FRIDAY NIGHT
MINNESOTA 5
ST. CLOUD 4 (OT)
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The Huskies built a 4-2 lead during the first two periods, thanks to two
shorthanded goals in the second period and brilliant goaltending by Brian
Leitza. But the Gophers came back to tie it in the third period, and won
it in overtime on a goal by Mike Crowley.
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SATURDAY
THIRD PLACE
COLORADO COLLEGE 6
ST. CLOUD 0
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The Tigers controlled this game from the outset. They lead it 1-0 after
one, 4-0 after two, and added two insurance goals in the third period to
make the final 6-0. Judd Lambert got the shutout as the Tigers secured a
berth into the NCAA Tournament, while the Huskies missed out.
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CHAMPIONSHIP
NORTH DAKOTA 4
MINNESOTA 3 (OT)
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This is the one that everybody wanted, and fans were not dissapointed.
It was a great game from beginning to end. The Sioux took a 3-1 lead on
goals by Jay Panzer, Kevin Hoogsteen, and David Hoogsteen. But in the
third, the Gophers tied it on goals by Dave Spehar and Nick Checco. It
was then on to overtime where the Sioux's Peter Armbrust scored on a
deflection at 18:46 of overtime to give UND a 4-3 win and the WCHA
Playoff Title for the first time since 1987.
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Before I go, let me explain the Sioux-Gopher fan Cease-Fire. If the
Sioux and Gophers play each other again in the Tournament, then the
Cease-Fire will be lifted so everyone can express themselves. But unless
that happens, I would appreciate it if both sides join together to cheer
on the WCHA. I want the national title to come home where it belongs,
the WCHA. I promise not to cheat.
Well, that's all for today. On Wednesday, I'll look at the NCAA
Tournament pairings, and some of my predictions on what I think is going
to happen. Until then, later.
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