I wasn't going to add to this thread, but it is too much fun thinking back
over the great games I have seen. In that vein, it is too hard to select
any one game as being "the best", so I'll list my top five (following the
lead of Kenneth Baker, although I'll avoid any mention of
"teeter-tooter" :-), many of which have already been mentioned.
 
I apologize for having so many recent games, but I only started following
the game this decade. :-)
 
1) Northern Michigan 8, Boston University 7, (3OT) NCAA Championship game,
1991
 
Someone briefly discussed this game--but I remember it differently, as
Amonte's breakaway with 12 seconds left beat the goalie, and clanged off
the crossbar. Of course, these things have a way of growing with time...
 
2) Maine 3, Michigan 2, (3OT) NCAA Semifinals, 1995
 
The only reason this game gets any bad knocks is because of ESPN's
botching of the situation. To smile, I just think of the comment (after
the second period, with Michigan up 2-0) "This game is over."
 
3) Lake Superior State 3, Minnesota 2 (OT), Mariucci Classic
Championship, 1993
 
Wow! You know it is a good tournament when the semifinal features a
rematch of the previous year's NCAA championship game.  Lake State and
Minnesota met in the finals to provide one heckuva good game.
 
4) Minnesota 2, Mass Lowell 1 (2OT) NCAA Quarterfinals, 1994
 
Lots of people poo-poo this game as being a cake-walk for Minnesota with
Mass Lowell tired from the previous game. My contention is that Dwayne
Roloson more than made up for any fatigue that Lowell experienced. He was
one fantastic goaltender (I admit, I only saw him in the HE Final and
this game, but he was GREAT in both). Nielsen had to deliver a *perfect*
shot above the shoulder to beat him and send the Gophers on. This was a
real nail-biter.
 
5)  Lake State 5, Michigan 4 (OT) CCHA Championship game, 1995
 
This one was *real* close, with Michigan, who many considered the better
team, having to tie up the game with 00.4 seconds left.  The Lakers, the
quintissential post-season team, naturally won it in overtime to secure
what would have been a shaky NCAA berth.
 
I also could include all three of last year's WCHA Final Five, with four
one goal games, three of them going to OT, two beyond fifteen minutes of
OT. And there are probably some BU-BC tilts from the early 90's (back
before all the problems at BC, when they had David Emma et al).
 
A new thread? Best game *this* year. My vote is:
 
Minnesota 3, Bowling Green 2, Mariucci Classic Championship.
 
Bowling Green with something to prove, Minnesota with six players out for
various reasons, and both teams playing their hearts out. This one
features an all defensemen line for Minnesota, an outstanding offensive
show by BG's Brad Holzinger, and a game winning performance by Tournament
MVP Minnesota's G Steve Debus.
 
                                -Lee-nerd
                                [log in to unmask]
 
 
"It is not written in the stars that I will always understand what is
going on - a truism that I often find damnably annoying."
                                -Robert Heinlein
 
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