Team captain Jim Montgomery and freshman phenom Paul Kariya picked
it up a notch in the third period to lead the University of Maine
Black Bears to a 5-4 NCAA Championship win over the Lake Superior
State Lakers. The win gives Maine its first-ever national
championship in any sport.
 
The Black Bears put the ghosts of Final Fours past behind when Jim
Montgomery and Paula Kariya teamed up in the third period to score
three unanswered goals after Lake Superior had scored three
unanswered goals of its own in the second period.
 
Maine came out of the starting blocks fast when Patrice Tardif
scored on assists from Mike Latendresse and Eric Fenton. When Chris
Ferraro scored the second goal of the game at the 7:10 mark it
looked like Maine was going to control the tempo of the game by
keeping the ice open and staying off the boards.
 
But at the 17:02 mark Lake Superior's Bachusz scored to put the
Lakers on the board heading into the first intermission. Lake
Superior came out strong in the second period and wore Maine down
along boards. For nearly the entire period, Lakers buzzed around
the Maine net. As a result, the Lakers rattled off three unanswered
goals to take a 4-2 lead into the final period.
 
Maine team Captain Jim Montgomery and his protege Paul Kariya would
have none of Lake Superior's style when the third period opened.
Montgomery, who led Maine's comeback against Minnesota at the East
regional in Worcester, Mass., last week, scored a hat trick in a
span of 4:35, with Kariya assisting on each goal.
 
With a minute remaining, Lake Superior pulled its goalie and
pressed the Maine net, nearly tying the game when a shot deflected
off the cross bar.
 
Montgomery's third goal was his 300th career point and Kariya's
assist on that goal was his 100th of the season. Garth Snow, who
replaced Mike Dunham in the third period, notched his 66th career
victory, tying Scott King's team record for career victories. The
win was head coach Shawn Walsh's 250th.
 
The loss was Lake Superior's first in three Final Four appearances.
 
Maine finishes its season with a record of 42-1-2. This season,
Maine won the Alaska Fairbanks Tournament, the Great Western
Freeze-out, the Cleveland Tournament, the Dexter Hockey Classic,
the Hockey East regular season title, the Hockey East tournament
title, and now the NCAA Championship.
 
Jim Montgomery, Paul Kariya, Garth Snow, and Chris Imes were named
to the All-Tournament team. Jim Montgomery was named the Most
Valuable Player.
 
Maine's win gives Hockey East its first National Championship.
 
                         Scoring Summary
 
                   Lake Superior  1  3  0    4
                   Maine          2  0  3    5
 
FIRST PERIOD - 1. Maine, Tardif (Latendresse, Fenton), 0:28; 2.
Maine, C. Ferraro (P. Ferraro, Imes), 7:10; 3. Lake Superior,
Bachusz (Angelleli, Ness), 17:02
SECOND PERIOD - 4. Lake Superior, Beddoes, 7:01; 5. Lake Superior,
Hendry (Beddoes), 15:46; 6. Lake Superior, Strachan (Miller), 18:42
THIRD PERIOD - 7. Maine, Montgomery (Kariya), 4:19; 8. Maine,
Montgomery (Kariya, Imes), 7:40; 9. Maine, Montgomery (Kariya),
8:54
 
Ryan Robbins
Penobscot Hall
University of Maine
 
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