Monday was the first time since March 11, 2017, that the UMD men’s and women’s hockey teams played postseason games on the same day.
Just like that day four-plus years ago, the teams split their games. This time, the results were flipped.
And to be quite honest, I’m glad they were in this case.
Ladies first …
After a bit of a slow start, UMD rode its WCHA Goaltender of the Year to overtime, then got the big play it needed from its captain and WCHA Defenseman of the Year to advance.
Ashton Bell’s goal at 6:38 of the extra session capped a tremendous individual effort, lifting UMD to the Frozen Four with a 1-0 win over Colgate.
Captain clutch in OT. Let’s go, @Abell17Bell! #BulldogCountry 🚨 pic.twitter.com/Ev0ceE4QEP
— UMD Women's Hockey (@UMDWHockey) March 16, 2021
Bell picked off a pass at the UMD blue line, muscled her way by a defender, and sniped the winning shot that sent her team to its first Frozen Four in 11 years, along with giving head coach Maura Crowell her 100th win at UMD. The Bulldogs match up with Northeastern next, a semifinal game Thursday at either 1pm or 6pm on KDAL.
Matt Wellens is there, so give his gamer a read, and make sure to check back for more content from him in the coming days from Erie (assuming he hasn’t found a brewery he really likes 😉). I watched it on my tablet after calling the UMD men’s game off my television. I thought UMD’s defensive effort was tremendous. The Bulldogs had good sticks, good positioning, and did a fantastic job protecting Emma Soderberg, who paid them back for their work by stopping all 30 shots that got to her. As the game wore on, UMD got better about possessing the puck and generating chances, but it was tough sledding. The teams combined for 42 blocked shots in the game (Colgate had 22 to UMD’s 20), and there was a shortage of great scoring chances both ways.
It’ll be a great challenge against Northeastern, a team that has outscored foes 100-17 (!) in 23 games. Make fun of the bottom of Hockey East if it makes you feel good, but the Huskies went 5-1 against the other Hockey East teams (Boston College and Providence) in the field, outscoring them 24-6.
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The men now get to sit and wait. While UMD is a meh-looking 14-10-2 after Monday’s 3-2 loss to St. Cloud State sent the Bulldogs packing and heading back east on Highway 2 from Grand Forks, the Bulldogs can hang in Duluth for the rest of the week, comfortable with their position as an NCAA Tournament lock.
The NCHC will get at least three, with the championship game combatants (North Dakota and St. Cloud State) joining UMD. They should probably have company in at least either Omaha or Denver. Remember, the NCAA Division I field is pared down this year from its normal size of 60. The Ivy League teams — Brown, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale — canceled their seasons long before we began. ECAC brethren RPI and Union backed out, leaving only four teams to play in that league. Last week, Clarkson ended its men’s hockey season, leaving the ECAC with just three. The Alaska schools also opted out, leaving the WCHA with just eight. A few others have backed out along the way, leaving the NCAA Division I field at under 50 teams, and one-third of them (16) will make the national tournament.
So, yeah, UMD is in. We’ll find out where to pack bags to on Sunday night.
About Omaha and Denver. I’ve talked myself into each of them getting in over the other. I’ve talked myself into both. I would be stunned if neither of them get in, because who the heck else is the committee going to take?
Think about it like this: If the Big Ten gets three (Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin), Hockey East three (Boston College, UMass, Boston University), and the WCHA two (Bemidji State, Minnesota State), that leaves eight bids left. Atlantic Hockey might only get one if American International gets the autobid, and certainly won’t get more than two. The ECAC absolutely should not get more than one when there are only three teams left playing (Colgate, Quinnipiac, St. Lawrence). Now we’re down to five or six. Even if you account for a bid to a team like Notre Dame and/or Providence, there’s plenty of room for four NCHC teams.
The committee is going to have a hell of a job on its hands here. Yes, Denver (barely) won the season series. Yes, Omaha has a lot of overtime wins. Yes, Denver beat North Dakota twice. Yes, Omaha only has one regulation and one overtime win to show for its six games against UND. But this is a razor-thin margin, and I could see the committee taking Omaha simply because Denver has a losing record and is only eligible for selection because the “at-large teams must be at or over .500” rule was wiped from the selection criteria for this one year only.
So there is plenty of intrigue heading into the men’s selection show Sunday. It’s just that none of it involves UMD. Maybe that makes it more fun, I don’t know.
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Looking forward to covering the women’s game on Thursday. I’ll be back pregame with lines. I’ll also update this post when game times are announced for Thursday. Winner plays at 6:30 Saturday for all the marbles and a really cool trophy.
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