In essence, one game kind of typified the season UMD's had and the kind of team the Bulldogs have been built to be. That one game was a 3-2 double-overtime win over St. Cloud State to claim the NCHC playoff championship.
Banged-up UMD, facing arguably the deepest and most talented team in the sport today, fell behind early while it looked like St. Cloud State was going to run its in-state rival out of Xcel Energy Center. The Huskies struggled to generate great shots to the net, but did have constant puck possession and pressured UMD from when the bell rang until their scored less than eight minutes in.
The fact the only goal scored in that stretch was by Robby Jackson off a rebound in front? It's a credit to UMD and Hunter Shepard.
And as head coach Scott Sandelin said after the selection show Sunday evening, UMD's ability to survive that manic start from its adversary became a huge key.
Mikey Anderson's four-on-four goal tied the game just past the midpoint of the first, and Sandelin believes “that settled our team down. And I then I thought we played better as the game went on.”
The Bulldogs certainly did make a game of it after nearly getting blown out early. And UMD took full advantage later.
Shepard made several spectacular saves to keep his team in the game, then fittingly was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. He made 62 saves on 64 shots during the weekend, including 37 on Saturday night.
“It's what we've come to expect, right?,” Sandelin said. “Not to put any pressure on him, but he's had a tremendous couple years. This year, he's been consistent. Our guys have a lot of confidence in him.”
After SCSU regained the lead early in the third on a power play goal by Patrick Newell (a pure goal scorer's goal, as the kids would say), UMD had to get back to work to re-tie things. That didn't happen until a late Husky power play short-circuited.
Jack Ahcan's pass handcuffed Kevin Fitzgerald, allowing Tanner Laderoute to pounce. He fed a streaking Billy Exell in the slot for a one-timer that tied the game at 15:09 of the third. The third short-handed goal of the season for UMD was a gargantuan one.
The teams traded body blows in overtime, before a Jesse Jacques shot block sprung Laderoute and Nick Swaney for the odd-man rush that won UMD its second conference championship in three years.
Faceoffs were 22-12 in St. Cloud's favor after two periods, but UMD rallied to pull within two on the final count at 36-34.
******
Too many strong and/or gutsy performances to count on Saturday.
Shepard appeared to be shaken up by an overtime save where he did the splits to rob Nolan Walker at the post. He stayed in the game and appeared mobile the rest of the way.
Scott Perunovich set up Anderson's first-period shot with a wonderful blind pass (Perunovich is one of my exceptions to the “Don't try a drop pass by either blue line” rule, simply because he's Scott Perunovich), but took a shot during a scramble in front of Shepard late in the period and looked to struggle a bit after that. Sandelin deployed him at forward in a move that surprised pretty much everyone, including the players I talked to on Sunday. But Sandelin said he thought it “got him (Perunovich) going.”
Noah Cates missed some time for some reason but took shifts at both center and wing after Jade Miller went down injured in the first period (didn't return, no update as of this writing).
Swaney had seven shots, continuing his propensity for big games in big moments, something it'd be great to see continue now that it's one-and-done season.
Anderson was a beast, with a plus-three, three blocked shots, and that huge goal. Nick Wolff took shifts with pretty much every available partner at some point, including Hunter Lellig and Louie Roehl. Lellig played more than he did Friday and did a fine job.
Jacques was very good, especially considering he played in and took regular shifts in back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 11-12.
Can't say much more about Laderoute than Sandelin did when asked about him Sunday.
“I can tell he's played a lot of playoff games in junior hockey (45 in the Alberta Junior Hockey League). He's got experience, he plays the hard-nosed style. He was moving last (Saturday) night. I thought he was one of our best players, not just because of the plays, he was going to get rewarded with ice time because he was moving and doing the things, getting pucks in and being strong on the wall. He made two really good plays. Hopefully, he can continue that.”
There are plenty of injury concerns at the moment. Sandelin indicated the team would have Monday off, so we probably won't know more about any injuries until he meets with the media Wednesday. That's a benefit of a Saturday/Sunday affair out east.
******
For the second time in three years, UMD will be the No. 2 overall seed for the NCAA Tournament. In 2017, it was overtime wins over Ohio State and Boston University (both by 3-2 scores) in Fargo that lifted the Bulldogs to the NCAA Frozen Four in Chicago.
This time, the trip will involve aircraft (UMD heads to Allentown, Pa., instead of to Fargo, where St. Cloud got the No. 1 seed), and the first obstacle in UMD's way is WCHA playoff runner-up Bowling Green. The Falcons won 25 games this season, including a sweep of Western Michigan and an 8-2 win over Ohio State, both back in October. They swept Minnesota State by 4-1 scores Dec. 14-15 at home, but those are the last wins Bowling Green has over an NCAA Tournament team.
The Falcons didn't play another one until Saturday, when Minnesota State scored two extra-attacker goals to erase a 2-0 deficit before shocking Bowling Green early in overtime, much to the delight of a raucous crowd in Mankato.
Bowling Green is even stingier defensively than UMD, allowing 1.82 goals per game to UMD's 2.00. This is a Falcons team that hung 10 goals on Western Michigan in two games back in October, so they can score, too. Max Johnson leads with 19 goals and 42 points, while Vegas draft pick Brandon Kruse has nine goals and 40 points. Not only do the Falcons only allow power play goals 12 percent of the time, but Bowling Green has scored NINE short-handed goals.
This isn't a team to be taken lightly. But I've said this before, I trust Sandelin and his staff in these one-game outs against teams we don't see often.
UMD and Bowling Green haven't met since Dec. 30, 2006, in the consolation game of the Ohio Hockey Classic in Columbus. UMD won 4-3 behind two assists from Mason Raymond and 21 saves by Alex Stalock. Before that, there was
this crazy game
to cap a two-game series at the DECC in 2004.
And, of course, there was the iconic four-overtime game that decided the 1984 national championship. Sore spot for many UMD alumni and fans, but one of those unforgettable moments in the sport's history.
2:30pm pregame Saturday, with coverage beginning on WDSM 710AM/98.1FM before KDAL joins in simulcast fashion once the Twins game wraps up. We will stream the game at kdal610.com and on the KDAL app for those used to listening that way throughout the season.
Talk to you later in the week from Pennsylvania.
