University of Minnesota Athletics
Men's Hockey Wins WCHA Final Five with 5-4 Victory Over North Dakota
3/20/2004 12:00:00 AM | Athletics
With six minutes remaining in the third period, senior captain Grant Potulny scored to break a 4-4 tie and give the University of Minnesota men's hockey team a 5-4 victory over top-ranked North Dakota and the 2004 WCHA Final Five Championship. The fifth-ranked Golden Gophers (26-13-3, 15-12-1 WCHA, 4-0 in playoffs) holds onto the Broadmoor Trophy as the WCHA Final Five Champion and heads to the NCAA Tournament on a 15-game postseason winning streak. The entire NCAA Tournament field will be announced Sunday at 1:30 p.m., on ESPN2.
The Golden Gophers opened the scoring at 10:39 of the first period with Danny Irmen's power-play goal. Barry Tallackson fought to keep the puck in the zone at the left point, sweeping the puck across the blue line to Chris Harrington. From the right point, Harrington passed down to Gino Guyer on the right circle to make a lightning- quick touch pass across the slot to Irmen to knock into the net past UND goaltender Jake Brandt on his stick side. The lamplighter marked the ninth consecutive game in which Minnesota has had a power-play goal.
North Dakota struck back at 16:57 on a power-play of its own, this time with a 4-on-3 advantage. Zach Parise carried the puck into the zone on the right side and found Drew Stafford streaking down the slot for a tip-in goal past UM goaltender Kellen Briggs on the stick side. The goal snapped UM's streak of no power-play goals allowed at 22 opponent opportunities.
In a gritty first period, Minnesota out-shot UND, 17-8.
The Maroon and Gold gained the go-ahead goal at 4:09 of the second period on senior Jon Waibel's fifth goal of the season. Peter Kennedy nabbed a UND clearing attempt and shot with a long rebound coming out into the slot. Brandt sprawled onto the ice to try to poke the puck away, but Waibel picked it up, skated around Brandt and flipped the puck into the net for a 2-1 Minnesota lead. The goal was Waibel's first since Jan. 31 vs. Wisconsin.
Minnesota appeared to take a 3-1 lead about three minutes later after a 2-on-1 rush by Barry Tallackson and Jon Waibel. Tallackson shot with Waibel knocking in the rebound, but after a video review of the goal, the officials ruled that Tallackson was in the crease when the puck crossed the goal line.
At 9:50, North Dakota knotted the game at two on Brandon Bochenski's team-leading 25th goal of the season. Parise shot from behind the net in hopes of banking the puck off of Briggs, but it bounced in front for Bochenski to put away for the game-tying goal.
UND took its first lead of the game at 16:47 of the second period on a goal by Parise for his third point of the night. With North Dakota just off the power play, Parise picked up a loose puck in a scramble in front of the net and swept it in on Briggs' stick side.
For the second period, UND out-shot the Maroon and Gold, 19-8, for a two-period advantage of 27-25.
The Golden Gophers tied the game at three just 2:08 into the third period on Thomas Vanek's team-leading 24th goal of the season. UND defender Matt Greene attempted to clear the puck, but put it right on Vanek's stick, allowing the sophomore forward to skate in alone. Brandt went down to poke the puck, but Vanek walked around him and popped in the unassisted goal.
Minnesota re-gained the lead at 4:48 on Troy Riddle's great individual effort for his 23rd goal of the season. Riddle won a face- off in the UND zone and crashed the net. Chris Harrington shot from the center point with Riddle knocking down the high shot with his glove and stuffing in the puck under Brandt's pads. Matt Koalska picked up the second assist on the play.
North Dakota fought back and tied the game at four with a shorthanded, unassisted goal by Bochenski at 9:18. Bochenski forced Minnesota defenseman Keith Ballard to turn the puck over in the neutral zone and skated in on a breakaway, beating Briggs with a backhander to the stick side.
Then, at 13:58, it was once again time for Potulny's heroics at the Xcel Energy Center as the senior captain tallied his 15th goal of the season. After Irmen dug the puck out of the corner, Potulny gained possession and went to the front of the net, stuffing the puck between Brandt's legs for the game-winner.
Harrington took a high sticking penalty at 15:24 to put UND on the power play. North Dakota pulled Brandt to make it a 6-on-4 advantage, but the Golden Gophers stood tall to maintain the 5-4 score.
North Dakota out-shot Minnesota, 13-12, in the third period to finish the game with a 39-38 advantage on the shot board.
Briggs picked up the win, making 35 saves to improve to a Minnesota rookie record 24-10-3 on the season. Brandt took the loss with 33 saves to fall to 16-4-0.
Briggs was named the 2004 WCHA Final Five Most Valuable Player after making 62 saves on 70 shots. Joining Briggs on the All-Tournament Team was Minnesota forward Danny Irmen, North Dakota forwards Brandon Bochenski and Zach Parise, UM defenseman Keith Ballard and UND defenseman Matt Jones.
Game notes
* Tonight's attendance of 19,306 set an all-time WCHA single-game record and a WCHA Final Five record (old record: 19,208 last night, Minnesota vs. St. Cloud State - WCHA Final Five semifinal; UM 7, SCSU 4). The 2004 WCHA Final Five also set a new all-time tournament attendance record of 82,564.
* Minnesota has won 15 consecutive postseason games.
* UM has won six straight games heading into the NCAA Tournament.
* Irmen leads all Golden Gopher rookies this season with 13-8--21.
* UM has not been held scoreless on the power play since Feb. 20.
* Minnesota has now killed off 36 of last 39 opponent power plays.
* Vanek is on an eight-game point streak (6-7--13). * Briggs broke the Minnesota rookie record for wins in a season with his 24th victory this year. He surpassed John Blue's record of 23-10- 0 in 1984-85.
* UM is now 16-9 all-time at the WCHA Final Five. * UM's last loss in the Final Five/postseason came in a 5-2 defeat at the hands of Denver in the 2002 Final Five title game.
* Minnesota is now 9-3-0 at the Xcel Energy Center and on a seven- game winning streak at the arena.
* Troy Riddle is on a four-game point and goal streak (6-6--12)
* Matt Koalska is on a four-game point streak (1-4-- 5)
* Players with multi-point games tonight: Irmen (1-1--2), Harrington (0-2--2)
* Minnesota is now 6-0-0 this March.
* For the WCHA Final Five, Irmen had 3-1--4.
* Minnesota has won 20 consecutive games in the months of March and April.
