GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The first postseason showdown between college hockey’s biggest rivals in Grand Forks since 1987 took all three games to be decided, and in the end it was the better team moving on to St. Paul for the Western Collegiate Hockey Association Final Five.
“We didn't score enough tonight,” Gophers men’s hockey coach Don Lucia said after a 4-1 loss in Sunday’s deciding game at Ralph Engelstad Arena. “But I am happy for the guys the way they came back and competed and played the last two nights.”
Friday’s opener didn’t give any hint of the series’ drama to come. North Dakota absolutely dominated Minnesota in every facet, handing the Gophers a humiliating 6-0 loss. It was Minnesota’s worst postseason defeat since a 7-1 loss to Wisconsin in the 1990 WCHA Final Five championship game.
“We took [the ice] first period with no energy,” Gophers center Ryan Flynn said. “We've got to compete way harder than that.”
Minnesota came out flat from the very first shift, and North Dakota took advantage, scoring just 99 seconds into the game. The puck deflected off falling Gophers forward Nick Larson in the crease and bounced right to streaking Sioux forward Danny Kristo, who put the first shot of the game past Gophers goaltender Alex Kangas .
While the goal appeared to be a fluke — and an example of the Gophers’ bad puck-luck all season — the remaining play proved it was the rule, not the exception. The Sioux took advantage of Minnesota’s sloppy puck-handling all night en route to a 6-0 shutout.
“Whether you win by one or lose by one, or like we did tonight [by six], it really doesn't matter,” Lucia said. “You just got to come back and try to win tomorrow.”
Facing elimination Saturday night, the Gophers stormed back, matching North Dakota hit-for-hit.
Gophers forward Jacob Cepis , who had already wrapped up an outstanding regular season, was the creator Saturday night. The junior drew two penalties and capitalized each time.
In the first period, Cepis drew a tripping penalty on Sioux goalie Brad Eidsness. Just 12 seconds into the one-man advantage, Cepis centered a pass to forward Mike Hoeffel, who was waiting in the crease and banged the puck home for an early 1-0 lead.
North Dakota responded with two straight goals, the second coming midway through the second period when forward Matt Frattin took a pass from forward Chris VandeVelde and fired a shot from the far Minnesota faceoff circle that went low past Kangas for the goal.
Eight minutes from the potential end of the Gophers’ season, Cepis again drew a penalty. On the power play, he fired a shot from the near Minnesota circle that went right through the legs of Eidsness for the equalizer.
Less than a minute later, Gophers freshman defenseman Seth Helgeson added the game-winner. At the most crucial of times, Helgeson collected his first career point when his shot from just inside the blue line crept past Eidsness.
“He just threw it at the net,” Lucia said. “We didn't get many that got through. That was one that got through and had some eyes.”
Sophomore forward Jordan Schroeder added an empty-net goal to cap a 4-2 Minnesota win, forcing a decisive third game with a berth in the Final Five on the line.
The deciding game was eerily similar to Friday night’s debacle in the early going, with North Dakota taking an 8-0 shot advantage midway through the first period.
The Sioux capitalized on a power play when defenseman Ben Blood fired a shot from just outside the far circle that went high past Kangas for the game’s first goal.
Minnesota responded just seven minutes later, when forward Jake Hansen lost control of the puck in the slot but managed to put a shot on net that found its way through Eidsness to tie the game.
But Sunday was all about the Sioux. They used their physicality to overpower the Gophers.
Frattin started the hard hitting five minutes into the second period, jumping up near the Minnesota boards and laying out Gophers defenseman Kevin Wehrs . The hit earned Frattin a five-minute major, though Lucia felt the penalty should have been more severe.
“That was a vicious hit, say what you want,” Lucia said. “It's not the kind of hits we want to see in the game. My own personal feeling [is that] it was more than a [five-minute penalty].”
Wehrs didn’t return to the game, and fellow defenseman Nick Leddy was also injured in a knee-on-knee collision, leaving Minnesota with just four defensemen the rest of the game.
“Here you are in game three, the second half of the game, and you are down to four [defensemen],” Lucia said. “By the end of the game they were gassed.”
In the second period, North Dakota took a lead it wouldn’t relinquish when forward Jason Gregoire tipped in a Kristo shot. Frattin and forward Brett Hextall added goals to seal a 4-1 victory, ending Minnesota’s season.
“This is probably as difficult of an environment as there is in college hockey,” Lucia said. “The guys really went toe-to-toe right to the end tonight.”
North Dakota advanced to the Final Five play-in game, eventually winning the WCHA title with a 5-3 win over St. Cloud State.
The Gophers ended its second straight season without a trip to the NCAA tournament.