North Dakota Crushes Another One, This Time it’s Denver, 6-1

Yesterday six goals by six different North Dakota players buried Denver and sent North Dakota to the Frozen Four. 

It started out looking like much more of a contest.  In the first, the teams held each other off until fifteen minutes into the period when North Dakota’s Mario Lamoureux scored a short handed goal, to go up 1-0.  But four minutes later, and right before the buzzer, Denver’s Jason Zucker scored to end the first 1-1.

Seven minutes into the second, North Dakota’s Evan Trupp netted one to put North Dakota up 2-1, but the tempo of the game remained largely in check.  Denver remained within one goal until nearly the end of the period, when Brett Hextall scored on a power play goal to put North Dakota up 3-1 at the end of the second.

The third period started at a pretty even tempo on both sides, but as the third period went on, Denver appeared to be wearing down, perhaps the consequence of playing four and a half periods of hockey the night before.  Eventually the tempo was on North Dakota’s side, and in the last five minutes of the period three goals by Brock Nelson, Brad Malone, and Jake Marto gave North Dakota a huge 6-1 win, and advanced them to St. Paul.

Notre Dame Plays Stingy Defense to Beat UNH, go to Frozen Four

In the contest to decide the last team to go to this year’s Frozen Four, New Hampshire came out hot, badly outshooting Notre Dame to start the first period.  But Notre Dame quickly came around and evened things up with a goal by Stephen Johns seven minutes into the period, and the game was played pretty evenly for the next 33 minutes of play through the remainder of the first and all of the second, with both teams scoreless.  But right at the end of the second, Notre Dame’s Billy Maday scored to put Notre Dame up 2-0 after two.

In the third, Notre Dame picked it up, outshooting New Hampshire 16-9 in the period, but New Hampshire managed a goal thirteen minutes into the period, to make it 2-1.  But Notre Dame held New Hampshire off for the remaining seven minutes to take the game 2-1, and to advance to the Frozen Four.

Frozen Four Set:  UMD vs Notre Dame; North Dakota vs Michigan

So this is what we’ve all been waiting for, and it takes place Thursday, April 7th.  Minnesota-Duluth will face Notre Dame in the early game at 2:00pm Pacific Time, and North Dakota will face Michigan in the second game at 5:30pm Pacific Time.  Both games will be broadcast live on ESPN2, if you are able to be in front of a TV at those times.  The championship game will be played on Saturday, April 9th, at 4:00pm Pacific Time on ESPN.  Time to get out the kielbasa, sauerkraut and onion recipes, and find a place where you can buy a can or two of Olympia or Pabst, wouldn’t you say?

And here are the standings in our pool at this time.  Participants are listed by total number of correct picks so far, out of twelve possible correct picks:

9  MBettendorf, Ryan

8  Krajan, Huberty, Ramsey, JSchreader

7  Breen, Hollywood, Ide, Fairbrother, BMichela, MMichela, McLean, Pastor, Rodewald, GgSchreader, OSchreader, DShymanski, Smigielski, Sweeney, Slaughter

6  BBettendorf, Bremer, Holte, Sell, TShymanski, Speare, Stier

5  Bogosian, Peterson, Wienbar

4  Cruz, GfSchreader, Shimshock

3  Carlisle

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned.  And since the last two teams I rooted for: 1) Didn’t make the tournament; and 2)  Didn’t make it out of the first  round;  I think maybe I’ll just keep it to myself as to who I am rooting for now . . . .