College Hockey Update:  Yesterday in the final game of the Western Region in Sioux Falls, SD, Minnesota-Duluth started out fast and furious and it looked like it was just too much for Air Force to handle.  There was so much action in the Air Force zone that it seemed all Air Force could concentrate on was getting the puck out of there for some breathing room.  When in the Minnesota-Duluth zone, Air Force faced more pressure, and could not manage to get off a single shot in the first period.  Meanwhile, Minnesota-Duluth capitalized on having Air Force back on their heels, as Joey Anderson scored nine minutes into the period to give UMD a 1-0 lead, and then Nick Wolff scored just three minutes later to make it 2-0, UMD.  A much calmer and in command Air Force team came out on the ice in the second and the period played very evenly.  UMD had the luxury of its 2-0 lead and could concentrate on holding Air Force off; both teams played solid defensive efforts and each managed to get only six shots off in the period.  The third period played exactly like the second, and it became sort of obvious about eight or nine minutes into the period that this defensive stalemate was not a good recipe for Air Force, being down two goals.  Then at the twelve minute mark a nasty take down of an Air Force player during a down-ice pursuit of the puck, after the warning whistle had blown, resulted in a fairly hard boarding of that Air Force player and a power play opportunity for Air Force.  Air Force picked up the pace surprisingly and kept pressure on in the Minnesota-Duluth zone, but the penalty was melting away and it looked like Air Force wouldn’t be able to convert.  But with only 28 seconds left on the penalty Air Force scored and made it a 2-1 game; the question was, would it now be a different game?  The answer was largely no, as Minnesota-Duluth, at even strength, was able to return the game to a five-on-five stalemate, and prevailed by the 2-1 margin, and advance to the Frozen Four.

Was this game an upset in our pool?  I suppose it depends on how you look at it.  Of the five participants who had chosen either Minnesota-Duluth or Air Force to win this game, four picked UMD and only one picked Air Force.  However, factoring in the other 45 participants, the result is an upset of epic proportions that trace back to the first Air Force upset win, as 40 had picked St. Cloud State to win this game, and another five had picked Mankato State.

That’s all for now.  Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom