UMD Beats Denver for 'Impossible' Sweep to Title
The UMD Bulldogs celebrate their 2009 WCHA Final Five championship |
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March 21, 2009
SAINT PAUL, MN. - Never in the 17-year history of the WCHA playing a Final Five playoff format had any team survived the "play-in" game then also won the semfinal and final to claim the championship. Until Saturday, when the University of Minnesota-Duluth continued one of the most stirring playoff runs in league history by not only beating but blanking Denver 4-0 to claim the Broadmoor Trophy.
Not only did the Bulldogs win, they stifled the powerful Pioneers by allowing just one shot at star goaltender Alex Stalock in the third period, when they made Denver look like the fatigued team, rather than themselves.
"That was definitely one of the toughet games we've had all year," said Denver winger Rhett Rakhshani. "All around the rink, on the boards, in the neutral zone, behind the net - everywhere, we were always physically confronted by them. Do I think we played our best? No, but even when we were putting forward our bedst play, they weathered it."
UMD (21-12-8), which had finished the regular season in a winless five-game skid that dropped it to seventh in the WCHA, rose up to become the only road-winner to win in the first round of league playoffs, beating Colorado College 4-1, 3-1. Still, the Bulldogs were distinct underdogs at the Xcel Energy Center, before beating Minnesota 2-1 Thursday, then stunning league champion North Dakota 3-0 Friday, and finishing the job with the 4-0 job on Denver (23-11-5).
Consistent in that playoff run is that goaltender Alex Stalock has been close to unbeatable through three games, and totally unbeatable against North Dakota and Denver - the WCHA's top two seeds, and two teams secured in their NCAA tournament berths. Stalock, after giving up only three goals in five playoff games - a goals-against mark of 0.60 and a save percentage of .981 - has guided the upstart Bulldogs into a third secure slot in the NCAA pairings.
In the first two Final Five victories, senior MacGregor Sharp scored the first goal and Stalock was superb, causing Scott Sandelin to stress that it was a good formula. Sharp did it again Saturday night, dazzling 16,749 fans by scoring a power-play goal midway through the first period, finishing off a spectacular goal-mouth play for another goal midway through the second period, then hitting an empty net with 2:32 remaining in the third to clinch it.
The hat trick boosts Sharp to 26 goals for the season, after he scored seven last season.It was suggested he must have lost confidence in his goalie to score more than the first one.
"The way Alex has been playing, one should do the trick," laughed Sharp. "But I thought I should get a couple more tonight."
Denver coach George Gwozdecky admired UMD's amazing run. "We were hoping to get that first one to see how they'd react," said Gwozdecky, "but we couldn't. They took away pretty much everything we had.
"The more I watched them tonight, the more I thought about some teams we've had - a big, strong, physical team, physically and mentally strong. Alex Stalock is playing as good as any goaltender can. I was very impressed with Duluth, and they get full credit for doing what was thought to be impossible, and what nobody has ever done before by winning three games in three days.
"If they keep playing the way they are now, they could go a long way in the national tournament."
The Bulldogs, who spent much of the season scratching and clawing for goals, scored some outstanding goals against Denver. On Sharp's first goal, freshman Mike Connolly fed him rushing into the zone and Sharp passed hard to Justin Fontaine in the right circle. Fontaine had a good opening for a shot, but instead passed back across the slot, and Sharp one-timed it past goaltender Marc Cheverie.
In the second period, Mike Connolly burst up the right side as Sharp went hard for the net on the left. Connolly sent a hard pass across the goal-mouth. "All I had to do was get my stick down, and it went right off the tape," said Sharp.
Less than three minutes later, UMD killed a penalty to Jack Connolly when Rhett Rakhshani was penalized for Denver. When Connolly came out of the box, he hustled into the offensive zone and wound up with the puck in the left corner. He considered feeding the point, but saw a lane open up and darted for the goal, throwing a deke at Cheverie and then hoisting his shot up and in on the short side for a 3-0 lead.
Highlight film stuff, these goals. And the big crowd was clearly behind the Cinderella Bulldogs. But through the third period, the Denver response was awaited, and then seemingly ignored by the Bulldogs, who played with an ever-increasing confidence. When Gwozdecky pulled Cheverie for an extra skater with plenty of time left, the Bulldogs struck almost immediately.
Mike Connolly, one of the two unrelated freshman Connollys who had huge weekends on the top two lines, fed Sharp in the neutral zone, and Sharp carried to near the blue line before rifling his shot into the empty net.
"I'm extremely proud of our team and happy for our seniors," said UMD coach Scott Sandelin. "They were here as freshmen, and since then we've endured some hardships. But we had good composure, and stayed focused. To hold that team to one shot in the third period...
"This ranks right at the top," said Sandelin, among his coaching highlights.
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