Gophers Turn Golden At Playoff Time
March 16, 2004
It's not what you've done, it's what have you done lately that counts when it comes to WCHA playoff time. For the University of Minnesota, it seems that a season of sputtering stops and starts and a fifth-place finish has long since passed, because the tournament-savvy Gophers are on what has become an annual post-season ascent.
A record of 15-12-1 left the Gophers only the fifth seed in the WCHA playoff picture, and in need of a season-ending sweep of St. Cloud State to hang onto that final home-ice berth behind North Dakota, Minnesota-Duluth, Wisconsin and Denver.
Typically, Minnesota got past St. Cloud State in a first-round playoff series, erupting for a dominant two-game triumph. It seemed the Gophers were primed and ready for a new challenge. After all, two years ago Denver was the WCHA champion, but when the Pioneers faltered in the NCAA playoffs, the Gophers went on to win the NCAA title for the first time in 23 years. And last year, after Colorado College won the WCHA title, the Tigers, also, faltered in the NCAA regionals, and again the Gophers stormed on to win their second straight NCAA title.
This year, the challenge would be that the Gophers already set on an NCAA berth because of a strong nonconference showing would have to advance through the WCHA Final Five by winning the dreaded play-in game between fourth and fifth, then beating league champ North Dakota, and then the winner between second and third seeds UMD and Wisconsin.
But wait! The Playoff Gods have smiled early on the Gophers this time around. Denver, fresh from sweeping a season-ending pair from Colorado College, lost two straight to CC in the opening playoff round and will stay home from this week's Final Five. And Wisconsin, at home in spacious Kohl Center, were beaten by eighth-place Alaska Anchorage two out of three times and also will be at home when the five survivors convene at Saint Paul's Xcel Energy Center.
Those results knock out third-seed Wisconsin and fourth-seed Denver, and because the WCHA recalibrates the five survivors, Minnesota moves up from fifth to third avoiding the play-in game, which now will be between Colorado College and Alaska Anchorage on Thursday night. That winner will advance to play North Dakota Friday afternoon, while Minnesota faces UMD in the Friday night semifinal.
Facing the runner-up Bulldogs is no treat for Minnesota, because the Bulldogs won all four games against Minnesota during the season, including 6-1 and 4-1 romps a month ago in Duluth. Ah, but those were the "regular-season" Gophers, who bear little resemblance to the Gophers in playoff mode.
One of the keys for Minnesota is a pivotal decision made by the Potulny family, which produced Grant Potulny the captain, the game-winning overtime goal-scorer to give Minnesota its NCAA title victory against Maine two years ago, and the team's unequivocal leader. The same family also contributed Ryan Potulny, last year's USHL junior league scoring champion, as a Minnesota freshman this season.
Ryan Potulny was injured in the eighth game of the season, and while that was part of one game beyond the point where medical redshirt years are granted, it was a cinch he could get the redshirt year on appeal. Going into the last weekend of the regular season, however, coach Don Lucia surprised everybody by announcing the rehabilitated Ryan Potulny would rejoin the lineup for the remainder of the season, however far the Gophers go.
Lucia isn't foolish enough to exchange a full season for a handful of games, no matter how important, and regardless of the fact that the Gophers finished with a listless four losses in six games stretch. But he discussed it with the Potulny family, because Ryan's skill level is such that he's more likely to be lured by a pro contract before four years are up than he is to stay through four full years and a fifth, redshirt season.
"It was their call," said Lucia. "The only question was whether the family thought that Ryan would be here for a fifth year. If he's not planning to be here for a fifth year, then why redshirt and waste the rest of this season. He adds a lot."
After Minnesota beat St. Cloud State 7-4 in the season-ending series, Ryan Potulny stepped in and scored a goal at 3:34 of the second period. He followed a rush by Thomas Vanek, and when goaltender Ryan Coole poke-checked the puck away from Vanek, the younger Potulny put it in. Minnesota finished the sweep with a 4-2 victory, and Ryan Potulny's goal was the game-winner.
Assistant coach Bob Motzko, who manned the bench while Lucia sat up in the press box, taking it easy after some surgery on his upper back, wasn't surprised by the impressive return. "It's going to take Ryan a while to get everything back together, but he's something special. We've just got to extend our season a few weeks to give him time."
Was there any doubt? The Gophers whipped the faltering Huskies 6-1 and 7-3, and Ryan Potulny scored four more goals in the sweep, giving him five goals in three games.
As if they needed any more incentive against UMD, the Gophers have their hot hand going against a Bulldog outfit that narrowly escaped Minnesota State-Mankato. UMD lost 4-3 in overtime in a Friday shocker at the DECC, then came back to win 6-2 on Saturday. In Sunday's deciding game, UMD flew off to an insurmountable lead with five goals in the in the opening minutes, then found out the lead was surmountable, after all, and had to hang on for a 6-5 escape.
For UMD, a strong post-season will wash away all sorts of post-season blues. Last year, the Bulldogs were the hottest team in the WCHA at the end of the season, and finished third in the Final Five with an impressive run, but their lack of nonconference success killed their pairwise computer rating and left them out of the 12-team NCAA field. This year, their strong pairwise assures the Bulldogs of a slot in the expanded 16-team NCAA, but the close call against ninth-place Mankato, coupled with Minnesota's sudden resurgence, reduces the effect UMD's regular-season four-games-to-none record may have had against the Gophers.
After all, UMD is breaking new ground this year by coming into the Final Five as a semifinalist. For Minnesota, it's same-old ground, revisited. At least this year, UMD can share in Minnesota's "home-ice" advantage, where the Xcel Center's contract calls for the Gophers to play the night game in the tournament to assure a big crowd. Last year, UMD won the play-in game, then lost a close battle to top-seeded Colorado College, before coming back to win the third-place game.
This year, the Dogs knew they'd be in the semifinals, and they anticipated facing a Wisconsin team they had just beaten in a season-ending sweep in Madison. Instead, they get the Gophers, who suddenly look like they're on a mission. Again.
|
|
 |
