March 19, 2004

ST. PAUL, Minn. - The largest single crown in the 52-year history of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association was on hand Friday night at the Xcel Energy Center to watch Minnesota take on Minnesota-Duluth in the second semifinal of the Red Baron WCHA Final Five. And electricity was in the air.

The teams had met four times in the regular season, with Minnesota-Duluth winning all four. The stakes were higher this time as the winner would advance to Saturday's Final Five championship game. But perhaps more importantly, the winner will likely get a No. 1 seed in next week's NCAA tournament.

Safe to say, few have seen a college hockey game in such a large arena with the atmosphere generated by this one. And it was a dandy.

Minnesota broke open a 4-4 tie with three straight goals in the third period to gain a 7-4 win over the Bulldogs. The Gophers (25-13-3) advance to meet North Dakota (4-2 winners over Alaska Anchorage) in the Final Five Championship at 7:05 p.m. at the 'X'. Minnesota-Duluth (25-12-4) will play UAA in the third-place game at 2 p.m.

Minnesota-Duluth took a 1-0 lead on a perfect play between Marco Peluso and Luke Stauffacher at 2:08 of the first period. The play came deep into the left side of the Gophers' zone when Peluso went cross-ice and hit Stauffacher on the tape. In turn, the Bulldog junior whacked it between the butterflied pads of Briggs. It was Stauffacher's 15th goal of the season and Peluso and Tim Stapleton got the assists.

The Bulldogs then took a 2-0 lead at 9:06 when sharp-shooting Evan Schwabe netted his 15th goal of the season with a seeing-eye shot that picked the corner between Briggs' shoulder and the iron. Jesse Unklesbay and Beau Geisler got the assists on Schwabe's goal.

The Bulldogs were in a position to pull away a bit and had the momentum early. But Minnesota is, of course, the two-time defending national champion and it has a lethal power play. It was on a beautiful power play goal at 14:03 where Minnesota made it 2-1. The Gophers worked it around the top before feeding Grant Potulny low on the left. Potulny then zipped a pass across the slot and Troy Riddle scored on a narrow-angle one-timer that no goalie could stop. Potulny and Matt Koalska got the assists on Riddle's 22nd goal of the season.

Unfazed, Minnesota-Duluth regained a two-goal lead on great effort by Schwabe. The puck was in a pile of players near the blue line and Justin Williams worked it free. Schwabe skated in all alone and, with a defender closing, put a shake-and-bake move on Briggs and found the mesh. Williams got the lone assist.

Then, with time running down in the period, the Gophers got one back on a fortunate bounce. A shot from out front went off the end boards. Danny Irmen was on the spot to pick it up at the side of the net and he got it under Reichmuth at 19:25. Gino Guyer and Jake Fleming got the assists on Irmen's 11th of the season.

UMD held a 18-9 advantage in shots and took a 3-2 lead into the first intermission.

While the Gophers' power play is great, their penalty kill isn't bad either, and it was short-handed when Minnesota tied it at 4:51. Keith Ballard put a picture-perfect pass on the stick of Irmen, who was then sprung on a lone breakaway. Irmen beat Reichmuth like a rented mule and tied the game.

At that point one could feel the momentum change to the Gophers' side and with just more than eight minutes to go Reichmuth had to come up big with a capital "B". He stopped Thomas Vanek on a breakaway, making a dazzling save in the process, then somehow gloved the rebound by Riddle. Two great saves on two great players for sure.

But Minnesota would gain it's first lead some five minutes later. On almost a fluke bounce from the corner, the puck squirted into the slot, and Ryan Potulny was on the spot to pick the corner on Reichmuth and gave Minnesota a 4-3 lead at 14:25.

That's the way the second ended, with Minnesota holding a 12-7 edge in shots on goal in the period.

One had the feeling that if the Gophers got the next goal, this one could be over. And early in the third, there was a collective gasp from the UMD faithful when Vanek, who was cruising unmolested in the slot, let a wicked slapshot go from between the dots. Vanek beat Reichmuth, however, he missed the net high.

On the ensuing rush up ice, Schwabe poked the puck ahead to Justin Williams, who made a good move near the net and beat Briggs with a low shot, tying the score 4-4 just 40 seconds into the third period. Schwabe and Junior Lessard got the assists.

And the energy went to a new level inside the Xcel Center.

But Minnesota regained the lead three minutes and five seconds later at 3:45. The puck came free after players were tangled at the blue line an a tic-tac-toe goal was the result. Riddle passed ahead to Koalska who went cross ice to Vanek, who had all day to shoot. He paused just a moment before netting his 23rd of the season and the Gophers led again, 5-4.

The Gophers made it 6-4 at 14:41 after Reichmuth made a save and the rebound came right out to Jon Waibel. Instead of shooting, Waibel went cross-ice and Minnesota's Andy Sertich scored on a one-timer. Waibel got the lone assist.

UMD pulled Reichmuth with about 2:30, and at 19:24 Barry Tallackson notched the empty-netter to give Minnesota a 7-4 lead. Waibel again got the lone assist.

And that's the way it ended, 7-4 for Minnesota.

Minnesota had 41 shots on goal to Minnesota-Duluth's 31. Briggs (23-10-3) made 27 saves to get the win while Reichmuth (21-8-4) made 34 saves.

Minnesota was 1-for-4 on the power play while Minnesota-Duluth was 0-for-5 with the man advantage.

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