Denver Downs UMD, 5-3, Thursday at NCAA Frozen Four to Advance to National Championship Game
D Ryan Caldwell had the game-tying goal in Denveršs 5-3 NCAa Frozen Four Semi-Final Win over UMD Thursday. |
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April 8, 2004
BOSTON, Mass. The University of Denver men's hockey team, winners of five national championships overall, are back in the NCAA Frozen Four title game for the first time since 1973 following a stirring 5-3 comeback victory over fellow Western Collegiate Hockey Association-member University of Minnesota-Duluth in the first of two national semi-finals played here Thursday (Aprii 8) afternoon before a sellout crowd of 18,084 at the Fleetcenter.
Trailing 3-1 entering the final period, head coach George Gwozdecky's Pioneers erupted for four unanswered goals including three in a span of just 5:55 to advance to Saturday (April 10) evening's national championship game against either Boston College or University of Maine of the Hockey East Association, who were playing in the other national semi-final at 6:07 pm ET this evening.
"It's not the game plan to come back, that's for sure," said Gwozdecky. "But like Ryan (Caldwell) said, it's kind of symbolic of the entire year, and there have been times where we haven't made it very easy on ourselves. The biggest thing that I see in our team over the course of the last two months is we understand now how to win. There's an understanding and a learning that there's a process. There's confidence in the locker room that there's going to be peaks and valleys throughout a game, but as long as we continue to stay the course, we have the kind of team that can bounce back and create good things. Obviously, we showed that today."
Sophomore center Gabe Gauthier got the Denver comeback started when he scored an even-strength goal, his 18th of the season, off a deflection of sophomore defenseman Brett Skinner's shot just 2:30 into the third that cut the Bulldogs' lead to just one at 3-2.
Just :34 seconds later, on a 2-on-1 at 3:04, senior defenseman Ryan Caldwell got the game-tying tally his 15th of the season with an assist from junior left winger Luke Fulghum. Caldwell, the 2004 WCHA Defensive Player of the Year who was named a first team JOFA All-American on Wednesday, beat UMD sophomore goaltender Isaac Reichmuth with a wrister past the stick side of the net.
Denver then took the lead for good at the 8:25 mark of the final period when senior right winger Lukas Dora wheeled in front of the net and slipped a backhander between the UMD pipes to make it 4-3 and earn the game-winner. Dora took the puck off a deflection off the boards following a dump-in by Skinner, who earned his second assist.
"I think everyone is going to talk about the third period and it was a good one for us obviously because we made the plays we had to," said Gwozdecky. "I told the guys at the second intermission that if they could win the third period they would be able to get four more police escorts, which are so much fun."
The final goal, an empty-netter, came at 19:52 when Denver senior left wing Connor James intercepted a Minnesota-Duluth pass at center ice, skated into his opponents' zone, and fed the puck to teammate and senior right wing Greg Keith for the score.
The Pioneers (26-12-6) thus became the first team this season to defeat Minnesota-Duluth (28-15-4) when the Bulldogs held the lead heading into the third period (UMD was 25-1-1). It was also only the Bulldogs' second loss in the last 48 games when leading after two periods (43-2-3).
Minnesota-Duluth built their 3-1 lead after two periods on a pair of first period goals from senior left wing Junior Lessard on a power-play at 1:09 and from junior left wing Tyler Brosz at 4:34 and a second period man-advantage goal from Lessard at 15:35.
"I think we were definitely affected by the first goal," said Gwozdecky, "but I didn't sense coming out on the ice anything different in our preparation to play. I felt we were excited to play the game... we were looking forward to it. But when that first goal went in as early as it did, I think it took a little steam out of our sails."
On the afternoon, Denver held a 30-29 advantage in shots on goal. UMD converted on 2-of-6 power-play attempts while the Pioneers were 0-of-4. Penalties saw Denver whistled for seven minors while UMD was called five. Neither team incurred a penalty in the third period. In goal, Adam Berkhoel had 26 saves for the PIoneers while Reichmuth had 25 for UMD.
"This was a game that kind of reminded me of our (WCHA) Final Five game against Minnesota," said UMD head coach Scott Sandelin. "Personally, I couldn't be any prouder of our guys. This program took another step. Obviously, we didn't accomplish the goal we came here to accomplish, but what can I say? These guys have made a true commitment to this program and they deserve to be here. We were hoping for a different fate, and an opportunity to play on Saturday, but Denver deserves to be there."
"I'm stunned," said Berkhoel of the third period comeback. "The way I started and the way the team responded is unbelieveable, and you really can't put it into words. This whole year we've been on the short end of the stick with a lot of goals in the third, but in the end it was good to pull one out in the third."
Denver, who played outside the state of Colorado here today for the first time since Feb. 21, won their five NCAA championship titles came in 1958, 1960, 1961, 1968 and 1969.
Game Summary:
University of Denver 5 vs University of Minnesota-Duluth 3
1st Period: P1 Denver - Kevin Ulanski (2-interference), 0:36; G1 UMD - Junior Lessard 31 (Tyler Brosz 27, Evan Schwabe 37), PPG, 1:09; G2 UMD - Brosz 4 (T.J. Caig 16), 4:34; P2 Denver - Matt Carle (2-rough), 5:34; P3 UMD - Beau Geisler (2-rough), 5:34; P4 Denver - Matt Laatsch (2-hold), 7:03; P5 Denver - Connor James (2-hold), 9:44; P6 Denver - Lukas Dora (2-cross check), 10:55; G7 UMD - Schwabe (2-trip), 11:49; P8 UMD - Marco Peluso (2-holding stick), 14:08; P9 Denver - Michael Handza (2-interference), 19:14. 2nd Period: P10 UMD - Tim Hambly (2-hold), 4:54; P 11 UMD - Todd Smith (2-board), 8:35; G3 Denver - Luke Fulghum 14 (Lukas Dora 21, Max Bull 12), 11:40; P12 Denver - Dora (2-kneeing), 14:18; G4 UMD - Lessard 32 (Schwabe 38, Tim Stapleton 25), PPG, 15:35. 3rd Period: G5 Denver - Gabe Gauthier 18 (Brett Skinner 22), 2:30; G6 Denver - Ryan Caldwell 15 (Fulghum 9), 3:04; G7 Denver - Dora 14 (Skinner 23), 8:25; G8 Denver - Greg Keith 10 (James 24), ENG, 19:52. Score by Periods: Denver 0-1-4 = 5; UMD 2-1-0 = 3. Pen: Denver 7-14; UMD 5-10. PPs: Denver 0-4; UMD 2-6. Shots on Goal: Denver 5-12-13 = 30; UMD 11-12-6 = 29. Saves: Adam Berkhoel (Denver), 9-11-6 = 26 (60:00); Isaac Reichmuth (UMD), 5-11-9 = 25 (58:43). Att: 18,084 (sellout). Time: 2:41.
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