Ideally, you want to come into the NCAA Ice Hockey Championships riding a hot streak. But when you’re coming off perhaps your most disappointing game of the year, squandering a 3-0 lead against North Dakota in the WCHA Final Five, the University of Minnesota hockey team had to appreciate coming into the NCAA West Regional semifinal with a clean sheet of ice, so to speak. They can forget everything prior to this weekend, as the NCAA tournament is essentially a brand new season.
In their opening game of the NCAA West Regional, the Gophers took on the Boston University Terriers, and for the first period and a half it was a see-saw battle as the two teams exchanged goals. Minnesota would put some distance between themselves and the Terriers late in the second period, on their way to a 7-3 win in front of 9600 spectators at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul.
Kyle Rau (18) opened the scoring at 5:55 of the first period, getting a goal on the power play after a Nate Schmidt slapshot squirted between the legs of BU goaltender Kieran Millan, and Rau pounded it home. Erik Haula got the second assist on the goal.
BU would tie the game in the second period on the power play, when a shot from the point got behind Gopher goalkeeper Kent Patterson, and was driven home by Wade Megan of the Terriers. Less than two minutes later, the Gophers Jake Parenteau (2) wristed a shot from the circle over the shoulder of Millan, giving Minnesota back their one goal lead halfway through the period. Boston University’s Ross Gaudet got a gift goal for his squad at 13:20 of the second to tie the game once again, capitalizing on a turnover in front of the Minnesota net by Parenteau to even it up at 2-2.
Defenseman Seth Helgeson (5) gave the Gophers the lead back once again at 15:09 of the middle session on a shot from the point that found it’s way to the back of the net over the glove hand of Millan. Zach Budish and Kyle Rau assisted on the Helgeson goal. The eventual game winner would come from Jake Hansen (14), as he tipped home a Nate Schmidt slapper from the point, between the legs of the BU goaltender at 15:38 of the second. Kyle Rau got the second assist on the goal, which came during a five minute major to BU’s Justin Courtnall for contact to the head. Courtnall was also ejected from the game.
BU brought the game back to 4-3 early in the third on a power play goal from Adam Clendenning that looked like it was re-directed off the skate of the Gopher defenseman. But Nico Sacchetti made it a two goal difference early in the third period, when he took the puck from in front of the Terriers bench, skated toward the net, and then ducked in front of Millan, and tucking it home. It was all over after that, as Minnesota added a couple of empty netters from Jake Hansen and Nick Bjugstad, to make the final 7-3, Gophers.
After the game, Boston University Head Coach Jack Parker was a class act in defeat, heaping praise on the city of St. Paul, Head Coach Don Lucia, and the Gopher Hockey team, commenting simply “The better team won tonight. It should be a helluva game tomorrow”, referring to the MInnesota/North Dakota final. Asked about the final, and whether the UND loss last weekend would be used as motivation for tomorrows game, Gopher Head Coach Don Lucia shook his head and said “You know what, we’ve already flushed that one out. I don’t think anything about last week will be used as motivation. We played them five times this year, they know us, we know them…. you gotta beat a good team this time of year, they’re a good team”.
The Gophers (27-13-1) will play North Dakota (26-12-3) in the West Regional Final game at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. Game time is scheduled for 4:30 PM (Central), with the game being broadcast on ESPNU/ESPN3, according to the NCAA.