UMD knocks WMU in NCHC OT thriller

UMD celebrates on the ice after a lead-restoring goal in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff quarterfinals against Western Michigan. Photo by Hunter Dunteman

The University of Minnesota Duluth men’s hockey team knocked Western Michigan out of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff bracket in a 5-4 overtime win Saturday night at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, North Dakota.

With nearly 2200 fans in attendance, breaths were held and nails were bitten as the lead teetered back and forth for over three hours.

UMD started the game strong on the offensive end, launching five shots at the WMU goal in the opening two minutes of the game.

A second minute goal by Cloquet-native Koby Bender started UMD off on a good note, but a ninth minute answer by WMU’s Jason Polin evened the score 1-1.

Things got shaky for the Bulldogs following a second period interference call on Hermantown-native and freshman forward Blake Biondi. Boasting the fourth-best power play percentage in the NCAA, WMU had no problem slipping the puck past UMD’s shorthanded defense and into the goal. Ethen Frank netted the puck, giving WMU a one-goal lead.

Minutes later, a WMU tripping penalty gave UMD the chance to answer with its own power play goal. Bender scored his second goal of the night to tie the game 2-2 in the last seconds of the advantage.

Before the second period could close, a lapse in UMD’s defense saw WMU’s Cole Gallant finesse the puck past two UMD defenders and past Ryan Fanti, giving the Broncos a 3-2 lead heading into the second intermission.

A locker room talk seemed to give UMD a much needed boost of energy heading into the third period. The Bulldogs took the ice in powerful fashion, shooting the puck on goal five times in 40 seconds until WMU’s Cedric Fielder slashed Jackson Cates’ stick out of his hands, giving UMD a much needed one-man advantage. Kobe Roth netted the puck on the ensuing power play, tying the game 3-3.

Just three minutes later, Hermantown-native Cole Koepke scored his 13th goal of the season, restoring a one-goal lead for UMD.

As the clock ticked down, things got increasingly aggressive on the ice. Players were pushed into the glass, hit to the ice and separated by officials. A late-game, offsetting cross-checking penalty was the climax of physicality.

With less than two minutes left in the game, WMU chose to play with an empty-net, giving them a one man advantage on the attack. Though the Bulldogs held strong and blocked off shooting lanes, WMU was able to score a crucial game-tying goal with 22 seconds left in regulation, forcing overtime.

NCHC rules dictate 20-minute, sudden-death overtime periods until a winner is determined.

In the sixth minute of the overtime period, freshman defenseman Connor Kelley scored the game-winning goal, unassisted, following a faceoff deflection.

But “something weird happened” in the last puck drop, according to Kelley himself.

WMU head coach Andy Murray said in a post-game press conference that the puck never hit the ice, noting that it had actually deflected off of UMD’s Jesse Jacques’ hand, which should have blown the play dead.

“I kind of stickhandled it because I thought the ref was going to blow it dead,” Kelley said. “But [WMU’s] wing came out to me, so I decided to shoot it.”

Puck drops are not reviewable plays, so the goal stood, and UMD came out victorious.

Saturday’s win pits the Bulldogs against St. Cloud State in a Monday afternoon Frozen Faceoff semifinal game. The Huskies have won four of their six games against the Bulldogs this year.

Monday’s puck drop is set for 3:06 p.m. and can be watched on the CBS Sports Network.

Michael King contributed to this article.