NCAA Hockey: UMD tops Providence in 2OT; Michigan, UND, BC advance

WORCESTER, Mass. — For the second game in a row, the reigning national champions were pushed past regulation, and then past the first overtime.

But just like their previous engagement, the Providence College Friars were sent home disappointed, this time for the summer, on a goal in-close. This time, it was Minnesota-Duluth's Karson Kuhlman tapping in a rebound on a Willie Raskob shot from the perimeter 57 seconds into the second overtime. The game went 2-1 to the Bulldogs, who knocked off the fourth-seeded team in the nation, after nearly 81 minutes of hockey.

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"There’s no question that in these games you don’t get a lot of opportunities,” said UMD coach Scott Sandelin, who won a national title in 2011. “We went 0-for-4 in the power play, those are difference makers. And the same thing at the latter half of the first overtime we had some really good chances. The game can go really quickly the other way sometimes.”

Providence was dramatically outshot throughout the game, but through quality systems play, the ability to limit quality chances, and a bit of good luck, were able to wrestle the game into overtime, and even then held on into the second extra period.

“I think we had that similar situation last weekend, which is great for us for a learning experience,” said PC senior Kevin Rooney. “I think we were in a good spot, but unfortunately we just didn't have our A game tonight.”

When the stakes are raised, it makes sense that two of the better defensive teams in the country would want to be more conservative than the average CPAC attendee. However, this game was hockey conservatism taken to its logical extreme.

The game ended far wilder than it began, as the possibility of winning in overtime seemed to enliven a game that had been somewhat dull through the opening 50 or so minutes. In the end, though, one should have expected something of a defensive struggle, with Kasimir Kaskisuo stopping 36 of 37 shots on goal in the victory. Nick Ellis took an ‘L’ despite a 54-save performance.

“It’s pretty simple,” said Friars coach Nate Leaman. “We didn’t have our 'A' game tonight. We got beat by a better team. Congratulations to Duluth, and that’s about it.”

Neither were necessarily going to play high-event hockey in the first place. That much you knew going in. Out of the 60 teams nationally, they ranked 36th and 34th, respectively, in total shot attempts at 5-on-5 in their games. But they took that stinginess to the logical extreme in their regional opener on Friday afternoon, combining for 95 attempts at full strength in regulation. Even by the teams' normally slow standards, this was glacial play.

Another total non-surprise: These two exemplary possession teams were excellent at limiting Grade-A scoring chances, as Kaskisuo and Ellis were relatively unbothered in goal. Not only were their teams getting in shooting and passing lanes on the regular, but most of the action throughout the game was kept to the perimeter, and through 40 minutes at least, neither team gained much purchase in terms of established attacking-zone time.

“I think their team reminds me a lot of our team last year,” Leaman said.

But you also had to say that, at least as far as these marginal differences go, Duluth had the better of the play, maintaining a strong hold on possession and doubling up the Friars in terms of shots on goal. Of course, most were hitting Ellis in the chest, with the exception of a scoring chance for Kuhlman, who finished the game with seven shots on goal, late in the first period.

“I think that is pretty typical of two teams that haven’t played each other,” Sandelin said. “They’re good defensively, and we’re good defensively. It kind of opened up there as the game went on. That’s the way it was a pretty entertaining game.”

It was a continuation of an unfortunate trend for the Friars, who hadn't scored since early in the first period of a triple-overtime game in a Hockey East semifinal loss to UMass Lowell. For those scoring at home, that meant 130-plus minutes without a goal, which is entirely too many for a team of this quality.

Providence left wing Conor MacPhee made things just a little more difficult on his club when he picked up a major early in the second period for an apparent headshot on Kyle Osterberg, getting himself ejected from the game and ceding the Bulldogs a five-minute power play. It was MacPhee's second ejection for contact to the head in three games, having also gotten one late against Merrimack in Game 2 of the Hockey East quarterfinal series. Fortunately for the Friars, they killed that penalty, and the following too-many-men call against them.

The power plays traded between the teams over the course of the second period artificially made the game a little more action-packed, but not as much as the crowd likely needed to feel as though there was a threat of something actually happening in the game.

Both teams were looking for something to give the game something of an inventive spark, but to no avail. Through 40 minutes shots 21-15, but only 13-10 at full strength.

And indeed, it was a low-percentage shot, one from the right half-wall from Duluth's Tony Cameranesi, that finally broke the deadlock just 3:18 into the third period.

“I think we just stuck with the process,” said Austin Farley, Cameranesi and Kuhlman's linemate. “We supported really well. We were in close puck support and used the net really well.”

Fortunately for those in attendance, that goal also forced Providence, a dynamic offensive team when it wants to be, to come out of its shell and force the issue in pursuit of the game-tying goal. It came through Stephen McParland about five minutes later. It was the Friars' first goal in more than 153 minutes of hockey. At that point, overtime felt not so much inevitable as inescapable, made all the more so by Ellis making a few five-alarm saves.

Then, however, came the parade of penalties. The first was a ticky-tack holding call on John Gilmour, who had been the Friars' best defenseman of the game, with 6:18 to go. Then a slash on teammate Josh Monk just under two minutes later to create a one-second 5-on-3. Then there was a slash called against Cameranesi. The game had suddenly devolved into a mad penalty-fest, and chances were finally flying around. Shots through the end of regulation were, inexplicably, 41-26 to the Bulldogs.

“Y'know sometimes games evolve into that,” Sandelin said. “They're a good skating team too. They play a very good structure. They have great sticks. Sometimes games go on. It could’ve ended up staying the same way. It was 0-0 for a long time, obviously for two periods and then both teams scored a goal. You just expect it. When teams are good defensively, they don’t give up any opportunities. You have to work hard to get opportunities and you have to work hard to score.

The trend continued in a wild first overtime period, but despite a number of Grade-A opportunities (at long last) nothing was settled. Shots were 13-9 Duluth after 80, but Providence was starting to look a little tuckered out. Not that the Friars were without their opportunities, but the pace was clearly flagging. The Friars did, however, hit a crossbar in the first OT.

“Right when they shot it I heard the post, and I just had to look in the Providence players’ eyes to see where the puck was,” Kaskisuo said. “Luckily it wasn't in the net.

But in the end, Providence just didn't have the ability to keep up with the Bulldogs, who relentlessly pushed the pace for much of the game.

“I'm proud of this team in a lot of ways,” Leaman said. “I'm proud of their hearts tonight. They didn't have their heads or their legs, but I was really proud of their hearts and how they battled. It was a tough season being national champions because you know you’re getting everyone's 'A' game. I was really proud of how they handled the season.

“But this time of year, it's going to be a bounce one way or another way.”

North Dakota 6, Northeastern 2

Everything started out great for the upstart Huskies, indisputably the best team in the nation. They scored on their first shot. Then things got real ugly, real quick. North Dakota led by three at the end of the first period, and scored twice more before the 30-minute mark. The latter half of the game was just one shovelful of dirt after another on the Huskies' miracle second half.

The Fighting Hawks' CBS line had a hand in three the team's goals tonight (no surprise there) and basically from the start North Dakota simply overwhelmed the Huskies' attempts to do literally anything with the puck. Shot attempts through the first period were 30-10, and final shots ended up being just 36-26 thanks to score effects.

Brock Boeser led the way with a goal and two assists, Cam Johnson stopped 24 of 26, and that's all you need most nights.

Michigan 3, Notre Dame 2 (OT)

Who but the CCM line?

Tyler Motte scored his 32nd goal of the season at 8:19 of the first overtime, with assists coming from familiar faces JT Compher and Kyle Connor (he's up to 70 points on the year, gang) to push the Wolverines improbably past Notre Dame.

Steve Racine, who had been something of a liability for the Wolverines this year, came through with a strong 28-save performance in the win, besting Cal Petersen's 32-of-35 performance. Anders Bjork had a goal and an assist in the losing effort.

The loss left the Fighting Irish with a suboptimal mark of 0-2-7 in overtime games this year.

Boston College 4, Harvard 1

This one was a foregone conclusion pretty early on. BC scored about eight minutes in and the feeling of that goal weirdly carried with it one of finality.

Boston College is a considerably better and deeper team than Harvard, and the Eagles proved it from the outset. The first goal was their first of two, and it was one of those nights BC has on occasion where they don't necessarily look great and don't do particularly well in possession, but they create scoring chances out of absolutely nowhere and cash in on enough of them while still playing rock-solid defense.

Look, Jimmy Vesey is going to get his shots off and all that, but if he's off the score-sheet, the defense did its job. That's what happened

Three stars

1. Brock Boeser, North Dakota

He had three points in an absolute demolition job by the Fighting Hawks, and against the white-hot Huskies he did something that no one has really done to them in four months. This is, perhaps, something we've just come to expect from a player of his talent level, but nevertheless, you can't knock the hustle to actually go out and drive the offense that hard. Just a decisive performance.

2. Nick Ellis, Providence College

Nate Leaman can criticize his team's performance all he wants, but a 50-plus save, double-overtime, two-goals-against game from a goaltender is unimpeachable. He made a handful of very difficult stops, and didn't really get a good chance to stop the game-winner. He got the first one, but a dogged effort (pardon the pun) around the net was enough to pop in the rebound. Some things went wrong for the Friars, but the goalie who ended the season at .936 was absolutely not one of them.

3. Alex Tuch, Boston College

Two goals, one of them quite nice, the other ugly as hell, proved the difference in this one. The latter was his first, and it was a controversial goal, because it sure looked like a convocation of Eagles appeared to push Harvard goalie Merrick Madsen into the net along with the puck, but it stood up. His second one only needed review for the sake of admiration, because he beautifully picked out a corner on Madsen 1-on-1.

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