MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. — In a weekend made for upsets, the Frozen Four West Regional did not disappoint. In first round action, Miami (Ohio) knocked out top seeded Denver, and the University of Minnesota–Duluth scored twice in the final 40 seconds of the game to send their tilt to overtime. Here is a recap of the West Regional that saw Miami University earn a bid into their first ever Frozen Four. GAME 1 – Denver University Pioneers vs Miami University RedHawks In the first game of the regional, Denver University ran head long into Cinderella story Miami University, marking a matchup of mentor and prot é g é , move on and Denver going home. The RedHawks outplayed the Pioneers in nearly every aspect of the game. The RedHawks played a very physical game with forward Tommy Wingels hitting everything that moved, and hit them hard. Denver never seemed to get into the game, struggling against Miami’s puck control style. Even pulling their goalie with over six minutes left in the third period did not seem to help the Pioneers very much. Miami controlled play from the first face off until the final horn and went on to win the opening game 4-2. When asked if he felt he had been out coached by Maimi Head Coach Enrico Blasi, Denver coach George Gwozdecky said, “I hope so.” Blasi played for Gwozdecky at Miami. Both coaches became emotional when asked what it was like to coach against the other. Gwozdecky, after a long pause to collect his emotions. “It’s a little like coaching against your son,” Gwozdecky said. “There was no question that you could see the passion, the fire, and leadership abilities he provided as a player. A friend of mine once said, ‘you may not have the best of everything but you make the best of what you have.’ That’s what Enrico did.” Blasi returned the sentiment. “I can only say that coach and I go way back a long way. Everybody makes a big deal about us playing each other, but when we talk during the week we don’t talk about hockey. For me, he has been like a second father. Obviously, my mentor in coaching, and we had a good time last night when we got a chance to get together. At the end of the night, we knew that one would be going home disappointed. If you are going to be disappointed, it is better to be disappointed losing to someone you love.” GAME 2 – University of Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs vs Princeton University Tigers In the other first round match-up, UMD looked to avoid joining the list of higher seeded teams who fell in the tournament. They played well against the Tigers, but fell behind 4-2 late in the third period. The Bulldogs then pulled their goaltender, and Jack Connolly scored a goal with just 39.4 seconds left in the game to bring them within one. Then, in one of the most improbable moments in the tournament, defenseman Evan Oberg scored the tying goal with a miniscule 0.8 seconds left on the clock. In overtime, the Tigers took a tripping penalty, giving the Bulldogs a power play. Justin Fontaine wasted no time, scoring just 16 seconds into the power play to advance the Bulldogs to the second round. Asked after the game about coming back to win, UMD coach Scott Sandelin said, “The guys just kept saying ‘It’s not done. We can do it.’ And obviously we got it done. This team has shown a lot of character throughout the year. It was will, and a little luck.” From the other side, Princeton coach Guy Gadowsky knew his team had a great game, but let it slip away. “We had great play for 59 minutes, but we couldn’t stop the ones we needed to stop at the end.” GAME 3 – University of Minnesota–Duluth vs Miami University In a game laced with physical play, speed, and was slowed down only by penalties and video replays, Miami moved itself into strong position by going up 2-0 over the Bulldogs. Late in the third period, UMD scored on a 6-on-4 with the goaltender pulled and with the man advantage on the power play, to pull within one. The Bulldogs once again had their fans, who had invaded Mariucci arena in Minneapolis, hoping for another late game miracle. Despite strong pressure all the way up to the final horn, the RedHawks, led by tournament MVP Justin Mercier and freshman goaltender Cody Reichard who was named to the All-Tournament team, shut the door on UMD, and continued their improbable run through the West as the fourth seed. Both sides played well, and looked evenly matched. Both sides put pressure on the opposing goalies, and had good scoring opportunities, but Miami capitalized on their chances, and locked down the defense when the situation warranted. When the final horn sounded, the RedHawks poured over the boards to celebrate, shook hands in traditional hockey style at center ice, and skated over one corner of the ice where the small, yet dedicated contingent of Miami fans were stationed in the stands. The RedHawks then tapped their sticks several times in celebration before lifting their sticks in salute to their loyal fans who made the trip with them to Minneapolis. After the game, UMD Coach Sandelin was not joined immediately on the dais for the press conference by UMD players. He was visibly agitated when asked about the penalties and replays. “I can’t tell you how I really feel, but I always believed you let the boys play. You let the guys settle it on the ice.” When asked if he felt they could come back and win again after the Bulldogs scored to pull within one, he was pretty vehement about what he thought. “You’re darn right. Of course we did.” UMD has seven seniors leaving the team after this game, and the emotion of that reality was clear when two UMD players scheduled to be at the press conference, both seniors, were replaced at the last minute with two sophomores. Sandelin summed it up in two words when asked how he felt about losing seven players. “It sucks.” Both players made it clear it was their departing comrades who got them to where they were. Justin Fontaine said after the game that, “The Bulldog jersey means a lot. It’s tough tonight, knowing that those guys are leaving.” Asked what the win, and the first ever Frozen Four berth in school history, meant for the Miami hockey program, coach Blasi had this to say. “How much time do you have?” Blasi went on to list a host of people that were all happened to be present in Minneapolis for reasons other than Miami being there. Some were involved in the NCAA now, and Coach Gowzdecky on the Denver bench, all whom had big parts in founding the team, building the program, and getting the team into a position to be able to compete with the best. Everything happens for a reason. All of these people are here, in Minneapolis, right now. Everything happens for a reason.” When asked on Friday if his team knew they were underdogs coming into the tournament, coach Blasi said, “We had a press conference yesterday with no reporters. What do you think?” Rest assured, none of the remaining field at the Frozen Four in Washington D.C. will take Miami lightly. They impressed all weekend, and showed that they deserve to play with the best in the country. ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM Forwards Justin Mercier – Miami University Mike Connolly – University of Minnesota–Duluth Brett Wilson – Princeton University Defense Evan Oberg – University of Minnesota–Duluth Cameron Schilling – Miami University Goaltender Cody Reichard – Miami University MVP Justin Mercier – Miami University Contact the author at bryan.reynolds@prohockeynews.com
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