The hockey itself was not great. The passing, stick-handling, skating, and shooting on display reflected the mediocre offensive skills of both teams. But those shortcoming were more than made up for by the grit, passion, and determination on display throughout the weekend. Did I mention the stellar goal tending from both keepers?
The two teams could not have been more closely matched and it made for a fun, but nerve-wracking weekend of hockey. It started on Friday night, when the squads battled to a scoreless tie in regulation. It wasn't for wont of scoring chances. It was the two goalies coming up big again and again. The game finally ended in the second OT when the Gophers went on the power play and...
...the Mavericks scored a short-handed goal at the ninety-seven minute thirty-six second mark. For the game, the Gopher power play was a pathetic oh for five (more on that later). Alex Kangas stopped 44 Maverick shots and Mike Zacharias turned away 34 as he prophesied his way to a shutout. A heck of a game all the way around.
Followed by Saturday's contest, where the Gophers drew even in the series with a goal by Mike Carman 7:33 into overtime giving them a 2-1 win. Another close game, another overtime, another goalie dual with Kangas stopping 27 of 28 Maverick shots and Zacharias 35 of 37 Gopher attempts.
So it all comes down to Sunday night. No way we could get another overtime, right?
[Dana Carvey doing his John McLaughlin voice]
Wrong!
[/Dana Carvey doing John McLaughlin voice]
Try another double overtime, which finally ended with 3:01 remaining when Tony Lucia (who I had been savaging pretty much all weekend) poked a loose puck past Zacharias. Three OT games in a row with progressing scores of 1-0, 2-1, and 3-2. Great goaltending again, with Kangas stopping 44 shots and Zacharias 47.
I thought the first goal that Kangas gave up was a little soft, but it's hard to rip a guy who had the weekend he did. He faced 119 shots and allowed 4 goals. A .966 save percentage ain't too shabby. Zacharias meanwhile saw 121 shots and only let 5 past him for a .959 save percentage. Those performances are outstanding any way you look at them.
For a more Mav-centric look at the series, you can check out this blog, although I notice that it hasn't been updated since Sunday's game. Hmmm...
The Gophers now move on to face St. Cloud State in St. Paul in the opening game of the WCHA Final Five (you think the tourney organizers might have been celebrating a bit on Sunday night?). It looks like they're probably secured a place in the NCAA tourney with last night's win (currently sitting at #11 in the Pairwise), but you never know how these things will shake out. If they hope to ensure that they keep playing past Thursday, they'll need the following against SCSU:
- Kangas keeps playing great. He's been the bright light in what otherwise has been a pretty dismal season by Minnesota standards. No matter how the Gophers season ends this year, it looks like they've found a goalie for the future. If he stands on his head again, it wouldn't be surprising to see the Gophers trip up the Huskies.
- The big names need to step up. Big names? Yes, they haven't all left early. It was nice to see Jay Barriball roof one on Sunday night, but the Gophers still need more from him and Blake Wheeler. Wheeler had a lot of shots in the series against the Mavs. Mostly shots from far out that posed little danger. He needs to go stronger and harder to the net and use his size and speed to create space for better scoring chances.
- The power play against Minnesota State was about as potent as UN peacekeepers. I believe they were 0-13 during the series, gave up one shorthanded goal, and seemed to generate better scoring chances at even strength than with the man advantage. It was beyond anemic and reached the point where you almost wish they could decline the penalty like in football. I don't know what the exact answer is, but if they don't take advantage of power play opportunities (at least one!) against SCSU, it could be a long night on Thursday.
Finally, there was this bracing news from Sunday night:
Minnesota senior Tom Pohl is in intensive care following surgery resulting from an injury suffered in the Golden Gophers' double overtime victory over Minnesota State on Sunday in Mankato.
Pohl sustained a skull fracture when his head hit the boards in front of the team's bench at 6:09 of the second period. The injury resulted in bleeding on the brain and Pohl was airlifted to St. Mary's Hospital in Rochester. Successful surgery was performed to stop the bleeding and stabilize the fracture. Pohl remains at the hospital for further observation.
Our wishes for a full and complete recovery go out to Tom Pohl.
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