FARGO, N.D. – As Canisius hung around for most of the first two periods, Minnesota fans were probably having flashbacks to the famous defeat at the hands of the Holy Cross Crusaders in 2006 in Grand Forks.
This was their first time playing in North Dakota as a No. 1 seed since that game, but after a huge flurry of goals in the third period Thursday night, everyone forgot that game and any chance of this one turning out like it.
A six-goal third period highlighted by two Minnesota goals on a major power play and a hat trick by Bryce Brodzinski helped top overall seed Minnesota pull away from Canisius for a 9-2 beatdown at Scheels Arena, sending the Golden Gophers to their third straight regional championship game.
Photo Gallery: Canisius vs. Minnesota
“We all saw it – that was probably the closest 9-2 game I’ve ever seen,” said Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko. “They had the 2-1 lead in the second – they were playing to their game plan. But what I liked about us – we just stuck to our game plan and getting pucks deep. We had to grind tonight.”
To be fair, many of Minnesota’s current players are probably too young to remember that defeat by the Gophers up at Ralph Engelstad Arena. But a team that’s arguably the most talented the Gophers have had since that stunning defeat 17 years ago would have none of that upset talk.
Instead, they’ve advanced to Saturday night’s West Regional title game, where longtime rival St. Cloud State stands in the way of a second consecutive Frozen Four berth. Motzko knows that beating the team he coached for the better part of 14 years won’t be easy, especially considering the run the Huskies have been on of late.
“We’ve played them this year,” Motzko said. “They’ve had the tough stretch.
“They’re on a roll right now. They’re playing awful well. They play with confidence.”
Canisius, winners of the Atlantic Hockey tournament and making their first NCAA appearance in ten years, shook off an early deficit and took a brief lead before Minnesota rallied back. But needless to say, head coach Trevor Large is very pleased to have gotten this far.
“Obviously tough when the season ends,” Large said. “It’s very abrupt how seasons end.
“That game does not define who we are.”
After the Gophers lit the lamp first, goals by Daniel DiGrande and Nick Bowman gave the Golden Griffins a 2-1 second-period lead, and they were able to frustrate Minnesota’s powerful offense for a while. But the Gophers were able to rally back for two goals to take the lead after two periods; then the scoring onslaught commenced. It wasn’t easy.
“They won a league championship,” said Brodzinski. “They’re kinda playing off that high of winning a championship.
“Kinda kept us on our heels for a while.”
Despite a sloppy start on both ends of the ice, Minnesota was able to score the game’s first goal on a power play as Luke Mittelstadt deflected a bad angle shot in off goaltender Jacob Barczewski (25 saves). Canisius managed to tie the game just a few seconds after its first power play expired when DiGrande scored on a one-timer.
It didn’t take long for the Griffins to take their first lead of the night: Bowman scored from the slot on a wrist shot early in the second period for a 2-1 lead.
“When I saw the guy coming, I just made a move,” Bowman said. “It was just one of those bounces that go my way.”
Aaron Huglen tied it with a wrister from the slot, then after a lengthy shift with good forechecking, a Mike Koster feed from behind the net to the stick of Connor Kurth found the back of the net, restoring the Minnesota lead late for good late in the second.
Early in the third period, Canisius forward Stefano Bottini was caught hitting Jackson LaCombe up high, and he was eventually tossed for a misconduct and a five-minute major, one the Gophers used to their advantage. A pair of power play goals from Jimmy Snuggerud and Brody Lamb 1:25 apart to built a 5-2 lead and essentially sealed the game. For insurance, Bryce Brodzinski scored all three of his goals in the final 10:03 of regulation, and Mason Nevers added one of his own in-between the first and second Brodzinski goal.
Justen Close made 18 saves for the Gophers, earning his 24th victory of the season.
St. Cloud State and Minnesota will drop the puck for the Fargo Regional championship at 5:30 CT on Saturday night. They’ve met twice this season with the home team each winning once (3-0 at SCSU, 2-1 Minnesota in OT in Minneapolis).
“They’re a solid team,” Huglen said.
These two rivals have met for a regional championship once before – the Gophers beat the Huskies 4-0 at Xcel Energy Center in 2014 for the West Regional title.
