MSU Mankato rallies for WCHA title

Minnesota State Mankato has been one of the nation's best third-period teams all season. With a quartet of third-period goals — three of them by freshman Brad McClure — on Saturday night, the Mavericks are staking a claim to be the nation's best team, period.

Trailing Michigan Tech 2-1 with 13 minutes to play in the WCHA Final Five title game at Xcel Energy Center, No. 2 MSU Mankato got two power-play goals and two more at even strength for a 5-2 victory and a second consecutive claim on the Broadmoor Trophy. With previously top-ranked North Dakota losing in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff's third-place game in Minneapolis, the Mavericks (29-7-3) are likely to be the No. 1 overall seed when the NCAA tournament's 16-team field is announced on Sunday morning.

"This group has done a good job of just living today, so we're going to live today and when tomorrow shows up, they'll handle it well and get prepared for what we've got in front of us," Mavericks coach Mike Hastings said.

Michigan Tech (29-9-2), assured of its first NCAA tournament appearance since 1981, got a pair of power-play goals and 23 saves from goalie Jamie Phillips, but finished as runner-up to MSU Mankato, as the Huskies had in the regular season. McClure, who had two goals in the Mavericks' 4-0 victory over Ferris State in the semifinals, was named the tournament's most valuable player.

"His nickname up in B.C. was 'Captain Clutch,' " said Hastings of McClure, who came to Mankato from the western Canadian junior league. "He's a guy that has a history of scoring big goals, has a history of scoring a lot of them, so [we knew] there was a chance for that to happen. Brad was very deserving of the MVP."

The Huskies led 1-0 early, and 2-1 entering the third, after scoring on their first two power plays of the game, but couldn't hold the lead.

"Congratulations to Minnesota State. There's a reason they're one of the best teams, if not the best team, in the country," Tech coach Mel Pearson said. "I thought we played well for two periods. It's hard to beat a No. 1-ranked team or a second-ranked team 5-on-5, let alone 5-on-4."

McClure started the rally with a wrist shot that beat Phillips, then added two power-play goals in the final six minutes.

"There's quite a few bounces that go my way, and it's always nice to have those," said McClure, after his first collegiate hat trick. "Some nights you don't have those, but tonight it just seemed like the puck was on my stick at the right time and found the back of the net."