With dramatic rally, Minnesota Duluth wins thriller in overtime

Bruce Bisping, Star Tribune

Princeton goalie Zane Kalemba could only watch as UMD's Mike Connolly slapped the puck into a open net to win the game in overtime for the Bulldogs.

UMD scored twice against Princeton in the last minute of regulation to force OT, including a goal in the final second.

By ROMAN AUGUSTOVIZ, Star Tribune

Last update: March 28, 2009 - 1:25 AM

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NCAA HOCKEY WEST REGIONAL Minnesota Duluth 5, Princeton 4 (OT) Miami (Ohio) 4, Denver 2 UMD vs. Miami (Ohio) • 8 tonight Mariucci Arena • TV: ESPNU

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Houdini would have been proud of this escape.

Minnesota Duluth scored twice in the last 40 seconds of the third period, including the tying goal with .8 of a second remaining in regulation, and then got a power-play winner from Mike Connolly at 13:39 of overtime to beat Princeton 5-4 in the second of two first-round NCAA tournament games Friday at Mariucci Arena.

After Princeton forward Cam MacIntyre got called for tripping at 13:23 of overtime, a pass from the left side found Connolly all alone near the right post, and he had most of the net to shoot at.

"I got open off the back post and was able to put it into an empty net," Connolly said.

UMD (22-12-8) will play Miami (Ohio) tonight with a trip to the Frozen Four at stake. The RedHawks advanced with a 4-2 victory over top-seeded Denver earlier.

The Bulldogs went into the WCHA playoffs as the seventh seed, but now they have won six games in a row. This game was by far the toughest.

With a minute left in regulation, Minnesota Duluth skated 6-on-4, with Bulldogs goalie Alex Stalock on the bench and with Princeton defenseman Matt Godlewski in the penalty box for tripping. Freshman center Jack Connolly -- no relation to Mike -- buried a short shot from the right side to cut the Tigers' lead to 4-3.

But it seemed immaterial as the seconds kept ticking down.

The Tigers (22-12-1) blocked two UMD shots -- where's the horn? -- before sophomore defenseman Evan Oberg's 20-foot shot from the left circle found the top shelf. Time left: 00.8 seconds.

The Bulldogs had a second life.

"I did not see much," Oberg said. "A couple of guys were laying down in front of me and I just tried to get it over them."

Oberg called the game the biggest in all the players' lives. "It feels unbelievable to come back and win," he said.

"Our bench kept saying, 'It's not done, we can do it,' " UMD coach Scott Sandelin said. "And we got it done."

Andrew Carroll gave Minnesota Duluth a 1-0 lead, scoring on a rebound at 8:17 of the first period. Princeton tied it at 14:56 on Brent Wilson's power-play goal, also on a rebound. That was the first goal Stalock had given up since the third period of the Final Five play-in game on March 19, which UMD won 2-1 over the Gophers.

In the second period, Derrick Pallis' goal from the left point at 1:42 gave Princeton a 2-1 lead, making it the first time the Bulldogs had trailed in six playoff games. Wilson made it 3-1 Princeton on a low shot at 8:10, but the Bulldogs answered only 29 seconds later when freshman defenseman Brady Lamb scored from the left point.

Midway through the third period, UMD got its fourth power-play chance of the game. But horror of horrors for the Bulldogs, Princeton's Brandan Kushniruk picked up a loose puck near the blue line, skated around a defenseman and banged the puck past Stalock for a 4-2 lead. The shorthanded goal came at 9:21 and it seemed to be insurance -- until UMD's last-minute comeback.

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