Back in mid-October when the NCHC announced plans to gather its eight teams in a "Pod'' in Omaha to play 40 games over three weeks, Commissioner Josh Fenton credited all involved for their efforts in coming to a consensus. Still, he warned of a false summit regarding the satisfaction of having a plan in place but not yet executed.
"In order for us to truly reach the actual summit,'' Fenton said, "we've got a lot of work yet to be done.''
That actual summit comes Monday afternoon, when Colorado College plays Nebraska Omaha in the Pod finale. Judging by what's been transpiring six days a week on NCHC.tv, the fist-bumps and back-slaps should commence for a job well done.
Take Wednesday's action, for example. In two highly entertaining, tight games, Nebraska Omaha and third-ranked Minnesota Duluth skated to a 2-2 tie before the Mavericks won the extra standings point in a six-round shootout. In the nightcap, No. 4 North Dakota edged No. 9 St. Cloud State 4-3 on Jordan Kawaguchi's goal eight seconds into three-on-three overtime.
For UMD, the tie was a bit of a letdown, considering the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead into the third period on goals by Wild draft pick Nick Swaney. That two-goal lead turned out to be dangerous as the Mavericks rallied.
"We had plenty of opportunities throughout the game to make it a bigger lead and didn't capitalize,'' Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. "It was what we expected: a tight battle, a hard-fought battle.''
Despite the tie, UMD (5-1-2) sits atop the NCHC standings with 18 points, four ahead of North Dakota and five clear of St. Cloud State and Nebraska Omaha. Sandelin's team closes Pod play at noon Saturday with the second instalment of the league's marquee series: Minnesota Duluth vs. North Dakota.