WORCESTER, Mass. — Ben Meyers roofed Aaron Huglen’s pass from the right corner at the 8:31 mark of overtime to lift Minnesota to a 4-3 win over defending national champion Massachusetts in Friday’s second semifinal at the Worcester Regional.
The captain scored his 17th goal of the season off a pass from his freshman linemate, and Justen Close made 20 saves to lift the Gophers to Sunday’s regional championship game against Western Michigan at 4 p.m. Eastern.
UMass swung the game open with two goals in a 56-second span in the first period. Lebster scored on a delayed penalty at 14:09 before former Minnesota skater Garrett Wait doubled the Minutemen advantage on the ensuing power play. Ryan Johnson got one back for the Gophers with 1:58 left in the first.
After Lebster corralled a loose puck to extend the UMass advantage 1:24 into the second, Minnesota turned up the pressure and Tristan Broz made it a one-goal game for the second consecutive intermission by redirecting Jaxson Nelson’s pass at the 17:09 mark.
The Gophers knotted the score 13:17 into the final frame when Matthew Knies sent a rocket home on the power play.
Full story to come.