One of college hockey’s most intense rivalries renewed after a two-season hiatus and lived up to the hype, ending in a 5-5 between No. 13 Minnesota and No.3 North Dakota.
At 18:42 of the third, Minnesota’s Tommy Novak blasted a shot with the extra attacker and forced overtime. It came just 31 seconds after Tucker Poolman gave the Hawks their fourth lead of the game. Minnesota never led in the game.
“We all grew up watching it, so I think to play in it is just to pick up where it left off,” said Novak.
“I made the comment, just YouTube it,” said Minnesota coach Don Lucia. “There’s plenty of action on YouTube. You can find whatever you want. With the rivalry, it’s elite players making elite plays. That’s what makes the rivalry what it is.”
The Hawks had three leads in the third period alone, but the Gophers answered each lead with a goal of their own.
“It’s kind of bittersweet to keep falling behind and coming back; we battle pretty hard and we will come out hard tomorrow,” remarked Novak.
In a game marred with penalties — both teams committing a season high — one could only think the rivalry was back. The crowd was at least 30 percent North Dakota fans and banter went back and forth all game, adding to the entertainment value. While the tie was somewhat anticlimactic, the smiles on the faces of the fans for both teams told the story. The play may not have been stellar, but the intensity shown by both teams and both fan bases added to the lore.
“Great atmosphere, a lot of ups and downs, a lot of momentum swings,” said Poolman. “We had caused momentum for them. We have to try and control ourselves, control our emotions and be more disciplined.”
“If we tighten a few things up and stay out of the penalty box, I think it will go a lot smoother tomorrow,” said North Dakota forward Tyson Jost.
North Dakota was always in the driver’s seat in terms of the score, but shots and zone time was owned by the Gophers.
The Gophers found themselves behind in the first for the third straight game.
North Dakota opened the scoring on its first shot on net on a seeing-eye wrister by Hayden Shaw from the right point at 1:35 of the first. It was only the second time in seven games that Hawks scored first.
The Hawks took a 2-0 lead at 7:36 on another wrister from the left point through heavy traffic by Christian Wolanin on a power play on just their third shot of the game and last of the period.
Vinni Lettieri put Minnesota on the board at 11:12 on a rebound of a tip by Connor Reilly off a blue line shot from the top of the diamond by Steve Johnson while on the power play.
The Gophers tied the game at 17:56 on an around-the-diamond one-timer by Novak, who beat Johnson high.
“You take a punch early; two pucks go in on three shots, you get a little shell shocked, but our first period was really good,” said Lucia.
The last time these two teams met ended in dramatic fashion on a short-handed goal with .6 seconds left in the 2014 national semifinal in Philadelphia. No current members of the Fighting Hawks were on the ice for that game, while four Gophers seniors were on the ice: Justin Kloos, Taylor Cammarata, Conner Reilly, and Vinni Lettieri.
While this game may not stand up to the epic games of the past, both North Dakota and Minnesota fans alike will celebrate that it’s back.
Big Ten roundup
No. 17 Michigan 4, at Arizona State 1
Michigan ended its two-game losing streak winning on the road vs. independent Arizona State. Will Lockwood netted two for the Wolverines. The Sun Devils’ scoring woes continued; they have just six goals in their last five games. All of the Sun Devils opponents year to date have been ranked at the time they played them.
Michigan State 3, Michigan Tech 2 (OT)
Mason Appleton scored at 1:22 of overtime while on a power play to seal back to back wins for Michigan State, which had started the season 0-4.
Appleton figured in all three of the Spartans goals, notching the game-tying goal late in the second and an assist on the first.
No. 11 Ohio State 2, Robert Morris 6
The Buckeyes fell from the ranks of the undefeated by giving up five straight goals after taking a 1-0 lead early in the first at the hands of the Colonials.
Robert Morris was led by Alex Tonge with two goals.
The two-goal performance by Ohio State came after a four-game stretch where they had outscored their opponents 27 to nine.
No. 14 Penn State 5, Niagara 1
Penn State completed a nonconference home sweep with a pair of 5-1 wins over Niagara.
Denis Smirnov continued his early season scoring prowess, (5-10-15) notching three assists. Niagara’s only goal of the game was the first before the Nittany Lions answered with five straight.
Wisconsin 2, Northern Michigan 5
The Badgers fell at home, ending their three-game winning streak under new coach Tony Granato. The Wildcats scored five goals on just 17 shots, with Dominik Shine netting two. It was just the second time this season the Badgers were held to two goals, the last time being the season opener against Northern Michigan.
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