NCAA Frozen Four in Lake Placid, NY (Men's Division III Ice Hockey)

With all of the history and excitement of the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, NY it should come as no surprise that this year's NCAA Division III tournament for men's ice hockey would wrap up the season in grand style. Friday's semifinal contests showcased four (4) of the nation's best division III hockey teams before a thrilling championship bout which went into two (2) overtime periods.

The first game of the weekend featured heavily favored Oswego versus Wisconsin's St. Norbert. Neither team failed to disappoint. Although they played a fairly even first period (tallying six shots on goal apiece), St. Norbert's Johan Ryd fired in the first goal of the evening at the 18:01 mark. A similar pattern emerged throughout most of the second period until Oswego's Neil Musselwhite (with an assist from Eric Selleck) would tie the game up late at 17:14 of the second period.  

Oswego and St. Norbert found themselves locked in an intense 1-1 tie. Both teams were ready to kick it up a notch. As tensions rose, Oswego found themselves in the penalty box early with a boarding call against Luke Moodie at 2:23. This provided the go-ahead opportunity St. Norbert was looking for thanks to a power play goal from Tyler Allen (assisted by Cody Keefer) at 4:18. Less than a minute later, Oswego's Justin Fox (assisted by Chris Langaniere) answered with the tying goal at 5:12. The momentum would swing back in St. Norbert's direction as Sam Tikka (with help from Scott Pulak and Johan Ryd) put the Green Knights in front again at 7:02 of the third.

As time ran down, it was evident the Lakers were in some real trouble. At least, that appeared to be the case until Oswego's Jon Whitelaw (aided by Paul Rodrigues and Stephen Mallaro) tied the game 3-3 at 17:28. Oswego began to establish a rally; at least until St. Norbert's Cody Keefer unleashed some serious heartbreak by firing a rocket past goaltender Kyle Gunn-Taylor with just 39.4 seconds remaining in regulation. St. Norbert would advance with the 4-3 upset.

The second semifinal contest featured Plattsburgh State vs Norwich. These fierce competitors were ready to do battle. Norwich lit the scoreboard up first with an early goal by Craig Serino (assisted by Colin Mulvey and DJ Fimiani) at 5:24 of the first period. They would remain evenly matched until Plattsburgh would tie the game up at one apiece with a goal by Andrew Willock (assisted by Eric Satim and Dylan Clarke) at 7:07 in the second period. 

As the game wore on, though, the Plattsburgh defense began to crumble and allow turnover after turnover after turnover. I was surprised to see so many turnovers in such a short span of time. To their credit, Plattsburgh's Josh Leis was hard at work offsetting the defensive mistakes...and keeping the game within reach for the Cardinals. However, Norwich's Pier-Oliver Cotnoir (with a crucial pass from teammate Craig Serino) caught Leis off guard with a surprising shot just inside the blue line. This put the Cadets ahead to a 2-1 lead at the 19:04 mark.

Things quickly went from bad to worse as Norwich took a 3-1 lead courtesy of an unassisted goal by Steve Coon at 8:09. Despite facing a two goal deficit, Plattsburgh was still a looming threat - and at 13:30, Mike Kavanagh (with assistance from Matt Bessing and Chris Wieland) pulled the Cardinals within striking distance. Cadet goaltender Ryan Klingensmith and the rest of the Cadets were ready, though. Plattsburgh fought valiantly toward the end, but it was too little too late. Even with the extra attacker, they simply could not find their way into the back of the net. Norwich would advance to the championship game with a 3-2 win in regulation.

With both St. Norbert and Norwich advancing to the final round of the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey National Championship, the stage was set for some incredible hockey. If St. Norbert could retain the same energy and control they displayed against Oswego, Norwich needed to prepare for a long night.

...and it was. Although the Cadets held the offensive advantage throughout the night, St. Norbert was prepared to get down to business. This contest demonstrated exactly why these two teams earned their way into the championship game. Norwich would grab the lead with a power play goal by Chad Anderson (assisted by Pier-Oliver Cotnoir and Emmond Bell) at 11:30. Both squads battled through the remainder of the first period - as well as a good portion of the second period - until St. Norbert evened the score with a goal by Sam Tikka (and some help from Matt Boyd) at 9:36.

From that point forward, both Norwich and St. Norbert would be deadlocked at 1-1. There was plenty of action and scoring opportunities at both ends of the rink; however any offensive chances were stifled by the rock solid goaltending of Norwich's Ryan Klingensmith and St. Norbert's B.J. O'Brien. Each squad's offensive and defensive lines were doing their jobs as well - exhibiting some world class hockey in the process.  Ultimately, it would take two (2) twenty-minute overtime periods to settle the score.  With just 31.2 seconds remaining in the second overtime period, Pier-Oliver Cotnoir (assisted by Kyle Thomas) would give Norwich the 2-1 victory along with the 2010 NCAA National Championship honors.

2010.03.20 Norwich Endures 2OT Battle for 2010 NCAA Championship in Men's Ice Hockey (Division III)