Frozen Four 2011: Minnesota-Duluth Defeats Michigan 3-2 In Overtime To Capture First Ever National Title

There’s nothing quite like an overtime, sudden death hockey win, especially in the most meaningful of games. That’s exactly what happened in the NCAA Championship at the Frozen Four as Michigan and Minnesota-Duluth headed into overtime knotted at two. Both teams were exhausted from three hard-fought periods, but laid it on the line with the NCAA’s biggest prize up for grabs.

And just a few minutes into the overtime period, it was mayhem as Minnesota-Duluth found the back of the net to end the game and take home the NCAA title. Check out the video of the game-winning goal, courtesy of Bubba Prog.

The goals have come from unconventional sources in the 2011 NCAA men’s hockey championship game, as the stars have been role players, not the big games. The teams scored three goals between them in the second period, and after two, the finale of the Frozen Four is tied up 2-2, setting us up for an exciting third period between Michigan and Minnesota-Duluth.

Travis Olesuk scored at the beginning of the second period to bring UMD back into the game, with Brady Lamb and J.T. Brown assisting. The goal came right off of a faceoff, just like Michigan’s first. The Bulldogs were the more aggressive team in the first period, and their goal was well deserved. Max Tardy added a second goal on a power play to give UMD the lead after tapping in the rebound off of a blocked pass.

It wasn’t the National Final selected by most pundits and fans, but the Michigan Wolverines will indeed face off against the Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs for the top prize in collegiate hockey at the 2011 Frozen Four.

Here’s all the pertinent information on Saturday’s Final:

Michigan 2, North Dakota 0

Sometimes, all you need is a great goaltending performance to win a big hockey game, especially in a single-elimination tournament like that of the NCAA. When one game is all that’s guaranteed to be left in your season, one player can have that kind of impact.

Minnesota Duluth got the lucky fortune to essentially being the home team for the Frozen Four as the finals are being held 150 miles from the campus. The Bulldogs took advantage of it along with their six powerplay chances to defeat Notre Dame 4-3 to advance to the National Championship game.

Both Notre Dame and Minnesota-Duluth traded goals back and forth early in the game, with a total of five goals in the first period scored between the two teams. Jeff Costello got the scoring started 49 seconds into the game for Notre Dame. J.T Brown scored three minutes later on the powerplay to tie the game up for the first time for Minnesota-Duluth. T.J Tynan scored to give Notre Dame their last lead of the game at the 9:46 mark of the first period and Kyle Schmidt scored 1:06 later to tie the game up again. Mike Connolly scored the final goal of the first period at 13:31 to give Minnesota-Duluth the final lead of the game.

The North Dakota Fighting Sioux have rolled their way through the 2011 NCAA mens hockey tournament so far, crushing both Denver and RPI on their way to the Frozen Four. Those wins were part of a still-in-progress 15 game unbeaten streak.

But when the Sioux face off against the Michigan Wolverines at Xcel Energy Center on Thursday evening at 8:30 p.m. Eastern in the National Semifinals, their recent success doesn’t mean they’ll tread lightly.

There’s no doubt that in St. Paul, Minn., the Minnesota Golden Gophers are the local team of choice. That said, with Minnesota-Duluth in the 2011 Frozen Four at that city’s Xcel Energy Center this weekend, there’s no doubt which team the home crowd will be pulling for.

The Bulldogs upset the No. 1-seeded Yale Bulldogs (too much Bulldog) in the Northeast Regional in Bridgeport, Conn. two weeks ago, a venue that was considered a home rink for Yale, so they know that the crowd edge doesn’t necessarily equate victory. To be real about it, they’re not even thinking about the home state edge.

This year’s Frozen Four doesn’t have one single Eastern team in the field, and for fans in St. Paul, Minn. that will host the event this year, that’s likely not a problem at all.

Following the first weekend of the 2011 NCAA hockey tournament, North Dakota hockey will lead the field of four into the final weekend after rolling two both Denver and RPI up like carpets and tossing them in the dumpster out back.