NCAA semis: St. Norbert's 4 Colby 3

St. Norbert   4
Colby           3
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"I'm never displeased with the effort (in this game), this team typically brings it" Colby coach Blaise MacDonald said immediately after the game. St. Norbert coach Tim Coghlin coach would concur  as he said his team needed to earn all sixty minutes against the Mules.

But for the fickle mistress that is hockey, sometimes that isn't enough. Colby found itself down 2-0 within the first three minutes and then 3-0 (Colby gave up 3 goals in entire NESCAC tournament) by the close of the first period, and despite a valiant effort in the final two frames, the Mules were never able to find the equalizer.

St. Norbert got on the board just 1:28 in, as Green Knights defenseman Nick Lesage fed third-line winer Roman Uchyn, who beat Sean Lawrence high glove side from between the dots for the first tally. The real puzzler came less than a minute later when Brooklyn native Dominic Sacco just floated one in on net that somehow found its way through Lawrence's five hole for a goal that MacDonald called "a crazy one." Sacco, as those NESCAC fans with a better memory than is likely humanly possible may remember, assisted on one of St. Norbert's two goals in a loss to Trinity in last years semis and almost had an equalizer that just went wide in the closing minutes of that game against the Bantams.

Green Knight captain and ACHA First Team All-American Tanner Froese gave the tournament top seed a three goal advantage about nine minutes later.  The Saskatchewan native took the puck in and had a good backhanded chance that was turned aside by Lawrence. Moments later, Froese made an effort play to poke check Mule captain Mike Rudolf trying to clear in front of the net and it went in. Froese would say afterwards that the coaches emphasized tracking pucks on getting on defenders as part of the game plan.

The Miracle Mules did not give up and cut the shots advantage to 23-19 by the end of the first. It was the first time in this six week run on the road that the Mules gave up three goals in a game, let alone a period, and it is the first time they gave up three in a period since their last loss on February 3rd to Amherst.

Despite the score, both MacDonald ("it looked different on the scoreboard than it did on the bench") and his son Cam MacDonald ("We knew we could do it, we've scored three goals in five minutes before") were confident in their squad.  Both teams seemed to settle in the first half of the second with some back and forth play but generally no great scoring chances. Mike Decker got called for roughing in an altercation behind his own net but the Mules killed off the penalty.

Things picked up in the final five minutes of the second frame. Colby got on the board when Kienan Scott entered the zone wide on a breakout, using all the extra square footage of the Olympic rink, and got a shot off from the right circle. TJ Black saved it but left a juicey rebound for JP Schuhlen, who beat TJ Black gloveside high. The Knights looked to respond shortly after with a two-on-one, but Lawrence, who returned to form after the first half of the first period, made a sprawling, sliding save in which he lost his stick to keep the deficit at two.

Colby found itself with a golden opportunity less than two minutes later on an interference call on St. Norbert's winger Tommy Nicksic. On the ensuing power play, Thomas Stahluth from behind the net worked it over to MacDonald, who dangled a bit on All-American defenseman Sean Campbell and wristed it in shortside high from the odd angle.

Less than a minute later, with the Mules faithful and players alike amped,  Colby got another break with another interference call on the Green Knights. Nicksic elbowed Schuhlen high, and the officials turned to video review (new this year at DIII level) and determined that it was a two minute minor and not a more egregious infraction.

This time, however, it was St. Norbert that had the scoring opportunity, as Froese stole a flat cross ice pass at the blue line and raced down the wing before cutting in and going five hole on Lawrence for the 4-2 lead with 35 seconds left in the 2nd. Blaise would identify this as the turning point in the game and Froese and the Knights recognized how important the tally was to breaking the Mules momentum.

Early in the third, Justin Grillo, the hero of the Quarterfinals, was checked into the boards and was slow to get up, requiring the assistance of the training staff to get back to the bench. The refs went to the video replay to determine if there should be a penalty on St. Norbert's and ultimately decided the hit was clean. When asked about the replay after the game, Coghlin admitted to not knowing a non-call could be reviewed as the whole review process is new this season.

Thankfully for the Mules, Grillo was able to return to the game.  The freshman entered the zone with about six to play and riffled it through two defenders and a frozen Black. It was a bang-bang play that looked like a snipe perched from upon high, but after the game Coghlin said the puck was deflected off of defenseman Alfred Johansson's pad.

The Mules never stopped the pressure and pulled Lawrence for the extra attacker with 1:10 left, but Black stood his ground and the buzzer sounded with the Mules on the wrongside of the scoreboard for the first time in over a month. Black, a back-to-back All American, made 40 saves and has now set a school record of 26 wins in a season .

That's a program record for a school that is headed to their ninth D-III finals, tying Middlebury for most finals appearances, and all since 2004. Speaking of Middlebury, Coghlin shouted out now retired Panther legend Bill Beaney in the post game presser, crediting Beaney with imparting the wisdom upon him that if you have done your job as a coach correctly through the year, things are pretty much autopilot in that department come championship time.

The Green Knights last played in the title game here in Lake Placid two years ago, when they lost to Wisconsin-Stevens Point, who lost to Salve Regina in the other semifinal thanks to over 50 saves from the Seahawks goalie. Froese spoke of the "unfinished business" this team has at Herb Brooks Arena. The Green Knights have ten freshman but they also have six seniors that are looking to avoid being the first senior class to not win an NCAA title since the 2003 class. The Knights last won in 2014 in Lewiston, ME in a championship hosted by Bowdoin.

Norbert's will face off against a Salve Regina school, coached by rookie bench boss Zech Klenn , that is making their first ever NCAA title game not only in hockey, but in any sport. The Seahawks Blake Wotjala had to make 55 saves to defeat the Pointers 3-0 in the semis.

He will likely have to stand on his head again in the title game (and the Seahawks might want some luck from their winger Danny Eruzione's uncle Mike Eruzione) against this balanced Green Knights squad that had 47 shots but no one individual player with more than five of his own. Mules MVP Lawrence ended up with 43 saves and only one goal allowed in the final two periods in a testament to his fortitude rebounding from the early, "unfortunate" goals as Blaise called them. The Mules, at least according to the box, only blocked ten shots, much less than the 20+ they had become accustomed to on this playoff run.

Said dream run comes to an end, but there is no shame, especially considering how hard the Mules fought back. Even in the loss, Colby became the first team to score three on Norbert's since the Green Knights last loss, way back on January 26th to Adrian.

Thanks to the Mule Train for a joyful ride and thanks to everyone for another terrific NESCAC season. Only 236 days until the start of 2018-19 team activities...