By Patrick C. Miller
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- North Dakota's remarkable season and hopes of capturing an eighth national championship ended Saturday night at the NCAA Frozen Four with a 2-0 loss to Michigan.
Senior defenseman and assistant captain Derrick LaPoint (Eau Claire, Wis.) summed up the disappointment of the outcome for him and UND's six other seniors.
"For the group of guys I'm graduating with, they're some of my best friends," he said. "For them to not win a national championship and not end it the right way, the way we wanted it to, is extremely difficult. It's been a dream of mine to play for the Fighting Sioux I really wanted to add to the tradition of that program. To not win a national championship is heartbreaking."
UND ends its season with a 32-9-3 record in a season that saw the Sioux capture the WCHA regular season championship, the league's Final Five tournament championship and the NCAA West Regional title. In addition, senior forward Matt Frattin is one of three finalists for the Hobey Baker Award.
"I congratulate the University of Michigan," said coach Dave Hakstol, who has taken UND to the Frozen Four five times in his seven years at UND. "They played very well tonight. They were a tough team to play against. We played extremely hard. We didn't leave anything in the tank, but we couldn't get one past their goaltender."
Michigan coach Red Berenson said the upset victory reminded him of 1997, the year an outstanding Wolverines team was upset by Boston University. UND then beat the Terriers to capture its sixth national championship.
"We were the best team and everybody knew it, and we got upset, too," he explained. "So that can happen. The best team doesn't always win."
A goal by Wolverines forward Ben Winnett at 13:26 stood as the game winner in a contest that saw the Fighting Sioux outshoot Michigan 40-20. Michigan senior goalie Shawn Hunwick was the star of the game, repeatedly stopping scoring opportunities by UND's top scorers, even down to the last seconds of the game when the Sioux pulled goalie Aaron Dell (Airdrie, Alberta) for the extra attacker.
Freshman center Brock Nelson (Warroad, Minn.) left the game 7:32 into the first period after being checked and sent hard into the end boards.
"It's tough to see a teammate go down like that," LaPoint said. "You never want to see a stretcher come on the ice."
Michigan struck first at the 13:26 mark. A shot by defenseman Jon Merrill deflected off forward Luke Glendening's skate to the bottom of the right circle. Winnett fired it past Dell to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead they would not relinquish.
Although the Sioux outshot the Wolverines 14-10, they couldn't capitalize on two power play opportunities in the opening stanza. It was a physical first period in which the Wolverines frustrated UND's power play with an aggressive forecheck.
The second period saw UND outshoot Michigan 11-3 and generate several quality scoring opportunities. But Hunwick continually came up with big saves, stopping Chay Genoway (Morden, Manitoba), Danny Kristo (Eden Prairie, Minn.) and Jason Gregoire (Winnipeg, Manitoba) to keep UND off the board. Each team had a power play opportunity in the period, but couldn't cash in.
Sophomore center Corban Knight said, "The plays we were looking for weren't there. When they were, the goalie stood on his head."
In the third period, UND had one last opportunity with the man advantage at 11:10 when Merrill was whistled for holding. Michigan's penalty killers came through once more and held the Sioux 0-4 on the power play.
Dell was pulled for the extra attacker with 1:12 left in the game. The Sioux put on tremendous pressure and Trupp was denied on the doorstep. Michigan forward Scooter Vaughan sealed the win for the Wolverines with his empty net goal at 19: 24 of regulation to make the final score 2-0.
Despite losing Nelson early in the game and Hunwick's repeated saves, LaPoint said the Sioux didn't get frustrated.
"We definitely had our opportunities," he said. "Their goalie played an outstanding game, so we have to give them credit where it's due. It's extremely difficult to lose a hockey game like that, to end your career like that. There was nobody gripping their sticks too tight. Everybody was loose. Everybody felt confident the entire game."
Team captain Chay Genoway, a fifth-year senior who came back to UND after receiving a medical redshirt, said the loss was difficult to take after so much success.
"This is not the way the team envisioned things," he said. "I am just proud of every guy in the locker room. It is a special group of guys. I am just proud to be part of this team this year. It is fun to have a chance to play again and wear the logo for another year and spend it with these guys. But this is definitely not the way we envisioned things ending."
LaPoint echoed Genoway's sentiment, saying, "It'll definitely take a long time for me to take this jersey off because I wore it with pride my entire career and I know the group of seven guys in there, we've left it all on the table for the four years that we've been here. It's not an easy time right now."
Notes: UND's 32 wins were the third-most in program history ... Dell's 30 wins were the most-ever by a Sioux goalie. His 1.79 career GAA and .923 career save percentage are also school records ... Jason Gregoire (16 games) and Matt Frattin (15 games) each had career-long scoring streaks snapped ... Frattin's 36 goals are tied for ninth-most in UND single-season history ... Genoway graduates tied for first all-time among Sioux defensemen in games played (168) and ranks fourth in points (127).
~Go Sioux~
