MINNEAPOLIS – Since the beginning of National Collegiate Hockey Conference play in 2013, the University of North Dakota men's hockey team has not had the best luck when it comes to the Frozen Faceoff at the Target Center. Saturday proved to follow the precedent set in the previous seasons as the No. 1 ranked Fighting Hawks skated to a 1-1 tie with No. 6 ranked Denver in the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Third-Place Game.
With the tie, UND (30-6-4) has mathematically assured itself of a No. 1 seed for the NCAA Tournament starting next weekend, however, its destination and opponent will not be determined until Sunday.
While the game seemed to emulate a defensive struggle, both teams had plenty of scoring opportunities as the afternoon saw a total of six posts as both the Fighting Hawks and Pioneers failed to beat the goaltenders and the posts.
After UND jumped out to an early 1-0 lead on Friday, the Fighting Hawks were able to nearly duplicate the feat just a day later when the 'C.B.S. Line' struck just 6:09 into the first period to quickly give UND a 1-0 lead.
Junior Nick Schmaltz scored his tenth goal of the season after freshman Brock Boeser was able to hold the puck in the offensive zone and senior Drake Caggiula won a board battle to center the puck to Schmaltz who fired the puck off the post and past Denver goaltender Evan Cowley to give UND a 1-0 lead.
The goal continued to emulate the impressive streaks the 'C.B.S. Line' has been riding. Schmaltz now rides a five-game scoring streak (6 G, 6A, 12P); while Caggiula (4G, 8A, 12P) and Boeser (6G, 12A, 18P) now have nine-game point streaks.
The second period saw the defensive struggle continue as the bad luck that UND has gathered reared its ugly head in the middle frame as the Fighting Hawks hit three posts in the period, but maintained their 1-0 lead.
Shane Gersich was the first UND player to hit the post in the period as the green and white held the puck in the Pioneer zone for nearly two minutes. Colten St. Clair, who returned to the lineup on Saturday, drew a penalty on the play as he centered the puck to Gersich who hit the post.
Moments later on the power play, Drake Caggiula hit the post on a shot from the point that beat Cowley over the right shoulder but hit the bar and went out of play.
With under a minute to play in the second frame, UND had its best chance to extend its lead to 2-0 when Boeser found himself in the clear for a breakaway but again struck iron to keep the lead at only 1-0 heading into the final frame.
UND was not the only team with chances, however, as the Pioneers saw their best chances come in the final 20 minutes of regulation. Cam Johnson, who was accidentally left at the hotel prior to the game and was forced to take the brief walk to the arena, was able to keep DU in check through the first 40 minutes of the contest by stopping all nine shots.
However, Johnson's best save of the night came just before the midway point of the third period when the sophomore goaltender stretched post-to-post on a Jarid Lukosevicius drive to the net to shut down the opportunity with the right pad.
The save proved to be the Johnson's biggest of the night as it looked to be that the Mike Richter Award finalist was on his way to his 21st win and sixth shutout of the season, but with under seven minutes to play in regulation, it was Denver's top line who evened the score.
The 'Pacific Rim Line' of Danton Heinen, Trevor Moore, and Dylan Gambrell teamed up to tie the game at 1-1 when Moore found Heinen alone in the slot as he snuck it past Johnson for his 19th goal of the season.
Neither team was able to add another goal in regulation as the teams headed to overtime for the first time in five meetings this season.
The extra session saw both sides clamp down on the defensive side of the puck as the five-minute overtime saw only three-combined shots on goal as the game ended in a tie.
UND will find out its destination and opponent for the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 11 a.m. Fans can watch the NCAA Selection Show on ESPNU.
NOTES: Cowley (DU), C. Johnson (UND), and Heinen (DU) were named the game's three stars … UND held a 34-21 advantage in faceoffs, with Luke Johnson going 11-5 … UND is now 2-2-1 this season vs. Denver and is now 1-4-1 overall at the NCHC Frozen Faceoff … UND failed to score a power-play goal, going 0-for-5 on the weekend. However, the Fighting Hawks also did not allow a power-play goal as the penalty kill finished 7-for-7 on the weekend.
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