pal (02/28/83)
WCHA playoff results from this weekend (Feb 25-26) Friday: Colorado College 2 Wisconsin 3 Denver 2 Minnesota-Duluth 7 Saturday: Colorado College 2 Wisconsin 5 (Wisconsin wins total goals series by 8-4) Denver 1 Minnesota-Duluth 5 (Unsure of this one, it was like this when I last heard) REview of Colorado at Wisconsin Colorado had won only two WCHA games all season, losing 24, and were expected to be easy pushovers. HOwever, it didn't quite work that way. Marty Wakelyn in goal was superb, making well over 50 saves each night. Wisconsin took a 3-0 lead on Friday, but then slipped to 3-2, and Wakelyn kept them out the rest of the night. CC started well on Saturday, going ahead 2-0 (putting them ahead 4-3 in total goals), but Wisconsin came back to 2-2 in the first period. Interestingly, Behrend of Wisconsin had only one save in the first period, tying the school record, but still had 2 goals scored against him (neither his fault). The score stayed that way well into the third period, with Wakelyn making one incredible save after another, and the CC defense were sharp in front of the net, clearing the rebound quickly. Finally, a cheapie goal slipped through, and two more came quickly thereafter. NEXT WEEK: Wisconsin at North Dakota Wisconsin are 0-3-1 against North Dakota this season, but don't count the out! They were 1-3 against the Sioux last season at this stage, and blew them out 9-0 and 3-1 in the total-goals playoff in Grand Forks. The winner of this will probably join Minnesota in the Western Four for the NCAA, unless Duluth pulls a big upset. This is the important one. Minnesota-Duluth at Minnesota Minnesota leads this contest 4-2 this season, but the teams are tied in goals scored against each other. Minnesota are tough at home, and have a line (Bjugstad, Erickson and Griffith) which has three of the top five scorers in the WCHA!! (Bjugstad-1,Erickson-2,Griffith-5). The WCHA playoff final will be held the following week at the home of the higher-ranked winner of these two match-ups (Minnesota=1,ND=2,Wisc=3,UMD=4) Anyone know the Eastern playoff situation? Anil Pal UW-Madison
pal (03/09/83)
This may be a repeat, but our news connection was down, so I am resubmitting. From: uwvax!pal (Anil A. Pal) Newsgroups: net.sport.hockey Title: WCHA Semi-final results Article-I.D.: uwvax.774 Posted: Mon Mar 7 11:56:14 1983 Received: Mon Mar 7 11:56:14 1983 Results of WCHA semi-final playoffs 1. At Minneapolis, Minnesota: Friday: UMD 2 Minnesota 8 Saturday: UMD 4 Minnesota 3 Minnesota wins total goals series 11-6, hosts final next Sat-Sun. 2. At Grand Forks, North Dakota: Friday: Wisconsin 1 North Dakota 1 Satday: Wisconsin 6 North Dakota 5 (Triple Overtime) Wisconsin wins total goals series 7-6, visits Minnesota for final. REVIEW OF WISCONSIN-NORTH DAKOTA SERIES ======================================= This has got to be one of the closest, most exciting series in a long time. Friday night's game was very tight, and hence not very entertaining, with just one goal scored by each team, late in the game. Thus the first game was essentially a washout in the total goals series, and the teams had to start over Saturday. On Saturday, North Dakota played better for the first two periods, scoring twice in the first period, and being denied at close range several times by Marc Behrend of Wisconsin, who had an outstanding game. (The second goal was finally put in after Behrend made three saves, then ended up at the bottom of a pile of players as the puck was flipped over the top. Wisconsin scored a power play goal early in the third period, their first in quite a while, as ND, who had been getting a few penalties, had been very effective in killing them off. ND scored again soon, to give them a 3-1 (4-2 overall) lead, but then Wisconsin, sparked by a second power-play goal, scored three times in under 3 minutes to lead 4-3 (5-4 overall). North Dakota scored soon thereafter, and scored again off a face-off just 37 seconds later, to regain the lead at 5-4. Wisconsin pulled goalie Behrend with 30-odd seconds left, and for the second time in two series with ND, managed to get the tying goal. So it went to Sudden-death overtime, to be played until someone scored a goal, with breaks every 10 minutes. Wisconsin came out strong in the first OT, but ND took over about 1/3 the way through and forced Behrend to make several good saves. The pattern was reversed in the second OT, but still the closest they came to a goal was when goalie Casey of ND came out of his net on a shot from the point and looked behind him into the net (The puck had actually lodged under his pads). Wisconsin scored at 1:02 of the third OT, when Ted Pearson's centering pass from behind the net hit the stick of ND defender Carroll, who pushed it past his own goalie. HOWEVER!!!!, measurement of Pearson's stick revealed an illegal curvature (The team sticks had been measured for compliance before OT, but the Wisconsin measuring device was apparently 1/16" off. SO, instead of having scored probably the biggest goal of the year, Pearson was consigned to the penalty box for the next two minutes. ND, however, gambled too hard on the power play, and Paul Houck broke away and put in his own rebound just 26 seconds later. So Wisconsin go on to play Minnesota next weekend for the WCHA title, while ND sit and wait to see if the selection committee includes them for the NCAA tournament( Unlikely, since both Bowling Green and Mich State are still in the CCHA playoff, and ND have won only ONE of their last six games, including four home games.).