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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
#8 Minnesota Duluth
Players Mentioned
Minnesota Duluth Edges Princeton 5-4 in Overtime Heartbreaker
March 28, 2009 | Men's Ice Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minnesota Duluth rallied to edge the Princeton men's hockey team 5-4 in overtime on Friday night in the NCAA first round of the West Regional played at Minnesota's Mariucci Arena. Senior Brett Wilson scored two goals for the Tigers in defeat.
Princeton built leads of 3-1 and 4-2 in the game and led by two goals with less than minute remaining before the Bulldogs scored two extra-skater goals to draw even, then scored on the power play in overtime for the win.
Mike Connolly netted the game winner at 13:39 of the extra session as he scored from the doorstep following a centering pass from Justin Fontaine. The goal came on the only penalty called in overtime.
The Bulldogs opened the scoring at 8:17 of the first period when Andrew Carroll put home a rebound as UMD started strong. Play slowly evened out and Princeton had the better of it as the period went on. The Tigers then were able to even the game on the power play at 14:56. Good work on the forecheck by sophomore forward Matt Arhontas led to a tripping penalty, and on the ensuing power play, senior Brett Wilson put home the rebound of a shot from sophomore Matt Godlewski to knot the game up at 1-1.
Princeton then built up a lead with a strong start to the second period. At 1:42 freshman Derrick Pallis scored with a blast from the point that was redirected by a UMD player past Bulldog netminder Alex Stalock. Junior Cam MacIntyre had the puck down low and his centering pass missed its target in front of the net, but instead got Pallis on the blue line who netted his third goal of the season. Junior Dan Bartlett was also credited with an assist.
The Tigers then went ahead 3-1 at 8:10 when Wilson tallied his second of the game and his 12th of the season. Godlewski once again took a shot that Wilson found the rebound of. Junior Brad Schroeder assisted on the goal. Just 29 seconds later, UMD answered to move back within a goal as Brady Lamb's point shot bounced off a Princeton player into the goal.
Princeton started the third period with a one-goal lead and stretched it two when senior Brandan Kushniruk scored shorthanded just shy of halfway. The goal was his seventh of the season as he beat Stalock on the far side, hitting the inside of the post and bouncing in.
The Bulldogs picked up their game from there and pressured the Tigers over the final minutes. With the goaltender pulled late, UMD drew a penalty and was able to convert skating 6 on 4 as Jack Connolly scored on the doorstep on the power play with 40 seconds remaining. UMD kept Stalock out of the net and continued to pressure and was able to even the game with 0.8 seconds left to play. Evan Oberg collected a loose puck and his shot through a screen found the back of the net.
UMD outshot Princeton 35-31 as Princeton junior Kalemba made 30 saves in the loss. Stalock made 27 saves for UMD.
The Tigers finish the season at 22-12-1, while UMD moved to 22-12-8 and will face Miami tomorrow with a Frozen Four berth on the line.
Postgame Quotes:
Princeton Head Coach Guy Gadowsky
On changing the style of play after the fourth goal
“I don't think that we changed our style at all. We played a great game up until they got a power play late in the game, and scored a six on four goal. I am not sure what to say about that last goal, but we didn't change the way we were playing at all.”
On getting the team ready for overtime
“We have been through similar situations, and we normally came through those types of situations. We always seem to come through the mental challenges with flying colors. Tonight after it was tied up I thought with what we have seen in the past, I was thinking we were going to be alright. Going into the locker room we didn't feel badly about what had happened, and we just knew that we have been in this situation before and been successful. We thought we were going to be successful in the end of this one as well.”
On the goalie play from both teams
“It took two pretty special goals to tie it up. We had great play for 59 minutes, but we couldn't stop the ones that we needed to stop at the end.”
Princeton player quotes
Senior Left Winger Brett Wilson
On losing to Minnesota-Duluth
“Unfortunately we had something like that happen a week ago against Cornell University. Obviously, we have a pretty empty feeling right now. We wanted to give Princeton its first NCAA win after getting here two years in a row.”
On the atmosphere in Mariucci Arena
“It was a cool atmosphere. It's something you don't really see in our league because the teams have smaller rinks. It's always fun to play with the atmosphere we had tonight, even if it's against you. A lot of our guys were pretty excited to get a chance to play here.”
Sophomore Right Defender Matt Godlewski
On Princeton's performance
“We knew what we had to do coming into this game. We approach every game the same way, whether we play a team from the WCHA or the ECAC. We played a great game tonight. Unfortunately, it didn't turn out the way we wanted it to.”
On playing in his home state of Minnesota
“I grew up in Elk River, Minn., not more than 40 minutes away from here. It was nice to come back home and play for my family and friends. It was awesome to come here and play in front of a great fan base. It's always great to play in front of family and friends. It's want you always want to do.”