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Pointers Beat
Superior in Mini-Game to Advance to NCHA Semifinals
Regular Game Box Score
Mini-Game Box Score
The UW-Stevens Point men�s hockey team was exactly
where it wanted to be heading into Saturday�s mini-game at UW-Superior and
the Pointers took advantage, beating the Yellowjackets 3-1 to advance to the
Northern Collegiate Hockey Association semifinals.
UW-Stevens Point had dropped the regular game 3-1
after a 6-4 win on Friday night. The Pointers jumped out to a two-goal lead
in the 20-minute mini-game and held on to improve to 10-3 all-time in the
unique Division III hockey series format and 4-1 against UW-Superior. UW-Stevens Point is 8-2 in
mini-games under coach Joe Baldarotta.
As the sixth seed in the playoffs, the Pointers
become the lowest seed ever to advance to the semifinal round and will face
second-seeded UW-River Falls. Top-seeded St. Norbert will host the
semifinals and finals on March 5-6 and will face fourth-seeded Lake Forest
in the other semifinal. It marks the eighth straight year the Pointers have
advanced to the semifinal round. The winner of the Frozen Four receives an
automatic bid to the Division III tournament.
The Pointers� win also marks just the second time
a road team has won an NCHA quarterfinal series. UW-Stevens Point was the
other victor, winning in 2000-01 at UW-Stout as a fifth seed.
After Brett Coburn gave the Pointers a 1-0 lead in
the mini-game with 12:11 left, Nick Molski added a goal with 9:07 remaining
to put UW-Stevens Point ahead 2-0. UW-Superior rallied just 31 seconds later
to pull to within 2-1 on a goal by Mike Bickley, but Adam Kostichka scored
an empty net goal with six seconds left to seal the game. UW-Stevens Point
held a 9-8 advantage in shots in the mini-game as Ryan Scott made seven
saves for the Pointers.
It was the just the second quarterfinal round
mini-game in NCHA history as UW-River Falls beat UW-Eau Claire in 1995. It
was the 20th mini-game in NCHA playoff history and the Pointers became the
first team ever to score three goals.
In the regular game, UW-Superior scored a pair of
power play goal to lead 2-0 before Adam Kostichka scored with 1.2 seconds
left in the second period. Rob Whidden scored his second goal of the game
for the Yellowjackets with 10:06 left in the third period to give
UW-Superior a two-goal cushion. The Yellowjackets held a 44-35 edge in shots
as Scott had 41 saves for the Pointers. |
