Western Collegiate Hockey Association
Gerbe, BC whip Fighting Sioux 6-1
April 10, 2008
By John Gilbert
DENVER, COLO. --- Boston College coach Jerry York said he was concerned throughout Thursday's first NCAA semifinal because North Dakota is such an explosive offensive team. But Nathan Gerbe, a 5-foot-5 junior winger, did most of the exploding, popping in three goals and igniting another with a superb set-up as the BC Eagles stunned the Fighting Sioux 6-1.
The Eagles (24-11-8) scored four goals in the first period, which surprised the players on both teams, as well as the 18,343 fans at Pepsi Center, and they made it 6-0 barely past the midpoint in the game to make it clear that they would be advancing to their third consecutive Frozen Four final game For North Dakota (28-11-4) it brought another good-news/bad-news ending, as it was the fourth time in coach Dave Hakstol's four years that the Fighting Sioux had reached the Frozen Four, only to come up empty.
"We had some match-ups in mind for Gerbe, but tonight, he was the difference," said Hakstol. "I have to compliment Boston College, they came out and played a very good hockey game, and they deserve full value for the win. They built a lead, and got a couple quick-strike goals, and we just couldn't come back on them."
The Eagles, who were putting freshman goaltender John Muse up against North Dakota senior Jean-Philippe Lamoureux, traded rushes through the early minutes against the Sioux, then broke through when Kyle Kucharski blocked a shot from the right point in the BC end and took off, rushing up the left boards to within shooting range, then flipping a pass across the slot to Andrew Orpik, who put a 15-foot shot through from the right side at 7:08 as Lamoureux tried to slide across.
While the Fighting Sioux season ends, as the lone WCHA hope for the NCAA title, Boston College will face Notre Dame (27-15-4) which defeated No. 1 Michigan (33-6-4) in a 5-4 overtime second semifinal. Swedish winger Calle Ridderwall knocked in a rebound at 5:44 of sudden-death overtime, his second goal of the game, to lift the Fighting Irish to victory. Ridderwall had scored the game's first goal as Notre Dame jumped to a 3-0 first-period lead, but Chad Kolarik's two goals led Michigan back, with Carl Hagelin's goal with 5:21 to go in the third period forcing the overtime.
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The Eagles failed to score on a power play, but then struck while killing their first penalty. Gerbe blocked a pass to center point free and was gone, racing in on a breakaway to beat Lamoureux at 13:14 for a 2-0 lead. Hopeful Sioux fans were not overly concerned, because their team had come back from a 2-0 deficit in the third period to beat Wisconsin in the Midwest Regional final.
But two minutes later, Gerbe chased down a loose puck deep near the right corner and flung a shot at the net. Lamoureux tried to close his legpads, as Brian Gibbons stood over him looking for a rebound, but Gerbe's shot trickled through, and it was 3-0 at 15:13. Already, the tiny but elusive sniper was putting on a show, as if to prove his merits as a Hobey Baker final-three candidate for the award, which will be presented Friday night.
With 15 seconds left in the first period, Pat Gannon swiped the puck behind the UND net and sent a quick pass out front, and Dan Bertram moved in and fired a quick shot through a screen and the Eagles led 4-0.
York said he was walking into the dressing room after the first period, when he heard his veteran players already talking. "We have a veteran crew that has been through a lot of big-stage games," York said. "Before I went into the room I heard players say let's keep it up. They knew players like Oshie and Duncan can change a game around in a heartbeat."
T.J. Oshie and his linemate, Ryan Duncan, were frequent threats, but the Eagles stayed on top of them and never let the Sioux get the goal that might have ignited a rally. "This was certainly an anomoly," said York.
"The score was not indicative of the game. We have unbelievable respect for the job Dave Hakstol has done at North Dakota, and once in a light year you might have a game between our two teams that gets separated by this many goals."
The separation, Hakstol said, was more pivotal than any one play. Asked about a turning point, Hakstol said, "I thought we were fine, even after the short-handed goal made it 2-0. And even after the third goal, the feeling on the bench was that we're fine. But the fourth goal made it too steep a hill to climb."
The Sioux lost Taylor Chorney early in the second period with a leg injury, but the 4-0 deficit soon became 5-0, when Gerbe came up with a power-play maneuver that amplified his quickness and hiked his season total to 33 goals. The Sioux defense seemed to be having trouble keeping the quick Eagles away from the net, but Lamoureux came up with two big saves against the BC power play when Gerbe pounced on the loose puck behind the goal on the right. He swung around behind the net and as Lamoureux slid across, he snapped his shot into the upper reaches of the net at 6:37.
That gave Gerbe a short-handed goal, an even-strength tally, and a power-play goal, all in the first 27 minutes of the game. At 11:58, he made another superb play, racing up the right side and firing a perfect pass across the slot that Ben Smith converted for his 24th goal.
"The biggest thing is that we went out with the mindset of having fun," said Gerbe. "Because of my size, I've always had to be quick. They're bigger than us, stronger than us, but what matters is how hungry you are to get to the net."
To their credit, the Fighting Sioux kept battling, even down 6-0. But they were unable to penetrate even on the power play, where they were 1-8, although they outshot Boston College 30-27.
The breakthrough was a surprise, as Muse seemed destined for a shutout. Matt Watkins rushed up the left side and fed the puck ahead to Jake Marto, a freshman defenseman from Grand Forks. Marto, who had scored one goal all season, rushed to the left circle and fired a shot as Muse dropped to his knees, and the shot caught the upper right, far side corner at 18:44.
"Obviously they're an explosive team," said Duncan. "They got a couple goals on us right away, but we never gave up. We've got to give a lot of credit to BC because they had a game plan, and they executed it all the way."
