ST. PAUL, Minn.—It wasn’t supposed to happen the way it did, but that’s OK as far as Anthony Maiani is concerned.
The Denver freshman was trying to keep the puck alive for a line change when he scooped a backhander past North Dakota goalie Jean-Phillippe Lamoureaux with 1:20 left to play, snapping a 1-1 tie as the Pioneers beat the Fighting Sioux 3-1 on Friday in the semifinals of the WCHA Final Five.
“It happened to go in,” said Maiani, who had raced down the right side of the rink with North Dakota’s Joe Finley in his path. “It came off my stick pretty good, and I felt good about it.”
Matt Glasser added an empty net goal in the closing seconds and Peter Mannino made 32 saves to send the Pioneers into the tournament final Saturday against the winner of the semifinal between WCHA regular-season champion Colorado College and Minnesota.
“Now it turns into excitement,” said Denver goaltender Peter Mannino, who made 32 saves and was able to hold off a pair of 5-on-3 power plays by the Fighting Sioux, including one less than five minutes into the game before a partisan Sioux crowd at the Xcel Energy Center.
“We weren’t able to get one early and get ourselves in a position to carry momentum,” North Dakota coach Dave Hakstol said.
Denver’s Rhett Rakhshani got the game’s first goal on a power play in the second period. The Sioux tied the score on a hard-working goal by Taylor Chorney early in the second period and appeared to be building steam when their late push and the roar of the crowd was stopped cold by Maiani’s goal.
“For us, it was just too little, too late,” said Chorney. “It took us too long to get into the game and it ended up costing us.”
It was the second straight game-winning goal for Maiani. He had the only score of the Pioneers’ 1-0 win over Minnesota Duluth last weekend to clinch a first-round series sweep in Denver.
The Pioneers used a man advantage to get on the board first. Rakhshani beat Lamoureaux short side from a deep angle early in the second period to give the Pioneers a 1-0 lead.
North Dakota tied the score early in the second period when Chorney worked the puck free after getting his point-blank shot blocked by Peter Mannino, who let the puck get free behind him in the crease. Chorney set up the play moments earlier by keeping the puck in the zone at the blue line.
Lamoureaux had 27 saves.
Tempers flared in the final minute of the first period when it appeared the Sioux had scored. Mannino made two saves and covered up beneath a pile of bodies, and after some pushing around the goal light flashed on. As referees tried to restore order, players squared off in the Denver end of the ice. Three players from each side were called for unsportsmanlike conduct, and after a long video review it was ruled that the puck never crossed the goal line.
Denver is now 3-0 against North Dakota in the Final Five, winning 2-1 in overtime in the 2005 semifinals and 4-3 in 1999 final. The Pioneers also snapped a three-game losing streak to the Sioux, a skid that includes a 5-4 North Dakota win Feb 15. in Grand Forks in which Denver blew a 4-1 lead.
Denver is in the Final Five championship game for the first time since 2006 when the Pioneers beat Colorado College 1-0 for their sixth WCHA playoff title.
