March
15 , 2003
Bad day for byes in the CHA
Bemidji State, Wayne State will meet with automatic
bid on the line
|
Wayne
State 6,
Niagara 4 |
| Team |
Goal |
Str |
| Time |
Assists |
| First
Period |
| 1-WS |
Marc
St. Jean (6) |
PP |
| 6:41 |
S.
Kovalchik |
| Second
Period |
| 1-NIA |
Barret
Ehgoetz (19) |
PP |
| 13:44 |
J.
Tallari |
| 2-NIA |
Barret
Ehgoetz (20) |
PP |
| 14:51 |
J.
Cross |
| 3-NIA |
Brian
Hartman (4) |
PP |
| 16:11 |
Unassisted |
| Third
Period |
| 2-WS |
Dustin
Kingston (16) |
PP |
| 5:09 |
J.
Durbin |
| 3-WS |
Marc
St. Jean (7) |
EV |
| 9:37 |
N.
Rosychuk, B. Collins |
| 4-NIA |
Justin
Cross (6) |
EV |
| 12:33 |
C.
Welch |
| 4-WS |
Jon
Brink (6) |
EV |
| 15:27 |
M.
St. Jean, N. Stodgell |
| 5-WS |
Dustin
Kingston (17) |
EV |
| 19:11 |
J.
Durbin, T. Kindle |
| 6-WS |
Jason
Durbin (12) |
EN |
| 19:33 |
M.
St. Jean |
| Goaltending |
| WS:
David Guerrera, 60:00, 25 saves, 4 GA |
| NIA:
Rob Bonk, 59:21, 35 saves, 5 GA; Jeff VanNynatten, 0:29, 0
saves, 0 GA |
| Penalties:
WS 4/8; NIA 5/10 |
| Power
Plays: WS 2-5; NIA 3-4 |
| Attendance:
1,161 |
By
Nate Ewell
Bemidji State
and Wayne State laid waste to the conference favorites in the
CHA semifinals Saturday, setting up an unlikely matchup for Sunday's
championship game and the conference's first automatic bid to
the NCAA Tournament.
No one counted
out the third-seeded Warriors and fourth-seeded Beavers entering
this weekend's play in Kearney, Neb., but it is a bit surprising
that neither Alabama-Huntsville nor Niagara could take advantage
of their quarterfinal bye and reach the title game. Wayne State
and Bemidji State –
fittingly, the two hottest teams in the conference –
took care of the top two seeds in two very different ways.
Wayne State's
6-4 win over Niagara was fueled by a five-goal third period for
the Warriors. Equally important as their explosive offense was
their ability to stay out of the penalty box; Niagara scored their
first three goals on power plays, including two on five-on-threes.
Dustin Kingston
had a pair of goals for Wayne State, including the game-winner
at 19:11 of the third. Marc St. Jean scored his sixth and seventh
goals of the year and chipped in a pair of assists.
Kingston's
game-winner finished off a furious comeback in which the Warriors
erased 3-1 and 4-3 deficits. They added an empty-net goal to seal
the win.
In the nightcap,
Bemidji State relied on its defense and goaltending to stun No.
1 Alabama-Huntsville, 2-1 in overtime.
|
Bemidji
State 2,
Ala.-Huntsville 1 OT |
| Team |
Goal |
Str |
| Time |
Assists |
| First
Period |
| 1-BS |
John
Haider (2) |
PP |
| 12:27 |
A.
Olsson, R. Riddell |
| Third
Period |
| 1-AH |
Jared
Ross (21) |
PP |
| 0:19 |
J.
Schreiber |
| Third
Period |
| 2-BS |
Myles
Kuharski (8) |
EV |
| 12:30 |
J.
Barnes |
| Goaltending |
| BS:
Grady Hunt, 72:30, 32 saves, 1 GA |
| AH:
Scott Munroe, 72:30, 19 saves, 2 GA |
| Penalties:
BS 8/27; AH 5/10 |
| Power
Plays: BS 1-5; AH 1-8 |
| Attendance:
1,468 |
Goaltender
Grady Hunt was spectacular for the second straight night for the
Beavers, stopping 32 shots and helping them overcome a 33-21 shot
disadvantage.
Myles Kuharski
scored the game-winning goal for Bemidji 12:30 into overtime,
just after the Beavers had killed off an Alabama-Huntsville power
play.
It marked
the 15th overtime game of the season for Bemidji State, an NCAA
record. The Beavers, 14-13-8 on the season, are 4-3-8 in those
games.
Bemidji State,
the fourth seed, is the lowest-seeded team to advance to a CHA
championship game.
Bemidji State
and Wayne State split their season series, 2-2-0, with each team
sweeping on its home ice. The Beavers enter the title game on
a seven-game unbeaten streak (6-0-1), while the Warriors have
won six in a row.