Re: 2020 NCAA Hockey Tournament - What If: A Simulation of the 2019-2020 Postseason
And here are the results from the western games...
WCHA Semifinals
Michigan Tech @ Minnesota State - Game 3:
Minnesota State and Michigan Tech squared off this evening in Mankato in a must-win for both teams in their quest to advance to the WCHA Championship. Both Minnesota State's goaltender Dryden McKay, and Michigan Tech's netminder Matt Jurusik put on a show in the first thirty minutes of action, with McKay keeping all 16 of the Huskies shots from crossing the goal line, and Jurusik stopping all 18 Maverick shots on goal. However, shortly after halftime, Minnesota State's Marc Michaelis found the back of the net to give the Mavericks a 1-0 advantage. Mankato added a second goal just before the second intermission on Jake Jeremko's powerplay tally, which gave Minnesota State a 2-0 lead through forty minutes. The Huskies responded early in the third on Raymond Brice's laser from the top of the slot that cut the Mavericks' lead to one. However, McKay would not allow another goal the rest of the evening, and Dallas Gerads added an insurance goal late to seal the deal, giving Minnesota State a 3-1 victory, and a 2-1 series win.
Bowling Green @ Bemidji State - Game 3:
With both teams' seasons likely on the line the Falcons and the Beavers squared off in Bemidji to decide who would take this WCHA Semifinals series. Once again, the goalkeepers stole the show. Bemidji's Zach Driscoll and Bowling Green's Eric Dop combined to stop all 31 shots on net in the first two periods, leading to a tense final stanza. After forty minutes of scoreless hockey, Bemidji struck first six minutes into the third period, when Charlie Combs corralled a rebound and lifted a backhander over Dop's leg to put the Beavers ahead 1-0. The two sides exchanged powerplay opportunities in the middle of the period, to no avail, but with just over five-and-a-half minutes to play, Bowling Green's T.J. Lloyd ripped a slapshot from the point that beat a screened Driscoll to tie the game at 1-1. It appeared the game was headed for overtime, but with just under a minute to play, Bemidji's Elias Rosen found a streaking Adam Brady with a beautiful feed through the neutral zone. Brady split the Falcons' defenders and lifted a wrister over Dop's glove and into the back of the net to give Bemidji State a 2-1 lead. That would be all Driscoll would need, and the Beavers advanced to the WCHA Championship.
NCHC Quarterfinals
St. Cloud State @ Western Michigan - Game 3:
In a series notable for piling up the goals, the Huskies and the Broncos did not disappoint this evening. SCSU jumped out to a 1-0 advantage early on Easton Brodzinski's powerplay goal. Western responded shortly after when Wade Allison lit the lamp to tie the game at 1, and after twenty minutes, the sides remained all square. The Broncos took the initiative in the second period, scoring back-to-back goals from DiPietro and Drew Worrad to take a 3-1 lead. The Huskies would respond late in the second to pull back within a goal, this time thanks to another powerplay tally rom Brodzinski. SCSU then knotted the action at 3-3 early in the third when Nick Perbix's wrister from the blueline deflected off a Western defender and trickled past Brandon Bussi. Western then regained the lead midway through the period on Jason Polin's wrister, which put the Broncos up 4-3. The Huskies rallied ferociously, and with just over three minutes to play, SCSU's Micah Miller slammed home a rebound to tie the game at 4 apiece. The score remained 4-4 after sixty minutes, requiring overtime. The Broncos would not need long in the extra frame to send the Lawson Lunatics home happy, as Wade Allison scored his second tally on a wrister from just below the far circle which snuck past David Hrenak to give Western a 5-4 win, and a 2-1 series win to advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
Nebraska Omaha @ Denver - Game 3:
The Pioneers and Mavericks met in the Mile High City to decide who would advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff next weekend. DU, aided by three first-period powerplays, stormed Omaha in the first twenty minutes, launching 14 shots on Isaiah Saville, but the Freshman goaltender was up to the task, keeping the Pioneers off the scoreboard. The game remained scoreless until midway through the second, when Denver's Ian Mitchell's stick broke in the neutral zone, leading to a breakaway for Taylor Ward, who roofed a backhand over Magnus Chrona's glove to give Omaha a 1-0 lead. However, that would be the end of the highlights for the Mavericks on this weekend, as Denver dominated the last half of the game. DU tied the score with just over six minutes to play in the second period on Tyler Ward's wrister, and Mitchell enacted some revenge for the earlier miscue by ripping a one-timer past Saville to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead heading into the third. DU scored two more goals in the third period, by Brett Stapley and Hank Crone respectively, and the Pioneers advanced to St. Paul next weekend with a 4-1 victory.
B1G Semifinal:
Michigan @ Ohio State:
This classic Big Ten rivalry renewed this evening, as the Wolverines and Buckeyes met for the right to advance to the B1G Championship next weekend. Ohio State's Quinn Preston struck first midway through the opening frame to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. That lead held until minutes into the second period when Michigan's Jack Becker lit the lamp on a wrister from the slot to tie the score at 1-1. UM took a 2-1 lead minutes later on Nick Blankenburg's slapper that blew past OSU's Tommy Nappier. Nappier got his revenge moments later when he robbed Jake Slaker's breakaway attempt, which gave the Buckeyes a shot of momentum at just the right time. Seconds before the second intermission, the Buckeyes knotted the score at 2-2 on Matt Miller's powerplay goal. OSU took a short-lived 3-2 lead early in the third on Ronnie Hein's one-timer from the near circle; however, the Wolverines tied things up again on the next shift when Jacob Hayhurst slammed home a rebound. Both sides traded opportunities throughout the rest of the third, but after sixty minutes of play, the game remained tied at 3. In overtime, Michigan drew a controversial slashing call, but the Wolverines were unable to capitalize with the man advantage. As the first overtime period drew to an end, it looked like another twenty minutes might be necessary. However, with just seconds remaining in the extra frame, Cam York launched a slap shot from the point that missed the net on the far side, but ricocheted out on the other side to a wide open Luke Morgan who quickly snapped a wrister into a gaping net to give Michigan a 4-3 win, and a birth in the B1G Championship game.
And here are the results from the western games...
WCHA Semifinals
Michigan Tech @ Minnesota State - Game 3:
Minnesota State and Michigan Tech squared off this evening in Mankato in a must-win for both teams in their quest to advance to the WCHA Championship. Both Minnesota State's goaltender Dryden McKay, and Michigan Tech's netminder Matt Jurusik put on a show in the first thirty minutes of action, with McKay keeping all 16 of the Huskies shots from crossing the goal line, and Jurusik stopping all 18 Maverick shots on goal. However, shortly after halftime, Minnesota State's Marc Michaelis found the back of the net to give the Mavericks a 1-0 advantage. Mankato added a second goal just before the second intermission on Jake Jeremko's powerplay tally, which gave Minnesota State a 2-0 lead through forty minutes. The Huskies responded early in the third on Raymond Brice's laser from the top of the slot that cut the Mavericks' lead to one. However, McKay would not allow another goal the rest of the evening, and Dallas Gerads added an insurance goal late to seal the deal, giving Minnesota State a 3-1 victory, and a 2-1 series win.
Bowling Green @ Bemidji State - Game 3:
With both teams' seasons likely on the line the Falcons and the Beavers squared off in Bemidji to decide who would take this WCHA Semifinals series. Once again, the goalkeepers stole the show. Bemidji's Zach Driscoll and Bowling Green's Eric Dop combined to stop all 31 shots on net in the first two periods, leading to a tense final stanza. After forty minutes of scoreless hockey, Bemidji struck first six minutes into the third period, when Charlie Combs corralled a rebound and lifted a backhander over Dop's leg to put the Beavers ahead 1-0. The two sides exchanged powerplay opportunities in the middle of the period, to no avail, but with just over five-and-a-half minutes to play, Bowling Green's T.J. Lloyd ripped a slapshot from the point that beat a screened Driscoll to tie the game at 1-1. It appeared the game was headed for overtime, but with just under a minute to play, Bemidji's Elias Rosen found a streaking Adam Brady with a beautiful feed through the neutral zone. Brady split the Falcons' defenders and lifted a wrister over Dop's glove and into the back of the net to give Bemidji State a 2-1 lead. That would be all Driscoll would need, and the Beavers advanced to the WCHA Championship.
NCHC Quarterfinals
St. Cloud State @ Western Michigan - Game 3:
In a series notable for piling up the goals, the Huskies and the Broncos did not disappoint this evening. SCSU jumped out to a 1-0 advantage early on Easton Brodzinski's powerplay goal. Western responded shortly after when Wade Allison lit the lamp to tie the game at 1, and after twenty minutes, the sides remained all square. The Broncos took the initiative in the second period, scoring back-to-back goals from DiPietro and Drew Worrad to take a 3-1 lead. The Huskies would respond late in the second to pull back within a goal, this time thanks to another powerplay tally rom Brodzinski. SCSU then knotted the action at 3-3 early in the third when Nick Perbix's wrister from the blueline deflected off a Western defender and trickled past Brandon Bussi. Western then regained the lead midway through the period on Jason Polin's wrister, which put the Broncos up 4-3. The Huskies rallied ferociously, and with just over three minutes to play, SCSU's Micah Miller slammed home a rebound to tie the game at 4 apiece. The score remained 4-4 after sixty minutes, requiring overtime. The Broncos would not need long in the extra frame to send the Lawson Lunatics home happy, as Wade Allison scored his second tally on a wrister from just below the far circle which snuck past David Hrenak to give Western a 5-4 win, and a 2-1 series win to advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.
Nebraska Omaha @ Denver - Game 3:
The Pioneers and Mavericks met in the Mile High City to decide who would advance to the NCHC Frozen Faceoff next weekend. DU, aided by three first-period powerplays, stormed Omaha in the first twenty minutes, launching 14 shots on Isaiah Saville, but the Freshman goaltender was up to the task, keeping the Pioneers off the scoreboard. The game remained scoreless until midway through the second, when Denver's Ian Mitchell's stick broke in the neutral zone, leading to a breakaway for Taylor Ward, who roofed a backhand over Magnus Chrona's glove to give Omaha a 1-0 lead. However, that would be the end of the highlights for the Mavericks on this weekend, as Denver dominated the last half of the game. DU tied the score with just over six minutes to play in the second period on Tyler Ward's wrister, and Mitchell enacted some revenge for the earlier miscue by ripping a one-timer past Saville to give the Pioneers a 2-1 lead heading into the third. DU scored two more goals in the third period, by Brett Stapley and Hank Crone respectively, and the Pioneers advanced to St. Paul next weekend with a 4-1 victory.
B1G Semifinal:
Michigan @ Ohio State:
This classic Big Ten rivalry renewed this evening, as the Wolverines and Buckeyes met for the right to advance to the B1G Championship next weekend. Ohio State's Quinn Preston struck first midway through the opening frame to give the Buckeyes a 1-0 lead. That lead held until minutes into the second period when Michigan's Jack Becker lit the lamp on a wrister from the slot to tie the score at 1-1. UM took a 2-1 lead minutes later on Nick Blankenburg's slapper that blew past OSU's Tommy Nappier. Nappier got his revenge moments later when he robbed Jake Slaker's breakaway attempt, which gave the Buckeyes a shot of momentum at just the right time. Seconds before the second intermission, the Buckeyes knotted the score at 2-2 on Matt Miller's powerplay goal. OSU took a short-lived 3-2 lead early in the third on Ronnie Hein's one-timer from the near circle; however, the Wolverines tied things up again on the next shift when Jacob Hayhurst slammed home a rebound. Both sides traded opportunities throughout the rest of the third, but after sixty minutes of play, the game remained tied at 3. In overtime, Michigan drew a controversial slashing call, but the Wolverines were unable to capitalize with the man advantage. As the first overtime period drew to an end, it looked like another twenty minutes might be necessary. However, with just seconds remaining in the extra frame, Cam York launched a slap shot from the point that missed the net on the far side, but ricocheted out on the other side to a wide open Luke Morgan who quickly snapped a wrister into a gaping net to give Michigan a 4-3 win, and a birth in the B1G Championship game.
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