In a Frozen Four version of a heavyweight prize fight, the Minutemen of UMass KO’d reigning champ Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in overtime. Junior transfer Garrett Wait delivered the knockout, jamming in a puck from atop the goalmouth early Friday morning.
“It was pretty cool, something everyone dreams about,” said Wait, whose tally handed the Bulldogs their first NCAA loss since the 2017 championship game.
There was little cause for optimism for UMass fans for much of this contest. The Minutemen had been outplayed, outshotand essentially bullied down low by Duluth’s heavyweights, trailing 2-1 in the third. But the Minutemen received a major boost from junior Anthony Del Gaizo’s tying goal midway through the final stanza, and the game noticeably turned. UMass dominated the overtime, outshooting the champs 12-2, until Walter Brown Award winner Bobby Trivigno carried the puck deep around the Duluth goal line before finding Wait, who delivered the final blow at the 14:30 mark of sudden death. According to UMass coach Greg Carvel, this was all part of the winning formula.
“That was our plan going into overtime,” said Carvel postgame. “Try to wear them down, cut back, take the puck to the back post, and have somebody there to tap it in. The one thing about this team, is they know what makes them good. When they smell blood in the water, they took it up a notch.”
This is the second straight semifinal overtime victory in the Frozen Four for the Minutemen, and although Thursday’s game might not have been as exhilarating as 2019, it was more emphatic. And due to the loss of four players to COVID, this triumph was even more poignant.
“It’s quite a story,” said Carvel. “To be able to overcome that situation of losing that many players, everything tonight was a testament to the culture of this team.”
The term, “next man up” has been echoing throughout the college hockey world in this time of the pandemic, and the player who got bumped up from fourth line to a top-six forward spot was the opportunistic Anthony Del Gaizo. His tying goal, where he circled the Duluth net with impunity before banging in the equalizer, was a perfect example of seizing opportunity.
“The thing I’ve learned about Anthony is that he rises in the NCAA tournament,” said Carvel about the man whose last three goals have come during NCAA single-elimination games. “He was the guy-to go up to take the place of (Carson) Gicewicz. He’s played as heavy as anybody. That goal he scored was what we were hoping from him, probably the biggest goal of the year.”
Another performer who stepped up happens to play the most important position on the ice — goaltender Matt Murray. He started in a national semifinal after being relegated to practice player for three months. Murray made it a point to prepare for such a moment.
“Ever since my last game, I made sure to treat practices as games, and be giving it everything I have every single day,” said Murray, who exudes a “joi de vivre” from plying his craft. “It’s a great feeling. Obviously, playing hockey is the best thing to do in the world. It’s just a great experience to be back on the ice.”
Goaltending was Carvel’s biggest concern over the UMass COVID affair, and Murray passed with flying colors. “When you don’t have live game (action), it’s hard,” said Carvel. “To be honest, that was the only thing I was worried about. Losing a couple of players up front, we can overcome that. It was the goaltending that I was concerned about. He hadn’t played in so long. He’s a good goalie, and he made saves that he needed to tonight.”
As if there wasn’t enough drama surrounding this mind-bending series of events for Minutemen hockey, Carvel and company are now faced with a goaltending conundrum. At the conclusion of the game, it was announced that the four UMass COVID players who missed the trip will be rejoining their teammates in Pittsburgh, including star goalie Filip Lindberg. A major decision has to be made for Saturday: Do you sit the goalie who just propelled you into the national championship game? Murray, riding high after his stunning victory, fielded the question comfortably. He can’t wait to have all three goalies reunited.
“I’m just happy to get the band back together,” said Murray. “Us three have some really good chemistry. I think it’s going to be nothing but hard work and smiles when everyone comes back tomorrow.”
To claim the heavyweight championship belt of hockey, UMass will need either Lindberg or Murray to perform at their best under the hot lights against St. Cloud State. Only the team’s majordomo knows who will start, and Carvel will announce that decision on his timeline, and no one else’s. Stay tuned.
