SCSU gets review, short-handed goal to beat UMD, 3-2

GRAND FORKS, N.D. — The game-winner was decided on a goal that play was not stopped for when it happened.

At 17:52 of the second period, the referees decided to review at shot by St. Cloud State wing Chase Brand that happened 44 seconds earlier with the Huskies killing a penalty. After a few minutes, referees Dan Dreger and Nick Krebsbach decided that a puck shot from Brand from behind the net went off MInnesota Duluth goalie Ryan Fanti and snuck over the goal line.

The second-seeded Huskies held off the third-seeded Bulldogs for a 3-2 win in the NCHC semifinals on Monday afternoon at Ralph Engelstad Arena. The win sends the Huskies (17-9-0) into the conference championship game for the fifth time in the seven-year history of the NCHC. St. Cloud State plays for the NCHC's automatic bid in the NCAA Division I tournament at 7:37 p.m. Tuesday (CBS Sports Network).

The loss snaps a 13-game unbeaten streak in the postseason for UMD (14-10-2).

A penalty on Bulldogs junior center Jesse Jacques stopped play at 17:52. The Huskies were yelling that they had scored on their previous penalty kill and the referees reviewed the play and determined Brand had scored his fourth goal of the season.

"We were kind of yelling for it, but we didn't challenge it," said Huskies coach Brett Larson, who had already used his time out in the game. "The league is looking at anything that may have been a goal on its own at moments like that. We didn't have to use our challenge."

Brand and Will Hammer had chances short-handed on that penalty kill and then Brand found out while he was on the bench that he had scored.

"Honestly, I kind of got the puck behind the net and I just tried to throw it on net and I had no idea it went in," Brand said. "But I heard (SCSU defenseman) Nick Perbix say that it went in. I really had no idea what he was talking about.

"I"m glad it went in, though."

But Brand and Hammer had some sustained offensive pressure as the Huskies were killing a bench minor penalty for too many players on the ice.

"We had a really good shift," Brand said. "(Defenseman) Luke Jaycox made a really nice play coming up the wall and got it to me," Brand said. "Hammer did a great job driving the net. I just tried to get it on net."

After the goal was declared, Jacques was sent to the penalty box and the official time of the penalty is listed at 17:08. UMD was still charged with the penalty, according to NCAA rules.

The rule states: "In situations where a non-detected goal is awarded, officials will reset the game clock accordingly. If penalties occur prior to or after the undetected goal, these penalties will be enforced regardless of team."

UMD, which went into the game tied for 40th in DIvision I in penalty kill (76.7%), was called for six penalties in the game and gave up a power-play and short-handed goal.

"One of the things that I was disappointed in was the penalties," Bulldogs coach Scott Sandelin said. "You can't take penalties against any team. They're good and they're dangerous.

"We got lucky a few times and we had some big kills," said Sandelin, whose team gave up 13 shots when the Huskies were on the power play. "You've got to play disciplined and you've got to stay out of the (penalty) box. I thought the second period was terrible. We got no flow and we had a lot of guys killing (penalties) and we lost a little bit of energy there."

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UMD trailed 1-0 and 2-1 in the game. But senior wing Koby Bender scored on kind of a wild play at 12:54 of the second period to tie the game at 2-2.

Bender fell down in front of the net as the puck went around the boards in the St. Cloud State zone. Senior wing Kobe Roth won a race to the puck and swiped it toward the goal. Bender got up just in time to throw the puck in the net.

"I had no idea he was there," Roth said. "I just kind of spun around and got the puck on net and it was lucky enough to get to a perfect spot and and Bender was there."

The Bulldogs went on their lone power play of the third period when St. Cloud State's Kevin Fitzgerald was called for slashing at 12:17. But St. Cloud State had at least three of their 17 blocked shots in the game on the penalty kill and held the Bulldogs were held to one shot on goal and could not get the equalizer.

UMD pulled goalie Ryan Fanti for an extra attacker with 1:41 left, but the Huskies held on and advanced to their third straight NCHC championship game. This will be the third straight conference title game for the seniors, though they have yet to win one (2018, Denver, 4-1 loss; 2019, UMD, 3-2 double overtime loss).

"It's awesome that we've gotten to the championship game, but we haven't won one yet," said Fitzgerald, whose team won its lone NCHC playoff title in 2016. "We're looking to do that (Tuesday)."

SCSU 3, UMD 2

UMD 1-1-0—2

SCSU 2-1-0—3

First period scoring:

1. SCSU, Jami Krannila 10 (Zach Okabe 14, Seamus Donohue 7), 7:02

2. UMD, Kobe Roth 13 (Jackson Cates 16, Wyatt Kaiser 10), 12:44 (pp)

3. SCSU, Kevin Fitzgerald 9 (Krannila 9, Spencer Meier 9), 17:52 (pp)

Penalties — SCSU, Luke Jaycox (hooking) 2:38; SCSU, Jared Cockrell (interference) 11:00; UMD, Louie Roehl (cross-checking) 16:33.

Second period scoring:

4. UMD, Koby Bender 7 (Roth 10), 12:54

5. SCSU, Chase Brand 4 (Will Hammer 4, Luke Jaycox 6), 17:08 (sh)

Penalties — UMD, Quinn Olson (boarding) 3:56; UMD, Roehl (cross-checking) 6:47; SCSU, Easton Brodzinski (roughing) 8:06; UMD, Matt Cairns (roughing) 8:06; SCSU, Bench (too many men) 15:14; UMD, Jesse Jacques (tripping) 17:08.

Third period scoring — None. Penalties — UMD, Darian Gotz (holding) 5:39; SCSU, Fitzerald (slashing) 12:17.

Goalie saves — UMD, Ryan Fanti 9-17-5—31 (3 GA). SCSU, David Hrenak 10-5-9—24 (2 GA).

Penalties-minutes — UMD 6-12; SCSU 5-10.

Power plays (shots) — UMD 1-4 (6 shots); SCSU 1-5 (13 shots).

Faceoffs — SCSU 38-24.

Referees — Dan Dreger and Nick Krebsbach.

Linesemen — Tyler Liffrig and Tony Aronson.

Attendance — 1,957

Editor's note: Chase Brand is the son of 1989 Detroit Lakes high school graduate Craig Brand.

1/5: Duluth's Koby Bender works for a loose puck in the second period of their NCHC Frozen Faceoff game Monday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald

2/5: Duluth's Nick Swaney tries to get his stick on the puck as SCSU goalie David Hrenak defends with Nolan Walker (20) and Brendan Bushy in the second period of their NCHC Frozen Faceoff game Monday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald

3/5: Minnesota Duluth's Koby Bender fires the puck past St. Cloud State goalie David Hrenak in the second period of their NCHC Frozen Faceoff game Monday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald

4/5: SCSU's Sam Hentges and Duluth's Jackson Cates work for position in the second period of their NCHC Frozen Faceoff game Monday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald

5/5: SCSU's Nolan Walker reaches for the puck as Duluth's Jackson Cates controls the puck in the second period of their NCHC Frozen Faceoff game Monday at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks. Photo by Eric Hylden/Grand Forks Herald