Air Force and DU’s NCAA Tournament Run

One team was a No. 1 seed the other a No. 4 seed. But seeding didn’t matter as the top ranked team in the NCAA West Regional, DU, lost in the first round. It was the No. 4 seeded Air Force Falcons that defeated Michigan advancing to the round of eight and their match-up with Vermont. Here’s how it all happened for the two teams from Colorado.

It’s still great to see the successes of college hockey in our state! Here is a link to the bracket: http://www.insidecollegehockey.com/6History/ncaa_09.htm

Air Force falls to Vermont in double overtime, 3-2 , in NCAA West Regional Final

Falcons finish season at 28-11-2 overall

Written By Air Force Athletics

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. - In a bizarre finish involving video replay, Vermont advanced to the Frozen Four with a 3-2 double overtime win over Air Force in the NCAA East Regional Final, Saturday, March 28, at the Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. Vermont was the No. 3 seed while Air Force was the No. 4.

Vermont improved to 22-11-5 overall and advances to the Frozen Four in Washington, D.C. Air Force's season comes to an end with a 28-11-2 record. Air Force earned its first ever NCAA Tournament win on Friday and the Elite Eight finish is the farthest an Air Force hockey team has ever advanced.

The game ended late in the second overtime when a whistle stopped play after a flurry in front of the Air Force net with 4:01 remaining. However, a play that occurred nearly two minutes before went to a video replay review. Vermont defenseman Doug Lawson took a slap shot from the center point that seemed to go wide of the post and hit off the back boards with 5:50 remaining and play continued for nearly two minutes. Once the whistle blew, and after a nearly 15-minute review, it was determined that the puck went into, and through, the net and the goal was awarded to Vermont. The goal was Lawson's second of the game and came at the 14:10 mark of overtime. The game was the longest in Air Force history at 94:10 and took four hours and seven minutes to complete.

A fast-paced first period saw both goaltenders make some key stops, but neither team was able to score. Air Force had 10 shots on goal while Vermont had eight. Each team was 0-for-1 on the power play. Vermont had two quality chances early that were turned away by Andrew Volkening. Colin Volk walked off the back wall and skated through the crease, but Volkening made a right pad save 36 seconds into the game. Air Force then had five shots on a power play but was kept off the board by Catamount goalie Rob Madore.

Air Force drew first blood early in the second period on a goal by freshman Paul Weisgarber. On a 4-on-2 rush, Weisgarber put back a rebound of a shot by Sean Bertsch from the left side of the net. For Weisgarber, it was his sixth of the season.

Air Force fell behind for the first time in five games, as Vermont scored the next two goals of the game. Josh Burrows snapped Volkening's shutout streak at 262 consecutive minutes, and 13 periods, with a goal at 3:56 of the third period to tie the game. His shot from the right point through traffic was his fifth goal of the year. Just over five minutes later, Dan Lawson scored with a slap shot through a screen from the center point for a 2-1 lead. Air Force answered with 8:42 left in the period as the Falcons' fourth line scored its second goal of the game. Mike Phillipich made a pass from the corner to Bertsch in the high slot. His shot caromed off the goaltender and into the net for his seventh of the season and tied the game at 2-2. Both teams' goaltenders made several big saves down the stretch as the Falcons and Catamounts went into overtime.

In the first overtime, Air Force had eight shots on goal while Vermont had six. At the end of the first overtime, a puck got underneath Volkening and Viktor Stalberg tried to slide it into the open net. Air Force forward Brett Nylander slid into the net and knocked the puck away as it was sitting on the goal line. The play was reviewed for several minutes before it was determined it was not a goal.

In the second overtime, Vermont outshot Air Force, 7-6. AFA outshot Vermont, 46-35, in the game. Air Force was 0-for-4 while Vermont was 0-for-3 on the power play. Volkening made 32 saves in the game and had 75 in the two games in the NCAA East Regional. Rob Madore had 46 saves for Vermont.

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 4 seed Miami jumped to a 2-0 lead and never looked back in its 4-2 win over No. 1 seed Denver in NCAA West Regional hockey action this afternoon at Minnesota’s Mariucci Arena. DU’s season ends with the loss, while Miami advances to the regional final tomorrow night against No. 2 seed Minnesota Duluth or No. 3 seed Princeton.

Denver was outplayed from the start and finishes the 2008-09 season with a 23-12-5 record. Joe Colborne (Calgary, Alberta) and Tyler Bozak (Regina, Saskatchewan) scored for Denver and sophomore netminder Marc Cheverie (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) made 25 saves. Seniors J.P. Testwuide (Vail, Colo.) and Patrick Mullen (Pittsburgh, Pa.) played their final games as Pioneers.

“We got off to a slow start and could never recover,” DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. “We had trouble generating scoring chances and Miami did an excellent job in its coverages. Give Miami credit for a good game plan and the win. I’m proud of our team because we accomplished a lot of our goals, despite battling a lot of adversity and injuries.”

Miami started fast and led 2-0 after the first period. Justin Mercier wristed a blast from the top of the slot by Cheverie at 7:28 and Alden Hirschfeld scored from the  at low slot at 18:04. Miami outshot Denver, 10-7, and the Pioneers committed four penalties in the period.

Bill Loupee made it 3-0 at 5:36 of the second period when he netted a rebound past Cheverie. DU finally lit the lamp at 17:29 on the power-play when Colborne redirected a Patrick Wiercioch (Maple Ridge, British Columbia) blast from the point. Bozak also earned a helper on the play. The DU momentum was short-lived when Andy Miele scooped up a loose rebound and scored with 33 seconds left in the second period. Miami outshot DU, 12-3, in the period.

Gwozdecky pulled Cheverie at 14:20 for an extra attacker, and it paid off when Bozak scored on the power play with a 6-on-4 advantage. Cody Reichard finished the game with 16 saves. Denver went 2-for-5 on the power play, while Miami was 0-for-5.

Notes: DU allowed the first goal in four of its last five games. Bozak returned to the DU lineup after missing 21 games with a knee injury. DU exits the NCAA Tournament in the first round for the second consecutive season. The Pioneers lost 6-2 at Wisconsin in NCAA Midwest Regional in 2008. DU was the second top seed to fall in the NCAA Tournament today as Michigan lost 2-0 to Air Force and former Pioneer head coach Frank Serratore.