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NCAA hockey: Duncan's hat trick lifts North Dakota past Princeton

Todd D. Milewski  —  3/29/2008 4:53 pm

By the numbers, it was hard to tell which was the No. 1 seed and which was the No. 4 seed Saturday at the Kohl Center.

Princeton, the heavy underdog in a Midwest Regional semifinal game against top seed North Dakota, outshot the Sioux 39-18. The territorial advantage was with the Tigers, too, for most of the game.

The thing is, it's about which team makes the most of its chances. In that category, the Sioux were the clear winners.

Defending Hobey Baker Award winner Ryan Duncan recorded his first collegiate hat trick, bringing North Dakota one step closer to a fourth straight Frozen Four berth with a 5-1 victory.

Duncan, a junior who isn't one of the 10 Hobey finalists this season, registered his fifth multiple-goal game of the season. He had only one goal in his last 10 games entering the NCAA tournament.

Jean-Philippe Lamoureux made 38 saves, allowing only Cam MacIntyre's goal with 32.6 seconds left in the game, for the Sioux.

"I'd have to say they outplayed us most of the game," Duncan said. "We were fortunate that Phil had another outstanding game tonight and really won the game for us."

North Dakota (27-10-4) improved its NCAA-record tournament winning percentage among schools with at least 15 games played to .696 (39-17).

Duncan virtually ended Princeton's chances for a comeback 8 minutes, 13 seconds into the third period, when he scored the Sioux's second power-play goal of the game for a 3-0 lead.

In what was almost a replay of Duncan's earlier goal, he took a cross-slot pass — this one from Ryan Martens — and zinged a shot past goaltender Zane Kalemba.

He scored his third goal of the game into an empty net with 5:12 remaining for a 4-0 lead.

If there was a time where ECAC Hockey League champion Princeton (21-14) was going to break through offensively, it was early in the second period. The Tigers, down a goal after North Dakota's Andrew Kozek scored a power-play goal in the first, had the momentum, and it carried into a Sioux power play.

Princeton's Mark Magnowski had a great chance to even the game shorthanded, but Lamoureux stopped him from close range, then quickly added two more saves on Magnowski rebound tries.

The Tigers had four shots on goal on that Sioux power play, but North Dakota added to its lead just after captain Mike Moore returned to the ice after a holding penalty.

T.J. Oshie sent a cross-slot pass to Duncan low on the right side, and with Kalemba down, Duncan fired a shot just over the sophomore's glove for a 2-0 lead.

"That series in particular, it was big for our team because we went down and we got the power-play goal from Ryan," Lamoureux said. "What else can you say? He scores timely goals for us at this time of year. And he showed why he's a Hobey Baker winner. He played unbelievable tonight with some big goals for our team."

Princeton coach Guy Gadowsky concurred.

"Duncan's so good," he said. "He had his head up the whole way and was able to see that Zane dropped. I don't know if he actually had it in mind to shoot right away, but I think he took a peek and saw that Zane dropped and he went upstairs. The puck went to the wrong guy."

Princeton outshot the Sioux 15-5 in the second period and had a 25-12 lead in shots on goal after 40 minutes, but Lamoureux kept the Tigers off the scoreboard.

Seconds before the end of the first, Lamoureux was able to knock a loose puck away from the crease just before MacIntyre tried to poke it into the net.

"I think we were moving the puck well down low, generated shots," said Princeton forward Lee Jubinville, a Hobey Baker finalist who had five shots on goal against Lamoureux. "But at the same time, we weren't able to finish."

UND defenseman Chay Genoway made it 5-0 by scoring from his own blue line into an empty net during a Princeton power play with 3:32 left.

The Sioux will play in Sunday's regional final against either Wisconsin or Denver.

Todd D. Milewski  —  3/29/2008 4:53 pm