Sunday, March 25, 2007

The Cream Rises

In tonight's Western Regional final, the University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux knocked off WCHA regular season and WCHA playoff champions the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-2 in OT. The Sioux played better and better as the game went on, and began to take the play to the Gophers. They then took over in overtime and won, fittingly, on a goal by blue-collar captain Chris Porter.

Watching both teams this season, I have noticed trends in how their players celebrate goals:

Minnesota: Score goal, "pop" the big "M" on the jersey (is there a more annoying gesture in college hockey than the jersey pop?), then showboat to the crowd.

North Dakota: Score goal, look to teammates on ice to give acknowledgement, then skate to bench to slap gloves with other teammates.

One program has a reputation as being full of talent but soft, the other is known as blue-collar and hard-working. You can tell from the goal celebrations which is which.

Harder work in tonight's game took one of them to St. Louis for the Frozen Four.