Eight teams were whittled down to four in CCHA quarterfinal action, including an overtime dream-killer Friday night, and a season-ending buzzer beater Sunday night. Goals from superstars and rookies alike, with celebrations that spanned the globe. Let’s dig in.
War of Attrition
Early in the second period of Sunday’s epic winner-take-all clash between Lake State and St. Thomas, Tommies winger J.D. Metz lay crumpled at center ice. He had just absorbed a dangerous hit from the Lakers Jared Westcott, and two St. Thomas trainers hustled onto the ice. Metz had already missed a dozen games, adding to the Tommies list of man-games lost to injury that had long since passed 100.
It was clear that Metz was finished for the night, probably for the year, yet in his last act as a player in the 2023-24 season, he fought off the staffers trying to escort him off the ice. Stoically, Metz left the field of battle under his own power.
After official review, the Lakers lost Westcott—their leading scorer—on the subsequent boarding call. The injury-riddled Tommies resumed with 16 skaters, three fewer than a full roster, and the game of attrition resumed.
“We’ve got more players in the stands than we have on the bench,” Tommies Coach Rico Blasi told The Rink Live, “but we’ve been doing that since January 1.”
It took until the 180th minute of this best-of-three quarterfinal to eliminate Blasi’s gutty Tommies, when the Lakers Dawson Tritt had the presence of mind to track a lofty rebound before slamming it past Aaron Trotter for the game winner. Only 6.6 seconds remained in regulation.
While the purple-clad warriors peeled off their jerseys for the final time Sunday night, the media was busy chronicling this historic series. Although the Tommies lost, they had hosted their first Division I playoff series, and had won their first playoff game the night before.
The visitors made history as well. This was Lake State’s first game-three playoff victory in 17 years, when they edged Ferris State 3-2 back in 2007. Seven times since the Lakers had fallen short in decisive game-threes, none more painful than their 2022 quarterfinal loss to Northern Michigan at home.
“It's nice to get those bad omens out of the way," said Laker coach Damon Whitten. "This team earned it with three tough-fought games on the road."
Whitten and the Lakers return to the State of Hockey on Saturday, earning the right to face top-seed Bemidji State in the semifinals.
Super Sam
If ever a man deserved a victory lap, it was Sam Morton of Minnesota State. On Saturday he scored two classic Morton goals: dashing and slashing, quick twitches followed by deadly finishes, adding goals 23 and 24 to his CCHA-leading total. He was the obvious number-one star in the team’s farewell to Mankato, but Morton spoke to the press in terms of “we,” not “me.”
“Of course it feels good . . . you just want this feeling, winning, moving on in the playoffs,” Morton said. “It’s a team game, to enjoy it with your brothers is the best part.”
Morton transferred to Minnesota State nearly four years ago, having never reached an ECAC Hockey semifinal playing for the Union Dutchmen. In his time at Mankato, he has learned the joy of winning.
“Coming here was the best decision I ever made,” Morton said. “Playoff hockey in general is unbelievable, you can’t get numb to the feeling of winning.”
Although he missed MSU’s run to the national tournament last year due to injury, Morton’s post-season record with the Mavericks is nothing short of sensational: 13 wins and three losses for a staggering 81.3% winning percentage. He has never lost a game in the new CCHA (6-0), and has been a major contributor to the Mavericks five NCAA tournament wins, against only two losses.
There is no wonder the fans in Mankato gave Morton a standing ovation Saturday: he is a link to the Hastings glory years—having scored the only goal in the 2022 NCAA title game—and has run away with this year’s CCHA goal-scoring race. For Morton, the relationship with the Maverick faithful is a two-way street.
“The fans are unbelievable,” Morton said. “I love this place.”
Current coach Luke Strand has frequently expressed his gratitude for Morton’s return to Mankato for a final season, and will never forget his captain’s production. “He’s not scoring when the game’s out of reach, he scores impact goals,” Strand said Saturday. “It’s going to be a mark that he leaves behind . . . it will be a big piece.”
The Snub
Back on February 1, the national rookie of the year “Watch-List” of 33 players was announced, and Bemidji State defenseman Eric Pohlkamp was a notable absence.
Since the list was revealed, Pohlkamp has been tearing it up offensively, going 6-7-13 in that span. Although he’s never discussed the Tim Taylor Award snub, Pohlkamp’s game has spoken volumes. In his playoff debut this past weekend, Pohlkamp lit up Ferris State with three goals and a pair of assists in two games, including the overtime winner Friday night. His demeanor in the closing minute of regulation Friday, trailing by a goal, revealed the maturity of this BSU frosh.
With the Beavers on the power play and the faceoff in the attacking zone, Pohlkamp did some quick math when Coach Serratore pulled goalie Mattias Sholl for an extra attacker.
“It was five-on four, then six-on-four,” Pohlkamp recounted in the post game. “I kinda knew we weren’t going to lose.”
After the Beavers won the draw, Pohlkamp took over, stickhandling at the half wall until a seam finally opened. He fired a cross-ice pass directly into the Kyle Looft wheelhouse. Looft blasted a one-timer, creating a fat rebound for Eric Martin, who promptly tied the game. Out of danger with 39 seconds to spare.
Less than a minute into overtime, Pohlkamp tipped in the game-winner, completing his tour-de-force with a celebration that bettered all the Minnesota high school tournament gems being created downstate.
Pohlkamp does not play in the college hockey media capitals of Boston, Minneapolis or Ann Arbor, but his accomplishments—especially lately—rival any of his World Junior teammates now playing college. The longer Pohlkamp extends his freshman year, the more egg gets smeared on the faces of the Tim Taylor national committee.
The Kids are All Right
Teams cannot win in the post season without contributions from unlikely sources, and the CCHA quarterfinals were no exception. Three different players scored their first goals of the season this past weekend, all of them impactful.
Up in Houghton, Huskies freshman Henry Bartle has made the most of a depleted roster to work his way into the lineup. After picking up three assists in the past two series, he finally scored in Friday’s 5-0 over Bowling Green. The man upstairs got the primary helper.
“I got a lucky bounce, off the stanchion to an empty net,” Bartle said post game. “When the line’s doing all the little things right, you know the hockey gods give you a little puck-luck here and there.”
At almost the same moment, 450 miles away, a grizzled defender broke Minnesota State’s seven-period scoring drought. Jordan Power, a senior transfer from Clarkson, snuck into the slot and got both himself—and his team—off the schneid.
“It’s about time,” Power said, “a good time to score for sure, in the playoffs. My dad’s been chatting with me about hitting the net, it was bound to happen.”
Eighty miles up the road, the Tommies Chase Cheslock scored his first career goal in Sunday’s epic drama. The future New Jersey Devil scooted in from the point and calmly beat Laker goalie Ethan Langenegger to the far side, no easy feat. Cheslock, the only teenager on the ice at St. Thomas Arena, began the season playing junior puck in Omaha. He was rushed onto campus when the Tommies suffered their rash of injuries over December.
Celi Circus
Minnesota State sophomore Luc (Luciano) Wilson scored his seventh goal of the season Saturday night, and sprinkled some oregano into his celebration.
“I’m Italian,” Wilson said postgame. “Pay a little homage to my family. All watching from back home. I loved it, I thought the boys loved it.”
Eric Pohlkamp may have have won top prize, however, for his celi after Friday’s overtime thriller in Bemdji. Borrowing a page from American tennis star Ben Shelton, Pohlkamp extended his index and pinkie fingers to create a faux phone, proceeding to answer a call before slamming down the receiver.