Box Score DENVER - Evan Trupp tallied two goals and assisted on a late shorthanded goal as No. 5 North Dakota advanced to the WCHA Final Five championship game with a 4-3 win over top-ranked Denver tonight before 14,170 fans at Xcel Center.
The Fighting Sioux (24-12-5) will play St. Cloud State in the title contest tomorrow night, while the Pioneers (27-8-4) play Wisconsin in the third-place game at 1:07 p.m. MT.
In addition to the shorthanded goal, North Dakota scored two power play goals (both by Trupp) and held off the Pioneers' late rally. Matt Donovan (Edmond, Okla.), John Lee (Moorhead, Minn.) and Chris Knowlton (Colorado Springs) scored and Marc Cheverie (Cole Harbour, Nova Scotia) had 20 saves in the loss.
Brad Malone (game-winner) and Chris VandeVelde added goals for North Dakota and Brad Eidsness got the win with 23 saves.
"North Dakota played very well and wanted this game more than we did," DU head coach George Gwozdecky said. "Trupp's power-play goal was well executed and gave them a huge two-goal advantage. We didn't give our best effort and that's disappointing. We'll turn the page and get ready for a quick turnaround against Wisconsin. I expect our guys to respond with a lot of pride tomorrow afternoon."
VandeVelde put the Sioux on top when he buried a rebound off a Corban Knight shot on the power play at 7:59 of the first period. Each team had 10 shots on goal in the first stanza.
Trupp beat Cheverie from the left circle at 4:41 of the second to give the Sioux a 2-0 lead. Donovan put the Pioneers on the board with a nifty wrist shot at 18:25, but Trupp one-timed a Jake Marto feed at 19:13 to give the Sioux a two-goal lead after two periods.
Lee's goal at 4:15 of the third period cut the margin to 3-2, but Malone's shorthanded goal from Trupp came 26 seconds after Joe Colborne (Calgary, Alberta) hit the pipe. Knowlton's unassisted goal with 37 seconds made the final score 4-3.
DU outshot UND, 26-24, and went 2-for-6 on the power play. DU went 1-for-6 with the man-advantage.
Notes: Denver left wing Anthony Maiani (Shelby Township, Mich.) suffered an injury in the second period and didn't return. DU is 10-6-1 when allowing the first goal. The Pioneers are 7-3 all-time at the Xcel Center. DU is 0-1-1 against Wisconsin this season and 1-8 against the Badgers in the WCHA playoffs.
