North Dakota Defeats BC For NCAA Crown

Lee Goren's tying goal, game-winning assist lead Fighting Sioux over the Eagles, 4-2.

Box Score

April 8, 2000

North Dakota team members pose with the NCAA Division I championship trophy after beating Boston College in the final game of the tournament in Providence.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - North Dakota senior and Tournament MVP Lee Goren scored two goals and assisted on the game-winner to help propel the Fighting Sioux to a 4-2 victory over Boston College in the final game of the 2000 Men's Ice Hockey Championship. North Dakota captures its second title in the last four seasons, as the Sioux defeated Boston University by a 6-4 score in 1997's title game.

UND got on the board early in the first period, when junior defenseman Mike Commodore slammed home a rebound off of a Bryan Lundbohm shot in the slot that was initially saved by BC netminder Scott Clemmensen. The Eagles managed to tie it up late in the period when senior Jeff Farkas slipped a rebound inches over the goal-line under a sprawled-out Karl Goehring to send the teams into the locker room tied at one at the first intermission. Boston College came out flying in the second, and took its first lead of the day at the 6:59 mark. Eagle junior Brian Gionta picked up the puck from a scrum in front of the net. Goehring made the initial save, but BC forward Marty Hughes picked up the rebound, skated behind the net and tucked the wraparound inside the near post for the 2-1 advantage.

North Dakota defenseman Tim O'Connell, front left, tries to clear Boston College forward Blake Bellefeuille (13) away from the net as Bellefeuille pokes his team's second goal past goalie Karl Goehring, in the second period Saturday.

The one-goal BC lead would hold up through the second intermission, and it was barely three miutes into the third when North Dakota's Ryan Bayda collected the puck in the neutral zone, skated up the right side and passed to Goren, who slid a shot through Clemmensen's five-hole for the game-equalizing tally. With just over five minutes remaining, Sioux senior Jason Ulmer skated into the BC zone and fed a pass to Goren, who was looking for his second tally of the night and fired a shot on net. Clemmensen made the saveon Goren's shot, but Ulmer collected the rebound and fired it over the BC netminder for the eventual game-winner and the 3-2 lead.

With Clemmensen pulled in the final minute in favor of an extra skater, Goren got that second goal when he lifted a puck from just over the blueline and buried the low shot into the empty net.

Clemmensen finished with 32 saves, while Sioux goalie Goehring made 21. All-Tournament Team honors went to Goehring, defensemen Mike Mottau of BC and Commodore of UND, Sioux forwards Goren and Lundbohm, and BC's Farkas. BC was denied its first NCAA hockey title since 1949, and must wait another season to try to end the 51-year drought. North Dakota captured its seventh championship overall, three of those coming in the city of Providence.

Boston College (29-12-1) 1 1 0 -- 2
North Dakota (31-8-5)    1 0 3 -- 4 



Period Time  Team Goal Scorer    (Assists)
1      3:48  UND  Mike Commodore (Bryan Lundbolm, Tim Skarperud)
1      16:47 BC   Jeff Farkas    (Blake Bellefeuille, Brian Gionta) PPG
2      6:59  BC   Marty Hughes   (Brian Gionta)
3      2:43  UND  Lee Goren      (Ryan Bayda)
3      14:22 UND  Jason Ulmer    (Lee Goren)
3      19:14 UND  Lee Goren      ENG


Saves:
Scott Clemmensen (BC) 12  12  8  32  (58:47)
Karl Goehring   (UND) 12   5  4  21  (60:00)

Attendance: 11,484 (Providence Civic Center)