GRAND FORKS - The dramatic, game-winning, series-clinching goal came with 82 seconds left Saturday night.
The building erupted and the University of North Dakota’s men’s hockey team celebrated.
Big Game Connor Gaarder. Who else?
The UND senior forward, who came to campus four years ago as a nonscholarship walk-on, is making a habit of scoring timely late-season goals once again for the North Dakota hockey team.
His top-shelf backhand with 1:22 left Saturday night gave UND a 3-2 win over Colorado College, clinching the first-round series and sending UND to the Twin Cities for the conference championship for the 13th year in a row.
It is the fifth goal in the last six games - and fourth game-winner in that span.
Gaarder’s latest winner puts UND back in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Frozen Faceoff, where the team will meet either Western Michigan or St. Cloud State on Friday in the league semifinals. Its opponent and game time will be determined tonight.
“It’s playoff-type hockey,” UND coach Dave Hakstol said. “Look at the types of goals that are scored. You’ve got to go to the dirty areas - rebounds or tips or plays like tonight. It was a speed play at the crease. Those are the types of goals that are scored at playoff time. Those are the kind of goals that Connor is scoring.”
It was the Frozen Faceoff a year ago where Gaarder first showed his knack for big goals.
He got UND into the NCAA tournament by scoring twice - including the game-winner - against Western Michigan in the third-place game. The following week, Gaarder sent UND to the NCAA Frozen Four by burying the double overtime winner against Ferris State. He also scored UND’s lone goal at the Frozen Four.
After scoring three goals in the first 31 games this season, Gaarder is coming up big again.
A week ago, he scored the game-winner in a 2-1 victory over Miami in a game that clinched the Penrose Cup as NCHC champs for UND. On Saturday night, he clinched the next step -- a trip to Minneapolis and the Target Center.
“He’s always been the same,” said teammate Nick Mattson, who has played with Gaarder his childhood. “He’s worked for everything his whole life. It just seems that guys like that, who work so hard, get rewarded. It’s fun to see. Nobody deserves it more than him. He’s been heart and soul for us all four years. It’s great to see him get rewarded.”
Gaarder didn’t have much of an explanation for his big game moments.
“It’s just puck luck and hard work, I guess,” he said. “If you work hard, you’re going to get the bounces.”
His goal helped UND - which also received goals from Jordan Schmaltz and Brendan O’Donnell - avoid having to play in a decisive Game 3 for a third year in a row. It also helped UND escape an average performance against a Colorado College team that was playing for its season.
At the conclusion of the game, UND celebrated the Penrose Cup with its fans.
The seniors all hoisted the Cup for the fans. They also placed the trophy at center ice and did a pair of stick salutes. The entire team was there for the first one. The second one was only seniors.
The crowd gave a huge roar when injured forward Mark MacMillan lifted the Cup. He then handed it off to Gaarder, who fittingly skated off the ice holding the trophy in his final game in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
“This place has been great to me and great to my class,” Gaarder said. “We left it just the way we wanted to.”
The seniors also said they weren’t about to get too sentimental about playing their final game in The Ralph. They have bigger goals ahead. The next one is winning the NCHC postseason tournament.
To do that, UND (27-7-3) will have to make improvements from this weekend’s series.
“We had our ups and downs,” Hakstol said. “Remember this: Colorado College was playing for their season tonight and they played hard. I’ll go back to what I said when they came in here in January. They were playing well and they were playing loose. Add to the equation that they were playing to extend their season tonight and it was a hard game to win. I thought we had a little bit of bend otnight, but again, we found a way to have an answer and that’s what’s most important.”
And once again, it was Gaarder who saved the day.
“He plays the game the right way,” defenseman Troy Stecher said. “He comes to the rink every day for practice and works hard. He’s a leader. He’s responsible defensively. He wins faceoffs. He takes hits to make plays. I think he’s being rewarded with it offensively. I think the Hockey Gods are looking down on him.”
