CINCINNATI (AP) - C.J. Motte got past his rough weekend with an NCAA tournament shutout.
The Ferris State junior goalie turned away 35 shots Friday, making Gerald Mayhew’s power-play goal midway through the first period hold up for a 1-0 victory over Colgate in the NCAA tournament regional semifinals.
The second-seeded Bulldogs (29-10-3) advanced to the Midwest Regional final by pulling off their sixth shutout of the season, their fifth with Motte in goal. They’ll play third-seeded North Dakota, which beat top-seeded Wisconsin 5-2 in the other semifinal.
The Bulldogs finished the season by giving up eight goals in two games at the WCHA Final Five championship last weekend. Coach Bob Daniels thought it had more to do with leaky defense in front of Motte than with the goalie himself.
Both were solid on Friday, repeatedly turning away a Colgate (20-14-5) team that had more shots on goal but couldn’t get one to go in.
“He’s always good,” defenseman Scott Czarnowczan said of his goalie. “He might have been better today.”
Motte made two impressive stops during a power play in the third period. He also made a glove save on Spiro Goulakos’ slap shot with 1:37 to go. Colgate’s Tyson Spink was called for cross-checking with 57.9 seconds left, allowing Ferris State to finish it off on a power play.
“We just didn’t get a bounce tonight,” Goulakos said.
The teams played three times during the regular season, with Colgate winning twice. The Raiders’ 3-0 victory on Jan. 4 ended Ferris State’s 16-game unbeaten streak and proved to be a turning point for a young team.
Freshman goaltender Charlie Finn grew during the second half of the season, helping the Raiders reach the tournament. Colgate had one of youngest teams in nation this season with 17 rookies and sophomores.
Finn was solid on Friday, stopping 26 shots. Mayhew flipped the puck over his leg from in front of the goal for the only score.
Mayhew, a freshman forward, had a pair of goals at the Final Five championship last weekend, including the game-winner during a 5-4 victory over Anchorage Alaska.
“He’s played well as of late,” Daniels said. “Gerald’s got a very quick stick. You could see the chances coming more and more.”
Once he scored, it was a matter of holding on.
“They played their game,” Colgate coach Don Vaughan said. “They did a great job defending the lead when they got it.”
Colgate got 11 shots at Motte in the final period, while Ferris State managed only four shots on goal. The Bulldogs’ defenders helped Motte by diving in front of shots as the game wore down.
“This is playoff hockey,” Czarnowczan said. “You get in front of it no matter what it takes.”
Ferris State is making its third NCAA tournament appearance. The Bulldogs went in 2003 and in 2012, when they reached the title game and lost to Boston College 4-1.
Colgate controlled the opening minutes, getting off five shots. Motte made a glove save on an open shot by center Tyler Spink in front of the net.
Ferris State had trouble getting set up on offense and didn’t even get a shot on goal for the first 7 minutes. During the first power play, Mayhew flipped the puck over Finn’s leg.
Both goalies had some slick saves during the second period, which ended with a tussle. Finn made a save with 1.8 seconds left and players started shoving in the scrum in front of him. Two players from each team went to the penalty box for roughing and hitting after the whistle.
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