Terriers win double-overtime instant classic on back of McAvoy

Fargo, ND — FARGO, N.D. (AP) - The North Dakota Fighting Hawks celebrated what the defending NCAA men's hockey champions thought was an overtime win Friday at the West Regional semifinals. But the goal was not allowed and Boston University won in the second overtime.

Charlie McAvoy scored the winning goal for Boston University at 11:48 of the second OT to end the game - the seventh-longest in tournament history - and send the Terriers (24-11-3) on to Saturday's championship game.

The season ends for North Dakota (21-16-3) despite taking 145 shots and owning a 59-29 shots-on-goal advantage.

Freshman goalie Jake Oettinger made a career-high 56 saves for BU, which did not have a shot on goal in the first overtime.

After coming from two goals down to tie it in the third, UND appeared to have won the game midway through overtime when Dixon Bowen scored. But after a long review, officials ruled Ludvig Hoff offside on the play.

Midway through the second OT, McAvoy took a pass from Clayton Keller and redirected it over North Dakota goalie Cam Johnson. McAvoy had a goal and an assist for the game and Keller two assists. Johnson made 25 saves for UND.

"That's sports," senior UND defenseman Gage Ausmus said. "Many games this year for us have gone that way for us. We've outplayed teams and lost games and this one stings a lot more."

Rhett Gardner opened the scoring for UND but the Terriers answered with goals by Doyle Somerby, Bobo Carpenter and Jakob Forsbacka Karlsson. UND tied it in the third on goals by Ludvig Hoff and Christian Wolanin.

The Fighting Hawks went up 1-0 but not before killing off a penalty and getting a big save by Johnson on a Kieffer Bellows breakaway. At 17:04 of the first period, UND's Gardner took a feed from Joel Janatuinen near the right circle, skated across the crease and beat Oettinger for his eighth goal of the season.

The Terriers got the equalizer just 2:05 into the second period from Somerby, who scored his first goal of the season. Somerby crossed the crease and took a pass from McAvoy before beating a sprawling Johnson.

"Charlie and I had just come on the ice and I scissored with him," Somerby said. "Charlie's got great vision and I just went to the back post and I knew he would find me. He has all year. I just tried to get a stick on it."

Through two periods, the Terriers blocked 23 shots and finished with 44. UND had four power plays in the first two periods but had a hard time getting pucks to the net.

BU needed just 28 seconds of the third period to take the lead. Carpenter set up in front of Johnson and scored on a pass from behind Johnson.

Karlsson added an insurance goal on a breakaway at 4:24. He broke in behind the UND defense and beat Johnson.

North Dakota needed a break and got one when a check along the boards broke the glass and prompted a 14-minute delay midway through the period. When play restarted, UND dominated. At 12:16, Hoff scored off a faceoff to make it 3-2. Three minutes later, Wolanin tied it with a goal from in close.

"(Coach) called us in (during the delay) and said this could be one of the most historic comebacks in college hockey history," Wolanin said.

It nearly was. In overtime, Bowen scored the game-winner and UND celebrated. The goal was eventually disallowed and play resumed.

"There was a lot of emotion, especially in tonight's game, thinking we had won it," Wolanin said. "There's no way to describe it."

With just under five minutes left, Bellows made a no-look baseball swing at a puck in the air and banked it off the goal post and they played on.

UND outshot the Terriers 8-6 in the second overtime. It wasn't until McAvoy scored from the backside at 11:48 that the game ended.

"It's tough," Wolanin said. "The second half of the year and especially tonight we gave everything we had. We battled. Our backs were against the wall and we answered the bell."

Associated Press