Notre Dame knocks out Michigan

Irish prevail in OT, advance to first final

Notre Dame goalie Jordan Pearce turns aside a scoring bid by Michigan's Louie Caporusso in the Fighting Irish's upset win in overtime. (David Zalubowksi/Associated Press)

DENVER - Notre Dame hockey players aren't likely to be answering any more questions about whether they are a Division 1 team. Not after their freshman from Sweden buried a rebound 5:44 into overtime last night to lift the Fighting Irish past No. 1-ranked Michigan, 5-4, and into the NCAA championship game tomorrow against Boston College.

Calle Ridderwall picked up a rebound off the pads of freshman goaltender Bryan Hogan to win it for the Fighting Irish, who will make their first appearance in the Frozen Four championship.

"I was fortunate enough to get the rebound," Ridderwall said. "I took a quick shot. I didn't really look. I got lucky."

From the perspective of captain Mark Van Guilder, luck had little to do with it.

"It looked like he picked a corner and knew exactly where he was going," Van Guilder said.

After gaining a 3-0 lead in the first period, dealing with Wolverine comebacks that tied it at 3-3 and 4-4, the Fighting Irish (27-15-4) took command in overtime.

In the locker room after the third period, Van Guilder told his teammates: "We have one overtime to play for a national championship game. I don't think there's too much else to say."

Notre Dame, which lost to Michigan (33-6-4) in both regular-season meetings, dominated and outshot the Wolverines, 8-4, in overtime.

"We didn't look good in the overtime, don't ask me why," Michigan coach Red Berenson said. "We were on our heels. We were passive defensively. It was a sloppy overtime."

After watching Boston College overpower North Dakota's vaunted goaltender J.P. Lamoureux in the first semifinal, Berenson pulled junior Billy Sauer after Notre Dame took a 3-0 lead.

"Had I not watched the North Dakota game I might not have pulled him," Berenson said. "He's been our bread and butter. But we watched the No. 1 goalie [in the country] give up six goals. We had to change the momentum. It was a tough decision for Billy, but you're trying to win the game."

Hogan, who appeared in only five games and none since March 1, held the Irish scoreless in the second period as his teammates scored twice in a 15-second span to draw within 3-2.

Notre Dame's too-many-men-on-the-ice penalty put Michigan on the power play just 34 seconds into the final period and the Wolverines took advantage, tying the score when senior winger Chad Kolarik tapped a rebound just inside the post past sprawled goaltender Jordan Pearce.

"At no time I felt comfortable in that game," said Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson. "Once again, I think our guys responded; it didn't phase them. You always expect momentum to change and our guys handled that with calm and cool."

The Irish regained the lead 11:30 into the final period with a superb pass from Dan Kissel - inches from the stick of a Michigan defenseman - and onto the stick of Kevin Deeth, a lefthanded-shooting sophomore from Gig Harbor, Wash., who moved Hogan out of the way by shifting the puck from his right to his left and burying the shot.

Instead of adding an insurance goal, the Irish allowed Michigan to knot it at 4-4 with 5:21 remaining on Swedish freshman Carl Hagelin's 11th of the season.

With 2:54 to go, Michigan appeared to gain the upper hand when Deeth hooked Aaron Palushaj. However, the Irish penalty killers cleared the puck three times and Pearce made a tough save to kill the penalty.

Both teams scrambled as the final minute ticked down, but neither gained a decent shot.