Inside College Hockey | 2005 NCAA Frozen Four

April 7, 2005
NCAA Frozen Four
North Dakota's Title Mettle
Fabian, Zajac lift North Dakota into the title game

By Jess Myers

North Dakota 4, Minnesota 2
Team	Goal	Str
Time	Assists
First Period
1-ND	Erik Fabian (4)	EV
5:34	Unassisted
Second Period
2-ND	Erik Fabian (5)	EV
10:12	B. Canady, M. Jones
Third Period
3-ND	Travis Zajac (18)	PP
0:45	D. Stafford, N. Fuher
4-ND	Travis Zajac (19)	EV
5:00	D. Stafford, M. Greene
1-MN	Mike Howe (7)	PP
6:17	G. Guyer, M. Vannelli
2-MN	Gino Guyer (12)	EV
7:40	M. Howe, B. Tallackson
Goaltending
ND: Jordan Parise, 60:00, 26 saves, 2 GA
MN: Kellen Briggs, 60:00, 28 saves, 4 GA
Penalties: ND 8/16; MN 5/10
Power Plays: ND 1-4; MN 2-7
Attendance: 17,094

COLUMBUS, Ohio – As of Thursday night there are 56 Division I hockey teams that can break out the golf clubs anytime they please. But thanks to the work of a one-time Minnesota prep golf champion on the ice of Value City Arena, there will be no tee times reserved by the North Dakota Fighting Sioux for at least another 48 hours.

Erik Fabian, who had just one goal in the regular season, recorded his second multi-goal game of the playoffs on Thursday, scoring twice as North Dakota advanced to the NCAA title game for the 12th time in school history.

Fabian, who was a member of the 1999 state title-winning golf team at Roseau (Minn.) High School, scored in the first and second periods as the Sioux built a 4-0 lead and held off a late Minnesota rally, winning 4-2. Jordan Parise made 26 saves for North Dakota, which will be seeking its eighth NCAA hockey title on Saturday night versus Denver.

The Sioux looked prepared to blow Minnesota out of the building in the game’s opening minutes, dominating in the offensive zone and narrowly missing several opportunities to take the early lead.

An eye-popping individual effort by Fabian got North Dakota on the scoreboard 5:34 into the game. Fabian lifted the stick of Minnesota defenseman Judd Stevens as Stevens emerged from behind the Gopher net. Fabian then wheeled and fired a low shot past Minnesota goaltender Kellen Briggs.

INCH's Three Stars

3. Jordan Parise, North Dakota
His playoff mastery continues. His best save, a sprawling glove on Garrett Smaagaard, was followed 23 seconds later by Erik Fabian's second goal.

2. Travis Zajac, North Dakota
Hit a couple of wide-open nets and he would have had four goals tonight. Did great work in the corners, too.

1. Erik Fabian, North Dakota
His swipe and score in the first seemed to catch the whole rink off guard. His second confirms him as a true playoff performer.

“I don’t think Stevens knew I was behind him,” Fabian said. “I was actually really surprised when I did go after his stick and it came up that easily. I looked over and saw that Briggs wasn’t quite ready, so I figured I’d just fire one on the net.”

The sophomore doubled the Sioux lead midway through the second period, finding an unobstructed path to the front of the net, then lifting a shot under Briggs’ right armpit. Briggs finished with 28 saves in the loss.

Travis Zajac, who had missed two shots at yawning open nets earlier in the game, score a pair of third period goals before Minnesota answered.

Mike Howe and Gino Guyer scored 83 seconds apart later in the final period, giving the Gopher fans in attendance a brief flash of hope. But after a TV timeout, the Sioux settled down defensively and beat Minnesota for the third time this season.

“Parise made a couple of really good saves when it was 4-2,” said Minnesota coach Don Lucia, whose team finished the season at 28-15-1. “It would have been interesting if we could have made it 4-3.”

While only one game remains in the current college hockey campaign, Fabian said a rash of early season injuries has him playing like it’s January, not April.

“We were joking around in the locker one day, and I was injured for basically the whole first part of the season, so we were saying that I’m just hitting my mid-season stride right now,” said Fabian, who didn’t get his lone regular season goal until late February.

Fabian missed a week early in the season with a concussion, then was out four weeks with a separated shoulder. When he returned to practice healthy, he was hit in the left ear by a puck tipped by his roommate, Nick Fuher, and landed on the disabled list again.

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“My ear swelled up and was the size of my fist,” Fabian said. In all, Fabian missed 18 games before returning to the Sioux lineup for real on Jan. 7.

“Erik and his teammates really stepped forward for us tonight,” said Sioux coach Dave Hakstol, who now has a chance to become the first college hockey coach to win a NCAA title in his rookie season. “They were able to get the first two goals, which at this time of year is awfully important.”

For other teams at this time of year, getting to the course early and hitting a bucket of balls before the round is the most important thing. For the Sioux and the kid who might be the best golfer on the team, the links can wait a few more days, what with a NCAA title to try to win and all.

If Fabian is truly hitting his mid-season form in April, one wonders how good his hockey game could have been by June.