What a game the first semifinal turned out to be! It looked to be a low-scoring affair for the first three quarters, as Denver took a 6-4 lead. But Denver got four more, and Sergio Perkovic added all five of his goals in the game before Nick Ossello tied it with nine ticks left in the game. Wes Berg got the game winner with 2:03 left in OT.
Denver and Notre traded runs of two goals for the entire first half and went through the start of the 3rd quarter. Denver then had a three-goal run of their own, including a goal by LSM Mike Riis with .9 seconds left in the third. It looked like Denver had the game in their hands as Erik Adamson opened the 4th with a goal. But Sergio Perkovic had his first of the game on an EMO. But Denver struck back with two neat goals by Zach Miller and Tyler Pace. And again, Perkovic answered the bell. But a few seconds after, Wes Berg had his second of the game, and it looked like it was the goal of the tournament by a non-goalie. A behind the back, bounce shot in-between Notre Dame goalie Shane Doss’s legs and in. But once again, Perkovic answered, but this time delivered three straight to get the Irish within one. Ossello struck with nine seconds after a Notre Dame timeout.
Some big players that didn’t show up were the entire Notre Dame attack. Matt Kavanagh (0G, 1A), Conor Doyle (1G, 0A), and Mikey Wynne (0G, 1A) were quiet throughout. Kavanagh had a turnover that proved costly in OT, as Denver kept the ball for the remainder of the game. Was Kavanagh injured in the tournament? Who knows.
Overall, I thought it was an outstanding start to kickoff Memorial Day Weekend in Philadelphia. I’m hoping that Johns Hopkins-Maryland brings as much excitement, or even more than Notre Dame-Denver.
