Say Good Knight!
Cinderella has been knighted. Capping one of the most improbable runs in Division III hockey history, the Neumann Knights won the national championship on Saturday, downing fellow upstart Gustavus Adolphus, 4-1. All-tournament headliner and Most Outstanding Player Ross MacKinnon surrendered an early goal but then shut down the Golden Gusties for the rest of game, ending his remarkable tournament by surrendering only one tally in Lake Placid. The title is the first ever for Neumann, who was paced by senior forwards Ryan Heickert and Jesse Cole's three goals and five points.
Related Links
- National Championship: Neumann 4, Gustavus Adolphus 1
- National Championship Notebook
- National Championship Bracket
- Lerch: Championship Blog
- Champs Merchandise
- All-USCHO
Down to Two
Defense wins championships, but in Friday's Division III semifinal games, it was as much about timely scoring. In game one Friday in Lake Placid, Gustavus Adolphus punched their ticket with a heart-stopping overtime win over UW-Stout 3-2. Patrick Dynan scored the game-winner at 6:31 of the extra session. In the second game, Neumann and freshman goaltender Ross MacKinnon won a classic goaltender's duel over Hobart and netminder Keith Longo. Though Hobart outshot Neumann 36-24, Matt Ward scored a power-play goal at 11:16 of the third to secure the win. Neumann and Gustavus Adolphus face off in the final Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
Related Links
D-II/III Feature Stories
- Preparing For The PlayoffsNational columnist Dave Starman checks in with college hockey coaches who have been to the title game about what's involved in getting their squads ready for the postseason.
Denotes USCHO Extra Premium ContentUSCHO.com/CBS College Sports Poll: Current No. 1 — 3/23
D-III Question of the Week
| Who will skate away with this year's national championship? |
