Ryan Woodward scored 3:51 into overtime as the Oswego State men's ice hockey team rallied for a 4-3 win over St. Norbert in the NCAA Division III Men's Ice Hockey Frozen Four semifinal on Saturday afternoon at Wessman Arena in Superior, Wis.
Woodward cashed in a loose puck near the edge of the crease after linemates Matt Whitehead and Tony DiNunzio cycled the puck deep in the St. Norbert end.
"Tony DiNunzio rolled to the front of the net and passed it over for Matt Whitehead. The defenseman slashed his stick and broke it, but it had enough to get over to me. I had an open net and coach has been telling us to bear down and thank God I did," Woodward said.
Oswego State freshman defenseman Tyler Lyon scored twice in the game, his second and third goals of the season. His tally early in the third period knotted the score at 3-3. Rich Zalewski also scored for the Lakers.
The Lakers trailed 3-2 after two periods, but Lyon's slapper on a rush beat St. Norbert goalie Kyle Jones over the blocker with 16:16 left in the third. Oswego State has outscored its opponents 49-12 in the third period this year.
"Our guys all year long have found a way to gut it out and hang in there. Tonight was no exception. They played extremely hard and smart." Laker coach Ed Gosek said.
St. Norbert went ahead 3:59 into the contest when Marc Belanger's shot snuck through the pads of Oswego State goalie Ryan Scott.
"We were back on our heels to start, a little jittery, but once we got skating I thought we started to generate better chances and we just started to play better hockey," Oswego State head coach Ed Gosek said.
The junior goalie for the Lakers, who was named a Second Team All-American on Friday night, finished the game with 26 saves and made quality stops late in the third period and early in overtime to keep the game tied.
The Lakers received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after a 20-win regular season that ended with a loss to Fredonia in the SUNYAC semifinals. Oswego State is playing for the school's first ever national championship in a team sport.
"It's an unbelieveable feeling. I told our guys after the Fredonia game that good things happen to good teams and good people," Woodward said. "We're thankful for the chance to be in this tournament and are making the most of our opportunity. We're looking forward to playing against Manhattanville or Middlebury."
The national championship game begins at 4 p.m. EDT on Sunday, and will be shown live on CSTV which is available on cable and satellite systems.
BOX SCORE
