VIRG FOSS: Goaltending the key for UND in national tournament

Let me start this off by saying that in my playing days in NCAA Division III hockey, I was a goalie.

So in any game I watch, at any level of play, I pay particular attention to goaltending on both ends of the rink.

I analyze the styles of the opposing goalies, such as the way they take away angles on the shooters or how confidently they handle the puck or limit rebounds.

Perhaps because I understand goaltending more than any position, I tend to be more critical of goalies; I'll admit to that.

Hockey is a team game, I fully understand that. It also is a sport in which a bad night for a goaltender can doom a team even if it is better than the opponent.

A forward or defenseman can make a mistake and it might not cost his team a goal. A goalie mistake usually ends up on the wrong side of the scoreboard.

It's why I had a sinking feeling Thursday night while watching North Dakota lose 4-3 in overtime to Colorado College in the WCHA Final Five.

UND outplayed the Tigers and from that sense, deserved to win.

But junior goalie Clarke Saunders had two goals go past him (first and third) that I am sure he'd love to have back.

In the end, they were the difference as North Dakota was ousted from the tournament and lost its chance to win four WCHA Five titles in a row.

Tom Miller, in his column in the Herald after the game, made the valid point that the loss could do UND more good than a victory would have.

Instead of having to play three games in three nights in the Final Five and six games in nine nights overall in the league playoffs, UND now gets extra rest.

Fresh legs could prove greatly beneficial in the grueling NCAA tournament. North Dakota is a virtual lock to be one of the 16 teams selected on Sunday.

So losing to Colorado College didn't bother me all that much.

The focus now shifts to where UND will be sent for the NCAA regionals and what it can do in the national tournament.

That's where I have more concerns than seeing UND lose to CC.

You certainly need consistent goaltending, perhaps outstanding goaltending, to win four games in a row in the NCAA regionals and Frozen Four and be the national champion.

The way I see it, I'm not sure who is UND's best bet in goal heading into nationals, Saunders or freshman Zane Gothberg.

Both have had stretches of brilliance. Yet both have given up soft goals of late, leaving a big question mark for that position heading into the regionals next week.

I think the NCAA tournament is wide open this season, that a number of teams have the talent to win it, UND included.

I don't know if there's another team to be named to the 16-team tournament tomorrow that will go into the NCAA regionals unsure who its No. 1 goalie will be the rest of the way.

Whoever UND settles on, I do know that outstanding play at the goalie position would go a long way in UND's chase for NCAA title No. 8.

Virg Foss reported on sports for the Grand Forks Herald for 36 years until his retirement. He writes a weekly column exclusively for the Herald from October through April. Contact him at virgfoss@yahoo.com or (701) 772-9272.