Owen Michaels scores two goals to send Western Michigan to the national title game

Western Michigan defeated Denver, 3-2, in double overtime on Thursday night at the Frozen Four

Associated Press photo

ST. LOUIS — Owen Michaels’ goal just 26 seconds into the second overtime propelled Western Michigan into the national championship game and completed a 3-2 win over Denver on Thursday night at the Frozen Four.

"That game was as advertised," said Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler. "It was a heavyweight battle."

Michaels picked up a loose puck that was deflected off a block and sneaked a shot under the bar past Matt Davis. It was the second goal of the game for Michaels, who scored in the second period to give the Broncos a two-goal lead.

"It was kind of a broken play, I saw the puck squirt out to me and I took a shot," Michaels said. "I froze for a second [after it went in]. Just happy and excited."

"We talked about being ready to win the game when the chance comes," Ferschweiler added. "We caught a little bit of a break on that goal, it hit a stick and then went to Owen. But we talked about being ready to win the game, and Owen was ready."

It was a carbon copy of the NCHC Tournament final, which Western Michigan also won over Denver in double OT within the first 30 seconds.

There was no score at the end of the first period but the Broncos had a heavy shot advantage (12-3).

Samu Salminen went off for a holding penalty at the 5:32 mark of the second period. That opened the door for Western Michigan to take a 1-0 lead.

On the power play, Tim Washe won a faceoff back to defenseman Brian Kramer. He stepped into the high slot and fired a wrist shot that beat Matt Davis to his glove side.

At the time of the Western Michigan goal, the Broncos had a 15-5 shot advantage. They went on to an 18-2 run in shots after the goal while the Pioneers misfired on chances.

Aidan Thompson had an open look on a 2-on-1 but his shot whistled wide.

The Broncos took a 2-0 lead with 5:28 left in the second period. Denver fans thought Michaels should have been called for a trip as Thompson curled at the bottom of the right circle. But there was no whistle, Michaels picked up the loose puck and stepped into another shot that beat Davis to his glove side.

The Broncos had two additional chances to extend their lead late in the second period. Davis made an acrobatic left-pad save on Liam Valente. A few seconds later, he got a blocker on a Washe shot that came off a partial breakaway.

"We have a focused group," Ferschweiler said. "We never lost belief in ourselves. We were unhappy with the third period, but the biggest thing was not scoring on our chances in the second period. Credit to Matt Davis for holding them in when we were pushing in that second period."

The Pioneers finally got on the board at the 6:49 mark of the third period. Thompson whiffed on his initial shot attempt but the puck deflected off Samuel Sjolunds leg and deflected back onto Thompson’s stick for a second-chance goal.

"We felt if we could get our feet moving a little more, get the puck moving, we'd have some success," said Denver coach David Carle. "I give [Western Michigan] credit for how they played. They are a hard team to generate on."

Denver found the equalizer with 2:39 left. Eric Pohlkamp blasted a slap shot from the top of the zone that Hampton Slukynsky stopped, but Jared Wright forced the rebound through him to tie the game 2-2.

Western Michigan challenged for goaltender interference, arguing there was contact Slukynsky, but the goal stood.

"When you are defending as much as we did for two periods, it's challenging," Carle said. "We found a way to tie the game, and at that stage, it's anyone's game. This tournament is so hard to win. That's always evident, in any game, in any round. Every game is so challenging to win."

In the first overtime, Alex Bump had a golden chance for the Broncos in overtime, after a puck deflected his way on the weak side, but Pohlkamp was able to get enough of himself in the way to block the attempt.

Western Michigan outshot Denver 47-22 for the game. The Broncos went one for three on the power play and the Pioneers finished 0 for 2.

"Western played a great game and they had an excellent season," Carle said. "For us, it stings. No matter the success you've had, losing is never easy. I really appreciate the effort our guys put in this year."