BINGHAMTON, N.Y. – For the first time since 2010, Dakota (N.D.) was crowned NJCAA hockey champions as it defeated top-seeded Erie (N.Y.) 4-3 in overtime on Sunday afternoon at the SUNY Broome Ice Center.
With a Dakota 3-2 lead in the third, Erie sophomore forward Aaron Wanat tallied the tying goal as he scored his 31st goal of the year to force overtime with 46.9 seconds left in regulation.
The No. 2 seed Lumberjacks required few opportunities during the extra period as forward Phoenix McElroy-Scott buried the game-winner and his 14th goal of the season just 31 seconds in. The sophomore was honored for his late-game heroics with tournament MVP honors.
Despite the loss, Erie sophomore netminder William Korczynski stood tall behind the pipes as he stopped 48 of 52 shots, while his freshman counterpart Kenny Fitzgerald turned away 25 of 28 chances for Dakota.
After a slow start and penalty-riddled first period, Charles Joly connected with fellow freshman forward Viktor Black to get Dakota on the board first with 3:12 remaining in the first period.
Erie started the second stanza with a higher tempo and backed the Lumberjacks into their defensive end early. The Kats’ pressure proved worthwhile as freshman forward Christian Nati found freshman defenseman Michael Krause who brought the crowd to their feet at the 15:32 mark with his second goal of the year. A few minutes later Nati picked up his second assist of the game as sophomore linemate Trevor Evans tallied his 30th goal of the season to lift Erie to a 2-1 advantage.
As the period wore on Dakota began to push back. Eventually freshman forward Michael Wirth beat Korczynski with 4:27 left in the period to tie the game at 2-2. Less than a minute later, sophomore forward Lucas Walsh made the most out of the Lumberjacks’ man-advantage as he tucked in a back-hander to give Dakota a 3-2 lead.
The win on Sunday marks Dakota’s ninth hockey national title with previous championships coming in 1986, 1991, 1998, 2003, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.
