Out of Steam
UMSL Rivermen's season ends in national semifinal; Cinderella SLU Billikens reach the final
GPCIHL April 7th, 2007 at 8:24PM April 9th, 2007 1:37AMAfter winning their first four games at Nationals, the UMSL Rivermen's season ended Friday night with a 4-2 semifinal loss to SUNY Stony Brook.
Jake Shepard scored twice, but Stony Brook shut down the UMSL attack. Ardjent Kalezic, Tom Cartwright, and Matt Douglas were the difference offensively for the Seawolves.
Saturday morning, Stony Brook defeated Cinderella championship-game participant Saint Louis University 4-1 to win the NCRHA Division II national championship.
SBU forward Matt Douglas was named tournament MVP.
BILLIKENS SHOCK THE ROLLER HOCKEY WORLD (well, most of us...)
The sixth-seeded SLU Billikens reached the championship game thanks to a 3-2 overtime upset of defending champion Neumann on Friday night.
Rookie-turned-postseason-star Andrew Wiltz tied the score 2-2 with less than a minute left, and veteran Dan Boyle netted the OT game-winner, as SLU pulled off one of the most incredible and unexpected upsets in NCRHA history.
The Bills couldn't have done it without goaltender James Cash. After a rough March, Cash carried SLU in April. He was the best player in the tournament field.
As it turned out, Cash had a better-than-advertised team in front of him.
Veteran defenseman Ed Kessler scored a top-shelf breakaway goal against Emory in the first round that seemed to ignite SLU's run.
Sniper Adam Kulp scored some huge goals, but also played with toughness and heart. Kulp had fire in his eyes on Friday.
Andrew Wiltz proved to be the X-factor for the Bills. The newcomer lifted SLU to its 4-3 quarterfinal victory over second-seeded Long Beach State with two third-period goals. His incredible shorthanded goal, scored against two defenders while falling to the floor, gave SLU a 3-1 lead with 7:49 left. Long Beach scored on the next shift, but Wiltz and defenseman Steve Sommerich combined for a quick answer, which was the eventual game-winner.
Kulp, Wiltz, Sommerich, and Danny Demas might have been the best top-four unit in the tournament. The second line -- Boyle, Kessler, leading regular-season goalscorer Denis Ditch, and rock-solid defenseman Henry Elster -- carried a heavy load as well.
From sixth seed, to the story of the tournament, in less than 24 hours. Incredible.
--------------------------
James Lambert