N. Dakota drills Denver to take Final Five title

ST. PAUL -- For a third straight season, North Dakota is the champion of the WCHA's Final Five. The Fighting Sioux continued their late-season ascent Saturday in the Xcel Energy Center, drubbing Denver, 4-0. The Final Five title was North Dakota's sixth in the prestigious college hockey tournament since 1993. North Dakota bolted out to a 3-0 lead after two periods Saturday, scoring a pair of power-play goals. Then, with 12 minutes, 49 seconds remaining, Mark MacMillan put the game on ice, scoring an unassisted, short-handed goal on a breakaway. All and all, the Fighting Sioux played disciplined, smart hockey as they turned back the Pioneers. North Dakota assistant coach Cary Eades described it as "real intelligent hockey." "When you're tired," Eades explained, "you've got to play smarter."