The University of North Dakota has won the 2016 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey national championship. The Fighting Hawks (34-6-4 overall) scored three times in the third period to break open a one-goal game, and bested top-ranked Quinnipiac University, 5-1, on Saturday night before 19,358 fans at Amalie Arena in Tampa.
UND senior forward Drake Caggiula scored two goals, both in the final frame, for the former Fighting Sioux, and earned NCAA Frozen Four MVP honors with four goals in two games, including a pair in Thursday's 4-2 semifinal win over Denver. Cam Johnson stopped 32 shots for the Fighting Hawks, who won their eighth national title overall, first since 2000, and first as a member of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC). Head coach Brad Berry, a former UND player and assistant coach, becomes the first NCAA hockey head coach to win a national title in his first season as the top man behind the bench.
Tim Clifton scored the only goal for Quinnipiac (32-4-7), on a first-period 5-on-3 power play after UND had taken a 2-0 lead. The Bobcats, who were attempting to become the third Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) school to win the Division I men's hockey national title in the last four years, were appearing in their second NCAA title game and were seeking their first national crown.
Next year's men's Frozen Four will be held at the United Center in Chicago.
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