The 2021 NCAA Division I men's hockey championship game match-up is set, with St. Cloud State to meet Massachusetts on Saturday night at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
SCSU edged Minnesota State, 5-4, in the early national semifinal game on Thursday, as Nolan Walker tipped home a shot from the point by Seamus Donahue with less than a minute remaining in regulation to send the Huskies (20-10-0 overall) to their first-ever Division I national title game. Dávid Hrenák made 25 stops in net for SCSU, which last made the NCAA Frozen Four in 2013, also in Pittsburgh.
In the late game, a rematch of the 2019 NCAA championship contest, Massachusetts ousted two-time defending champion Minnesota-Duluth, 3-2, in overtime. The Minutemen (19-5-4) dominated play and time of possession in the extra session, after being outshot by a 36-15 margin in regulation, before former Minnesota transfer Garrett Wait knocked home a pass just in front of the UMD net at 14:30 of the fourth period to end it. UMass goaltender Matt Murray, playing in his first game since Jan. 18, made 36 saves in the victory, propelling the Minutemen to their second consecutive national title game after last year's entire tournament was canceled by COVID-19.
The Huskies and Minutemen will meet Saturday night at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN) for the national title, with both seeking their first NCAA Division I crown. The winner will be the first first-time national college hockey champion at the men's Division I level since Providence in 2015.
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