Blaine, Minn. - The Golden Eagles and the Wisconsin Badgers entered the game with a trip to the WCCHA Championship on the line. For the Badgers, it was going to be Jake Levy in net. The Golden Eagles would continue to ride the hot hand as they called upon Adam Goody (Fr., G, Airdrie, Alberta) to go between the pipes.

The first period set the tone for the rest of the game. It was tight, physical, and fast. Both goalies looked poised to be the stars of the show, with Levy stopping all 12 shots he faced and Goody saving all 21 shots against. Both teams had key chances, but the goalies were not letting anything get by. The Golden Eagles looked like the more confident team early.

The second period was nearly identical to the first, with neither goalie giving an inch. The Badgers seemed to flip the momentum and seemed as though they had taken the confidence from the Golden Eagles. Despite that, the two teams would remain at 0-0 with Goody coming up with 12 more saves on 12 shots, Levy would stop all 9.

The third period was unforgettable. Two heavyweights going toe to toe, knowing that only one of them would be heading to the Championship. The goalies continued to look sharp early on in the final frame, but the Golden Eagles were once again controlling the time of possession. With 9:03 to go, the ice was finally broken. Dalston Kelly (Fr., F, Grafton, N.D.) fired home a top shelf lazer right past the blocker of Levy, and the Golden Eagles had struck first blood 51 minutes in. The assists came from Logan Syrup (Jr., F, Park River, N.D.) and Tyler Zahradka (Sr., F, Grand Forks, N.D.) 

Following Kelly's goal, the Badgers immediately attempted to enter desperation mode. But it was the Golden Eagles who made it known that they would be going to the Championship. The Badgers tried as hard as they could to try and flip momentum, but a relentless forecheck from the Golden Eagles made sure that did not happen. When the Badgers were able to get down the length of the ice, Adam Goody made sure nothing came of it. That forecheck then caused frustration from the Badgers, causing them to slash Jackson Fuller (Jr., F, Bloomington, Minn.) to put the Golden Eagles on the power play. Just as they drew it up, Logan Syrup would get the puck on the stick of Anthony Foster (Fr., F, Warroad, Minn.) behind the net, where he would get the goalie to bite to his left, before finding Tristan Morneault (Sr., F, Dieppe, New Brunswick) with a yawning cage, and his goal would put the dagger in the heart of the #1 seed Wisconsin Badgers.

Adam Goody was named the Player of the Game by his fellow teammates, and deservingly so. The freshman goalie stopped all 49 shots he faced in today's game, and has now saved 68 shots on 69 shots against in the two WCCHA Tournament games. His .986 save percentage shows just how stellar the netminder has been, as he has also made some miraculous saves when needed. Goody gave a ton of credit to his teammates as well, saying that they did a great job of "getting the shot lanes clear" and said that they "blocked shots when they could." Today was a complete team effort, everyone in the locker room has said it, and it showed on the ice. The players were throwing their bodies in front of pucks, taking hits in order to make plays, and throwing the body whenever it was needed.

With sights set on the Championship, the Golden Eagles now have an opponent. It was going to be a rematch no matter what, but it will be with a team that the Golden Eagles split their season series with. St. Thomas comes into this Championship matchup as the reigning WCCHA Champions, a team that made the final four of Nationals last year, and is currently ranked #3 in the Central Rankings. This will be a tough battle, St. Thomas has wins in the tournament over the University of North Dakota and the University of Jamestown. The Tommies entered the tournament as the #2 seed, which is nothing the Golden Eagles are not used to. The Golden Eagles have had the toughest path to the finals, playing the fifth seeded Golden Gophers and the first seed Badgers.

The Golden Eagles and the Tommies will both look to get the ball rolling early in what should be a very physical game. The WCCHA Championship is set for puck drop at 1:15 PM tomorrow, February 11th.