Gophers Get Consolation

The national anthem got the loudest cheers at the Saturday afternoon NCAA championship consolation game.

But if it hadn't been for the University of Minnesota's intrepid band, the paltry crowd wouldn't even have had the chance to salute the flag.

That's because the game between Minnesota (35-13-0) and Denver University (34-13-1) proved listless and sloppy, with the Golden Gophers eventually defeating the Pioneers, 6-4.

Minnesota scored a pair of goals within 32 seconds midway through the third period to take an insurmountable 5-3 lead. The Gophers--who had earlier finished second behind Denver in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA)--had not beaten first-place Denver in four tries this season.

The Gophers struck early with three quick goals in the first period. But then DU, which had lost to Harvard, 5-2, just 18 hours earlier, managed to tally twice to close out the period.