Scheel left Lawson Ice Arena that December weekend stopping 68 of 70 shots, finishing off one of UND's best first halves in program history.
But when he returned from Christmas break four weeks later, things weren't the same. Scheel was pulled twice in the span of a week and eventually ceded the starting job to junior Peter Thome.
UND coach Brad Berry had been closely monitoring Scheel's game at practice, though, and waited for an opportunity to get the 6-foot-3, 197-pound sophomore back in net.
"He had a really good two or three weeks of practice here," Berry said. "We always look at how goalies have done against other teams. He was outstanding in Western Michigan. Peter Thome has been playing outstanding as well. We lost a game (last Saturday). It obviously wasn't Peter's fault that we didn't get he result we wanted in St. Cloud on Saturday, but this was an opportunity for another guy to go in. It was a combination of a lot of things."
Berry made the call on Thursday, Scheel delivered Friday and UND moved within a game of clinching a share of the Penrose Cup as National Collegiate Hockey Conference regular-season champions by beating Western Michigan 3-1 in Ralph Engelstad Arena.
Making his first start in more than a month -- since Jan. 24 at Duluth to be exact -- Scheel looked every bit as sharp as he did during the first half of the season, turning away 26 of 27 shots, including 14 in a frantic third period.
His best save came on a backdoor chance for Western Michigan defenseman Ronnie Attard, a rookie who set a United States Hockey League record last season by scoring 30 goals as a defenseman. Scheel tracked it and moved from left to right to deny Attard.
"He was tracking it," Berry said. "He was feeling it."
For the season, Scheel has stopped 94 of 97 shots against the Broncos for a .969 save percentage.
"Bubs (Berry) talked to me yesterday and told me I was in tonight," Scheel said. "I was fortunate for the opportunity. It's always fun to get in the net, no matter what. I was happy and excited to be back in."
UND (24-4-4, 15-3-3 NCHC), which received goals from Judd Caulfield, Matt Kiersted and Westin Michaud, has a chance to clinch a share of the Penrose Cup at 7:07 p.m. tonight in the series finale with either a victory or a Minnesota Duluth loss at Colorado College.
NCHC commissioner Josh Fenton flew from the league's home of Colorado to Minnesota on Friday to pick up the Penrose Cup from last year's champion, St. Cloud State, then continued to Grand Forks. If UND wins Saturday -- or if Minnesota Duluth loses -- Fenton will present UND the Penrose for the third time in six years.
"We've only halfway finished the job," Berry said. "We need to make sure we dial in and are focused tomorrow to finish what we need to do here."
The Fighting Hawks continued their torrid pace at home, moving to 17-1 in Ralph Engelstad Arena this season. If UND manages to win its final three home games, it would set a program record for the best home season of all-time, surpassing the winning percentage of the 1987 Hrkac Circus NCAA national championship team.
Western Michigan (16-12-5, 10-8-3) entered the weekend red-hot, going 9-2-1 in the last 12 games. Since Christmas, the Broncos have been one of the top five scoring offenses in the nation.
But the Fighting Hawks managed to hold the Broncos to a single goal by Dawson DiPietro, despite playing without two-thirds of its shutdown line.
Senior Cole Smith was a game time scratch because of an injury he suffered in practice this week, while sophomore Gavin Hain remained out with a lower-body injury that he sustained Feb. 1 at Colorado College.
Seniors Casey Johnson and Dixon Bowen filled their spots on Mark Senden's wings and that line was assigned to match up against Western Michigan's big line of DiPietro, Wade Allison and Austin Rueschhoff.
"My team helped me limit their chances," Scheel said. "They played hard. I couldn't have done it without them."
Scheel said when he wasn't playing during the past month, he didn't make any major changes to his game.
"I think that's the last thing you want to do," Scheel said. "I'm confident in my game, my ability and how I play. I don't need to change anything or hit the panic button.
"(Not playing) is tough but I think it's humbling. You really come to work every day, practice with a chip on your shoulder and get ready for your next opportunity. That's all you can do."
That's what Thome did during the first half of the season. Scheel followed his lead.
"No matter what, Peter was always a great teammate, no matter who was in net," Scheel said. "You kind of learn from a guy like that. He's a great guy in the locker room and one of my really good friends. He was always supportive of me, so I did the same for him.
"Me and Peter are really good friends, no matter who is in net. It doesn't change our relationship. When he's in, I'm his biggest fan. When I'm in, he supports me."
| Team | Points | Games left | NCHC record | Feb. 28 | March 6/7 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Dakota | 50 | 3 | 15-3-3 | vs. WMU | at Omaha |
| Minn. Duluth | 44 | 3 | 14-5-2 | at CC | vs. SCSU |
| Western Michigan | 35 | 3 | 10-8-3 | at UND | vs. Miami |
| Denver | 34 | 3 | 9-8-4 | at SCSU | at/vs. CC |
| SCSU | 33 | 3 | 10-9-2 | vs. Denver | at Duluth |
| Omaha | 24 | 3 | 7-11-3 | at Miami | vs. UND |
| Miami | 17 | 3 | 4-14-3 | vs. Omaha | at WMU |
| Colorado College | 15 | 3 | 4-15-2 | vs. Duluth | vs./at DU |
SOURCE: Grand Forks Herald
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Adam Scheel steps back in net to beat Western Michigan, moving UND one win from Penrose Cup - Grand Forks Herald
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