Don Lucia did not sleep too well on Saturday night after making the most difficult decision he faced in almost 40 years of hockey leadership.
He wakes up feeling good about his choice, though.
“I would do the same,” he said.
Lucia, the former Gophers men’s hockey coach and current CCHA commissioner, found herself in a no-win situation that, he joked, was not included in the manual when he took over the job.
Minnesota State Mankato shot in overtime to defeat Bemidji State 2-1 in the conference title game, earning an automatic spot in the NCAA Tournament.
The replay officer quickly scored a good goal.
The Mavericks celebrated, the Bemidji players shook hands, accepted the Mason Cup Trophy and took team photos on the ice. Most of the 5,000 fans had left the arena and had gone home or to the nearby bars.
At the time, Lucia had learned that it was a problem.
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