We are just two days away from renewing hostilities and if No. 2 doesn't get the mojo going, I'm not sure what will. Maybe No. 1, but, let's give this one a try.
Poor Kevin Wehrs. Keep your head up, buddy.
No. 2 -- Frattin Destroys Wehrs -- Ralph Engelstad Arena, Grand Forks, N.D., WCHA playoffs, March 14, 2010.
Let DDC set up the scene a bit. UND had dominated the Gophers in the Game 1 of this WCHA playoff tilt with a 6-0 victory, but Minnesota battled back for a 4-2 win in Game 2. The Sioux took a 2-1 lead before this play, but were visibly slowing as the Gophers tried to battle back. Then...
Wow.
Again, the sound of this behemoth hit is what DDC remembers. Note the bang Brad Malone gives a Gopher player just 15 seconds before the hit on Wehrs. That was a good one. Matt Frattin's hit is that much heavier.
Frattin was called for a five-minute major for charging. He clearly left his feet, but it's DDC's take that Wehrs had his head down and caught Frattin coming at the last moment, dipped his head, thus causing a lot of the problem.
This moment isn't about the penalty. It's been debated for too long on message boards and the like. This hit got the Ralph rocking, the Sioux killed off the five-minute penalty and UND cruised to a 4-1 victory, ending the Gopher's season.
This moment also generated the coolest, single hockey photo that DDC has ever seen.
DDC's former colleague and Grand Forks Herald resident photog extraordinaire John Stennes gave the world this piece of history that, DDC's sure, is still plastered on many a laptop and Twitter background to this day.
“I decided to try to get the boys going — big hit, a costly five minutes,” Frattin said of his hit on Wehrs. “But it was great PK for our team. That was a huge momentum swing for us and we didn’t look back after that.”
Call it what you will, but it was for sure one thing and that's memorable.
For some extra fun... check out wrestling announcing royalty Jim Ross' call on the Frattin destruction
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=75my9p7eI4c
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