MILWAUKEE - The Fighting Sioux hadn't been in the NCAA championship game in 10 years, and it wasn't an easy trip back.
They spent Tuesday night in a Minneapolis airport, stranded, after a plane ran off the runway, delaying their flight.
Their Hobey Baker Award candidate, Jason Blake, had to play with a bruised right shoulder all week.
And after beating Colorado College on Thursday, 6-2, the Tigers' coach, Don Lucia, congratulated North Dakota coach Dean Blais saying sarcastically, "That's all right, you have to play Michigan now."
Well, they didn't have to play top-ranked Michigan, but they spotted Boston University a two-goal lead after the first intermission.
By 8:38 of the second period, though, the Sioux tied the game at two, and went on to score three more goals in the period, securing the perfect end to a fairy-tale season.
Even Blais picked his team to finish only fifth in the WCHA, but North Dakota won the title of national champions Saturday with a 6-4 victory over Boston University in front of 17,537 fans at the Bradley Center. The crowd was the second-largest in NCAA championship history.
"Opening the season 6-0 gave us confidence, but never to the point where we thought we'd be in this championship game - at any time this year," Blais said. "Everything just worked out this year."
Breaking the 2-2 tie in the second and a 3-3 tie moments later was unlikely hero Matt Henderson, who joined the Sioux three years ago - as a walk-on.
The junior left wing was named the most outstanding player of the tournament after scoring two goals and an assist in the championship game.
"I would have never thought it in a million years," Henderson said of the honor. "I said to myself before I went to bed, 'I'm probably never going to have this opportunity again - I'm going to leave my heart on the ice.'"
Blais said Henderson almost didn't keep his spot on the team.
"Matt, after making the team, was satisfied with that and got a little bit complacent," Blais said. "I had to ride him a little. It was either get on board or get out of town.
"Obviously, he got on board."
Boston cut North Dakota's lead to one, 5-4, with 36.8 seconds left when Jon Coleman poked in a rebound with an extra attacker on the ice.
After the ensuing face-off, the Terriers again pulled goalie Michel Larocque for a sixth skater, but North Dakota forward Adam Calder got control of the puck at center ice and flung it into the empty net to secure the Sioux's sixth national championship.
"This means the world to me, winning the national championship," North Dakota defenseman Curtis Murphy said. "It's the best time of my life so far, and I imagine it will be one of the highlights of my life."
Murphy was named to the All-Tournament team after scoring a goal and an assist Saturday.
On the other side of the ice, losing in the championship game is never easy, especially after holding a two-goal lead.
In the postgame press conference, senior center Shawn Bates couldn't hold in his tears, burying his face in a towel.
Although he tried to hide his sobs, it was loud enough to be heard through the microphone sitting in front of him, and only got worse as he got up and walked off the stage.
"I was obviously disappointed in our disintegration in the second period," Boston coach Jack Parker said. "But I believe that the best team won the national championship. My hat's off to North Dakota and especially Dean Blais."
This was only Blais' third year at the helm of the Sioux.
North Dakota scored two goals in a span of 1:32 in the second period to tie the score at two.
Four minutes later, Henderson stole a cross-ice pass during a Boston power play. After streaking down the ice, he got Larocque down, went left and snuck the puck in.
The Terriers tied the game at three 1:21 later on another power play, but the Sioux won the special teams battle two minutes later. Calder fed Henderson from behind the net for a stick-side one-timer on the power play at 15:49 of the second.
David Hoogsteen then gave the Sioux their biggest lead of the contest when he poked in a rebound with 5.5 seconds left in the period.
"Five goals in one period - we've done it before, but I never thought we'd do it in the national championship game," Blais said.
Although the Terriers upset Michigan in Thursday night's semifinals, talk and questions about Wolverines continued throughout the weekend.
"Michigan may be the most talented team there is, but this is really the best team in the country right now," Schweitzer said of his team. "These guys deserve it."
AP PHOTO
North Dakota senior defensemen Mark Pivetz and Dane Litke celebrate after winning the NCAA championship Saturday.