Shot from the point by Leopold. Scrum in front of opposing net. One whack by Pohl, one whack by Potulny.

A deafening explosion of jubilant screams and shouts.

Fifteen years ago, former Minnesota Golden Gopher star Grant Potulny slipped a shot through a pile of bodies past University of Maine goaltender Matt Yeats and cemented his place in State of Hockey lore, earning the program a 4-3 overtime win and the 2002 NCAA Championship crown at St. Paul’s Xcel Energy Center.

Not bad for a kid from Grand Forks, North Dakota, home of bitter rival University of North Dakota. 

“I said to (my dad), I’d love to go to a place that’s got football, basketball, a big-time university,” Potulny said in a recent interview. “He said to me, it’s too bad you couldn’t go to Minnesota,” Potulny added with a laugh.

Not only did Potulny attend Minnesota, he thrived.

A three-year captain who totaled 68 goals and 116 points in his time with the maroon and gold, Potulny says that natural team chemistry played a key role in the team’s success, and that the championship run’s seminal moment came after an early exit from the 2001 NCAA Tournament.

“At that point, Jordan (Leopold) was an All-American, Johnny (Pohl) was a point-per-game guy,” Potulny said, adding forward Jeff Taffe to the group of aforementioned standouts that had legitimate chances to jump to the pro level and forego their collegiate careers. “They made a commitment that they were going to come back for their senior year and make a run at it.”

The veteran players’ drive for a national title trickled down the entire roster, a collection of players that included 13 NHL draft picks and just one player from outside the state of Minnesota...Potulny.

“I don’t know if anything other than family would describe what that group was like,” Potulny said, adding that the players have a reunion planned this summer.

Now 37 and nearing 10 seasons as an assistant coach and offensive mastermind for his alma mater, Potulny says that with time he’s begun to understand the impact of his game-winner. It's an impact Minnesota Duluth hopes to experience tonight when it takes on Denver in the NCAA championship game.

“I don’t know if as a player you understand the gravity of the moment. You just want to win the game,” Potulny said. “I think now you have a greater appreciation for what it means to win a championship at home.”