Despite the outcome in Sunday's Western Collegiate Hockey Association's Final Face-Off championship, for the first time since the 2010-11 season, the Bulldogs postseason is no where near over.

The No. 2 University of Minnesota Duluth fell to the No. 1 University of Wisconsin 4-1 in the championship game at Ridder Arena, UMD's first trip back to the final game since 2012.  The game took place less than 19 hours after the Bulldogs had left the ice with a 2-1 double-overtime triumph in the WCHA semifinals over the No. 4/5 University of Minnesota.  

"It's been a great experience for us," said head coach Maura Crowell after the game. "Both of these games this weekend have helped us prepare for what will be an even more intense, more pressure cooker environment next weekend."

If the Bulldogs felt the minutes of Saturday night in their legs, it certainly didn't show in the first two periods of play.  In fact, the first goal of the game wasn't scored until the second period, and it belonged to senior defenseman Sidney Morin.  Morin's power play shot, off a slide pass from Lara Stalder at the other point, beat Stalder's Patty Kazmaier's competition Ann-Renee Desbiens to give UMD a 1-0 lead at the 2:28 mark.

The Badgers countered with a goal of their own a little over nine minutes later, the first goal in over 88 minutes of action that sophomore goaltender Maddie Rooney surrendered in two games.  

Wisconsin owned a 43-16 shots on goal advantage after the first two periods, but not the lead, with both teams knotted at 1-1.  Annie Pankowski changed that for the Badgers just 33 seconds into the third period, redirecting a Jenny Ryan shot from the point for the go ahead 2-1 goal.  Wisconsin then added a shorthanded goal at 4:07, and Pankowski another at 12:26 to end any hope chance of a Bulldog comeback. 

"This is our first time in this game, these kids have never played in a championship game in a Duluth uniform, " said Crowell.  "So to face that, to give up that goal early in the third period where were trying to get create energy, create freedom, and where there was no pressure, you know that goal put us back on our heels, and then the shorthanded goal was really the dagger."  

Wisconsin has been the only team that has defeated UMD in 2017, and the top-ranked Badgers still had the same issue the Gophers had Saturday night — Rooney.  Rooney made 50 saves Sunday for a new tournament record of 112 stops between both games.  Wisconsin's Desbiens had 22 saves for the Badgers, who improve to 31-2-4 overall.  Besides Rooney, UMD had two other players named to the WCHA All-Tournament team — Stalder and Morin.

The Bulldogs (25-6-5) will find out at 8:00 p.m. tonight who they will host at AMSOIL Arena next Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the NCAA Regionals.