As the buzzer sounded Sunday afternoon to confirm a 2-1 victory over Gustavus Adolphus and the Carla Berg Cup Championship, the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire completed an epic run of 20 straight victories that fittingly began in the exact same building.

Following their seventh straight defeat back on October 19, the Blugolds had slumped to a 1-7 overall record and were looking for answers. A tough early schedule was partly to blame - road games against NDSU, #4 St. Thomas and #3 Marian can do that to anyone, but it was perhaps the home sweep suffered to Gustavus Adolphus that could have buried the team. At 0-4 already in the Division, human nature could have taken over and doomed their season.

Then came the 2020 WCCHA Showcase at the Super Rink. An opening night 7-0 victory over Bradley seemed to ignite a spark, and a hard fought 5-3 win over Jamestown followed. Then, a narrow 5-4 win over league opponent St. John's - an important result for KRACH, confirmed a 3-0 mark and provided a springboard for the rest of the season.

From there, the story was simple - win, no matter how. Never get down if things got tough. Battle until the end, leave it all on the ice and trust your teammates. In their epic run to 20 straight wins, the team recorded a perfect 5-0 record when games went to overtime. There weren't many blowout wins, but the team systematically earned win after win, climbing to the 4th seed in the league in the process.

Then, in Blaine, they matched their Showcase performance and fittingly ended their regular season with a perfect 6-0 mark at the facility. 3 hard fought wins - 4-3 over Wisconsin, 5-2 against St. Thomas, and then a 2-1 championship victory over Gustavus Adolphus - the last team to beat them this season - provided the perfect ending to their improbable run to WCCHA glory.

In earning their third overall WCCHA Title and Carla Berg Cup Championship, the Blugolds also confirmed their first ever trip to Regionals. It remains to be seen whether they will require the autobid - their performance may be enough by itself to place them among the top 12 - but the best part of this story is simply that there is more to be written.

Here is a GAME-BY-GAME look at all of the action from this past weekend's 2020 WCCHA Tournament:

QUARTERFINAL ROUND - FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 7, 2020

#1 St. Thomas vs. #8 North Dakota | 4-1 St. Thomas (BOX SCORE)

The top seeded Tommies knew that despite playing the lowest seed, they were in for a battle - long gone are the days when teams could back into these playoffs without earning it. North Dakota brought their best, and pushed UST hard. St. Thomas' Hunter Straka opened the scoring in the first minute of the game, but the next goal came from UND 5 minutes into the second. It wasn't until 10 minutes later that the Tommies retook the lead, and the game sat on edge at 2-1 going into the third.

Despite some good chances, though, the Fighting Hawks could not find a way through senior goaltender Jack Hardwick, and Joe Albert's power play goal with 10 minutes remaining game UST a cushion they were able to defend. With one more goal added with under 5 minutes remaining, the #1 Tommies saw out the game for a labored 4-1 win.

#2 North Dakota State vs. #7 Minnesota-Duluth | FINAL: 9-8 NDSU, 2OT (BOX SCORE)

From a neutral's perspective, perhaps the most exciting game of the entire weekend took place on opening night on Rink 4 between the Bison and Bulldogs. This game had it all - big time performances, comebacks, and an epic double overtime winner taken from the clutches of defeat. Early on, Minnesota-Duluth had the higher seeded North Dakota State firmly on the ropes as Johnny Meland netted a first period hat trick to help UMD to a 3-1 lead. After NDSU's Brady Swanstrom narrowed the game to 3-2 early in the second, Meland again scored to make it a 4-2 game. Not to be outdone, though, the WCCHA's top scorer Derek Rasmussen dragged the Bison back into the game, matching Meland with 4 goals of his own - the last scored with just 7 second remaining in the third to tie the game at 8-8.

Both teams had chances in overtime, but the first 5 were not enough and the game officially ended as a tie. However, with a winner needed to advance, the teams entered the 10 minute 3-on-3 OT. The Bulldogs controlled early action, and even watched the potentially winning goal fly over the top of the net after a neat 2-1 break. Backs against the wall, though, NDSU responded and got the unofficial game winning goal to claim the quarterfinal victory and move on by the narrowest of margins.

#3 Minnesota vs #6 Gustavus | FINAL: 2-1 Gustavus (BOX SCORE)

The Gophers and the Gusties squared off in what proved to be a defensive battle, and the game lived up to it. Both teams put up plenty of shots throughout the game, but goaltenders Andrew Kash (Minnesota) and Stephen Frank (Gustavus) were up to the task. Russell Barone scored for the Gusties midway through the first period. From there, both teams played hard, finished checks, and worked to find the back of the net again.

It wasn’t until the third period that anyone scored again. Cullen Osen beat Kash to extend the Gustavus lead. Just three minutes later, Erik Jamison-Ekeling solved Frank to get the Gophers on the board. From there, Gustavus’s defensive structure took over. They didn’t allow much the rest of the way, shutting the door on the Gophers rally. Stephen Frank weathered the storm admirably, stopping 16 shots in the third period alone to secure the upset win for the Gusties.

#4 UW-Eau Claire vs #5 University of Wisconsin | 4-3 UW-Eau Claire (BOX SCORE)

The Blugolds and the Badgers took to the ice in one of the most intriguing games on paper heading into the weekend. Both teams had exceptional regular seasons, and UWEC was riding a 17-game winning streak. The Badgers, intent on ending that streak and moving one step closer to the Carla Berg Cup, were determined to cool them off. Eric Langseth got the Blugolds off to a great start with a first period goal, only to be answered by Parker Storck minutes later.

In the second period, Wisconsin would take a lead on a John Simon goal. They’d hold that lead the rest of the period. UW-Eau Claire, sensing the urgency, came out hard in the third period and popped in three straight goals. Travis Kernen, Seth Jaglinski, and Jared Konen all tallied the markers to give the Blugolds a 4-2 lead. Badger veteran forward Jake Cohn got his team back within one goal with a marker of his own with 42 seconds remaining in the game. From there, Blugold goaltender Spenser Scholl shut the door and locked down the 4-3 win for his Blugolds.

SEMIFINAL/CONSOLATION ROUND - SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2020

#1 St. Thomas vs #4 UW-Eau Claire | 5-2 UW-Eau Claire (BOX SCORE)

St. Thomas was the next team up to try and stop Eau Claire’s now 18-game winning streak. With a berth in the WCCHA Championship Game on the line, the Blugolds drew first blood. Jett Jaraczewski tickled the twine first, assisted by Eric Langseth very early in the first period. It took the Tommies a bit to get settled, but then they did and evened out the pace in the first period. Jerame Schuetzle drew his Tommies even with a goal 36 seconds before the first period was over.

It was mostly the Blugolds controlling the game after that. Playing a disciplined, rugged style, Eau Claire controlled the puck and the pace for much of the last two periods. Christian Bardarson and Ryan Wink buried goals for UWEC in the second and third period before Jack Andringa cut the lead to 3-2. Just a minute after Andringa’s goal for UST, Jared Konen answered with a goal to pull the lead to 4-2. With the Tommies net empty, Jaraczewski nailed an empty-netter to seal the win and send the Blugolds to the championship game.

#2 North Dakota State vs #6 Gustavus Adolphus | 4-3 Gustavus, 2OT (BOX SCORE)

NDSU, fresh off their wild affair the previous night against Duluth, was angling to get back to the WCCHA Championship Game for the second year in a row. An upstart Gustavus team, however, had other plans. Riley Bowman for Gustavus started the scoring early in the first period, only to be answered by Carter Vandeneinde minutes later. With the score tied, Cullen Osen scored to try to give his Gusties a lead going into the second, only to be thwarted by a Ben Wahlin goal to knot the game at 2.

From the Ovechkin spot on the powerplay, Gustavus’s Lucas Rekstad pounded home a goal to give his team a lead going into the third period. Ben Wahlin would be heard from again—his goal in the third period tied the game at 3. From there, both teams mounted furious forechecks, but were unable to break through for the go-ahead goal in regulation. A 4 on 4 overtime period was played, and no winner was found there either. In the 3 on 3 10 minute overtime session, Gustavus broke through to win and move on to their first WCCHA Championship Game.

Consolation Semifinals

In the consolation bracket, Wisconsin defeated North Dakota 6-0, and Minnesota defeated Duluth 4-3.

CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND - SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2020

Championship Game: #4 UW-Eau Claire vs #6 Gustavus | 2-1 UW-Eau Claire (BOX SCORE)

With the Carla Berg Cup in the building and a spot at Regionals on the line, both teams came out with an intensity not seen yet at the 2020 WCCHA Tournament. The Blugolds and the Gusties play similar styles very well, and it would come down to the little things to see who would prevail today. The first few minutes of the first period were filled with back and forth action, with goaltenders Stephen Frank (GAC) and Spenser Scholl (UWEC) making saves to keep the game scoreless. Sean Condra would break through and give UW-Eau Claire a first period lead, assisted by Christian Bardarson.

In the second period, with UWEC leading 1-0, Cullen Osen continued his hot tournament with a goal to tie the game at 1-1. Scholl and Frank dueled throughout the whole game, matching each other save for save to keep the championship game tied at 1-1. In the third period, both teams had chances, only to be denied by posts or goaltenders. Christian Bardarson broke through midway through the third period, giving UW-Eau Claire a 2-1 lead. Thus begun maybe the longest 8:33 stretch of hockey in Eau Claire club hockey history—holding on to a lead that would send them to Regionals for the first time in school history. Gustavus mounted several sustained forechecks, but Scholl turned them all aside. With Frank on the bench, the Gusties drew up one final push, but the Blugolds stood tall. UW-Eau Claire iced the game and claimed the Carla Berg Cup as WCCHA Champions.

Third Place/Consolation Final

In the third-place game, St. Thomas defeated NDSU 3-1 (watch the replay here). Wisconsin dispatched Minnesota 4-0 in the consolation final. Both winners finished 2-1 on the weekend to boost their Regionals resume despite missing out on the Conference title.