WORCESTER, Mass. — For the second game in a row, the reigning national champions were pushed past regulation, and then past the first overtime.

But just like their previous engagement, the Providence College Friars were sent home disappointed, this time for the summer, on a goal in-close. This time, it was Minnesota-Duluth's Karson Kuhlman tapping in a rebound on a Willie Raskob shot from the perimeter 57 seconds into the second overtime. The game went 2-1 to the Bulldogs, who knocked off the fourth-seeded team in the nation, after nearly 81 minutes of hockey.

[Join a Yahoo Daily Fantasy Hockey contest today]

UMD knocks off Providence in double OT, here's the goal and + the accidental Gophers slip pic.twitter.com/bnjsoYmY8m — CJ Fogler (@cjzero) March 26, 2016

"There’s no question that in these games you don’t get a lot of opportunities,” said UMD coach Scott Sandelin, who won a national title in 2011. “We went 0-for-4 in the power play, those are difference makers. And the same thing at the latter half of the first overtime we had some really good chances. The game can go really quickly the other way sometimes.”

Providence was dramatically outshot throughout the game, but through quality systems play, the ability to limit quality chances, and a bit of good luck, were able to wrestle the game into overtime, and even then held on into the second extra period.

“I think we had that similar situation last weekend, which is great for us for a learning experience,” said PC senior Kevin Rooney. “I think we were in a good spot, but unfortunately we just didn't have our A game tonight.”

When the stakes are raised, it makes sense that two of the better defensive teams in the country would want to be more conservative than the average CPAC attendee. However, this game was hockey conservatism taken to its logical extreme.

The game ended far wilder than it began, as the possibility of winning in overtime seemed to enliven a game that had been somewhat dull through the opening 50 or so minutes. In the end, though, one should have expected something of a defensive struggle, with Kasimir Kaskisuo stopping 36 of 37 shots on goal in the victory. Nick Ellis took an ‘L’ despite a 54-save performance.

“It’s pretty simple,” said Friars coach Nate Leaman. “We didn’t have our 'A' game tonight. We got beat by a better team. Congratulations to Duluth, and that’s about it.”

Neither were necessarily going to play high-event hockey in the first place. That much you knew going in. Out of the 60 teams nationally, they ranked 36th and 34th, respectively, in total shot attempts at 5-on-5 in their games. But they took that stinginess to the logical extreme in their regional opener on Friday afternoon, combining for 95 attempts at full strength in regulation. Even by the teams' normally slow standards, this was glacial play.

Another total non-surprise: These two exemplary possession teams were excellent at limiting Grade-A scoring chances, as Kaskisuo and Ellis were relatively unbothered in goal. Not only were their teams getting in shooting and passing lanes on the regular, but most of the action throughout the game was kept to the perimeter, and through 40 minutes at least, neither team gained much purchase in terms of established attacking-zone time.

“I think their team reminds me a lot of our team last year,” Leaman said.

But you also had to say that, at least as far as these marginal differences go, Duluth had the better of the play, maintaining a strong hold on possession and doubling up the Friars in terms of shots on goal. Of course, most were hitting Ellis in the chest, with the exception of a scoring chance for Kuhlman, who finished the game with seven shots on goal, late in the first period.

“I think that is pretty typical of two teams that haven’t played each other,” Sandelin said. “They’re good defensively, and we’re good defensively. It kind of opened up there as the game went on. That’s the way it was a pretty entertaining game.”

It was a continuation of an unfortunate trend for the Friars, who hadn't scored since early in the first period of a triple-overtime game in a Hockey East semifinal loss to UMass Lowell. For those scoring at home, that meant 130-plus minutes without a goal, which is entirely too many for a team of this quality.

Story continues