A sprint to the net ended the second-longest hockey game in NCAA history and sent tired but triumphant Maine, the 1993 champion, back to the finals.
Dan Shermerhorn scored on a speedy give-and-go 28 seconds into the third overtime Thursday as the Black Bears outlasted Michigan 4-3.Maine (31-5-6) plays the title game Saturday against Boston University (30-6-3), which beat Minnesota 7-3 Thursday night.
With Shermerhorn's quick backhander as he stood inches away from freshman goalie Marty Turco, the 100-minute, 28-second endurance test was finally over.
For Michigan (29-8-1), which squandered a 2-0 lead, a determined effort couldn't end an 18-year wait to return to the championship game as it lost in the semifinals for the third time in four years.
The longest game in NCAA Division I hockey history lasted 102 minutes, 9 seconds on Dec. 21 and 22, 1968. North Dakota won it, 5-4 over Minnesota.
Thursday's game was the longest in NCAA tournament history, overtaking the 99-minute, 28-second game in which Bowling Green beat Minnesota-Duluth 5-4 for the 1984 championship.
Maine's best chance of the second overtime came when Jamie Thompson went in alone. But Turco went down, reached out his left arm and smothered the shot with 4:40 left.