ST. PAUL, Minn. – St. Cloud State goaltender Scott Meyer shut out Minnesota 3-0 and was supported by a goal that nearly went unnoticed during the WCHA Final Five semifinals Friday.

In the second period, St. Cloud's Tyler Arnason fired a shot past Gophers goaltender Adam Hauser and through a hole in the back of the net – nearly unnoticed by officials, players and a sellout, WCHA-playoff record crowd of 18,409 at Xcel Energy Center.

Play continued for another 70 seconds – without protest – until the Gophers' Troy Riddle was sent to the penalty box for goalie interference.

Officials were alerted to the possible goal and studied television replays, delaying the contest about 10 minutes, before determining that a goal was scored. The back of the net was repaired with a shoestring.

The Huskies take an eight-game winning streak into the championship game Saturday against defending NCAA champion North Dakota. They also have won 11 of their last 12. The Gophers meet Colorado College in the consolation game.

Meyer stopped 23 shots for the Huskies, extending his number of victories to 24. The shutout was the second in the history of WCHA playoff semifinals. The Gophers were 0-for-8 on the power play.

The Huskies scored their first two goals in the game's sixth minute. Chris Purslow, who had served a two-minute penalty for cross-checking, scored 13 seconds after leaving the box. Nate DiCasmirro scored 40 seconds later.