It’s a Miracle theme in this week’s RinkRap, as Bowling Green and Miracle On Ice alum Mark Wells tells all to Ryan Vallon; we flash back to 1980 again for Mankato’s run at hockey gold; and Bemidji’s current miraculous run continues, despite facing dire straits in Anchorage. 

Bowling Green’s Miracle Man 

This past weekend, former Bowling Green hockey star and current president of the NHL’s Golden Knights George McPhee hosted the 1980 Miracle Men out in Vegas for the 40th anniversary of their Lake Placid Gold Medal. Two of McPhee’s former Bowling Green teammates — Ken Morrow and Mark Wells — were out in the desert representing Team USA once again. 

Morrow is a fixture in the hockey world, scouting for the same Islanders organization for which he helped win four Stanley Cups. Wells has been largely underground since his short-lived pro career, suffering from back injuries, pain killer addiction, and a rocky personal life. 

But earlier this month Wells was back at Slater Family Arena, a venue where he thrived as a college hockey champion. BGSU’s intrepid radio reporter Ryan Vallon caught up with Wells, and he shared first-hand memories from the Miracle on Ice. 

Mark Wells at the Bowling Green game

“The guy [Brooks] beat us into the ground,” said Wells. “Worse than any military, worse than any Russians beat their players. Brooks took us and said, ‘You will be in shape to face the Soviets, so you won’t be embarrassed.’

“When athletes get on that ice, the way I did, we’ll do anything to win. The Czechs, the second-best team, I scored the winning goal.”

Brooks used Wells as a defensive player in Lake Placid, an entirely new role for the center who rang up 231 career points for coach Ron Mason at Bowling Green. 

“I don’t care if you score one goal in this tournament,” Brooks told Wells. “You’re the only guy in America that could shut down the speed of the Soviets.”

Brooks’s strategy paid off.

“Not one goal was scored in seven games,” said Wells. “No goals scored [against us] when I was on the ice in the tournament.

“We were learning a whole new system of ice hockey. The Soviets used it against the NHL All-Stars and tore them up. So Herb said, ‘We’ll throw it back at ’em.’ 

“It came together in February, that two-week period. I’d never seen anything like it, like Ken Morrow blocking shots. For those two weeks I’d call it magical.”

Wells loved having a fellow Falcon Morrow at his side for their historic Olympic run. 

“That made me feel I was on the ice at Bowling Green with Kenny Morrow, no different than Anderson Hall in our crazy dorm room.”

Wells experienced the same time and space continuum as the rest of his mates after Mike Eruzione scored the go-ahead goal against the Soviets with 10 minutes to play. 

“The longest 10 minutes of our lives. It was like yesterday.”

Mankato’s 1980 Gold

The 1980 Division II NCAA gold earned by Don Brose’s Minnesota State squad was no miracle — his Mavericks had won NCAA bronze in ’78 and silver in ’79. They were the winningest team in Division II that year with 28 victories. But entering the championship game against Elmira, the Mavericks were no sure thing.

“Elmira beat us 6-2 to open the season,” said Brose, who is happily retired and rarely misses a Mavericks home game. 

Despite playing nearly 1,000 miles apart, Elmira and Mankato had plenty of history, with the Mavericks winning a scintillating third-place game back in the 1978 nationals. In the rubber match between these two powers, Minnesota State Mankato climbed the final step in their NCAA ladder to win their 1980 golden trophy 5-2.

#GreatestMoments | Goalie remembers 1980 NCAA title and the 'Miracle in Mankato' https://t.co/ICBVJCuofr pic.twitter.com/54oQrM8Agn

— American Sports Net (@LiveOnASN) July 12, 2016

Bemidji coach Tom Serratore began his college career playing for Brose at Mankato in 1982 before transferring to Bemidji.

“Congratulations to Don Brose,” said Serratore. “1980 was a great hockey team, and he led them to the promised land. I hope they have a great 40th anniversary.”

MacNaughton Cup Still up for Grabs

Thanks to late-game heroics by Bemidji State up in Anchorage late Saturday night, the Beavers remain in contention for a share of the historic MacNaughton Cup as the WCHA season enters its final week of the regular season. 

Despite trailing by a goal and being a man down with three minutes left in regulation Saturday, Beavers winger Alex Ierullo scored a shorthanded tally to force overtime, and captain Tommy Muck scored in the second overtime to help the Beavers claim five points in their series vs the Seawolves. 

As a result, Bemidji trails Minnesota State by six points heading into their home series with the Mavericks. A Bemidji sweep would give both teams 68 points, and the two schools would share the historic MacNaughton Cup. But under that hypothetical scenario, Bemidji would be the WCHA’s No. 1 seed due to a superior head-to-head record. That would give Bemidji home ice throughout the playoffs, and host the projected WCHA championship game between the two Minnesota clubs.

However, if the No. 3-ranked Mavericks manage a tie in either of the two contests, they would claim the MacNaughton Cup outright, and the WCHA’s No. 1 seed.

Tim Rappleye is the author of Jack Parker's Wiseguys: The National Champion BU Terriers, the Blizzard of '78, and the Road to the Miracle on Ice. He can be reached on Twitter @TeeRaps.