MILWAUKEE – University of Maine junior defenseman Lee Saunders received a tap on the back from assistant coach Grant Standbrook, signifying that it was Saunders’ turn to take an overtime shift in Maine’s NCAA Tournament semifinal against the University of Michigan at the Bradley Center on Thursday.

Saunders, still bothered by a groin pull, had played only a couple of shifts early in the third period and admitted that he was “very surprised” when Standbrook tapped him.

Saunders wound up taking a pass from Mike Latendresse and scoring at the 1:36 mark of overtime to send the Black Bears into their first-ever NCAA Championship game by virtue of a 4-3 win over the Wolverines.

Maine, 41-1-2, will now play defending national champion Lake Superior State. The Lakers defeated Boston University 6-1 in Thursday evening’s semifinal.

On the overtime game-winner, Latendresse broke into the offensive zone, stopped, cut toward the middle and spotted the open Saunders streaking into the zone.

“Mike made a great pass and I was wide open,” said Saunders. “The puck slipped off my stick, but I chased it and I kept whacking at it.”

Maine’s Patrice Tardif was on the ice tangled up with Michigan defenseman Aaron Ward. The puck deflected off Tardif, enabling Saunders to get to the puck.

Saunders’ goal was his first in 15 games dating back to Jan. 29 when he scored in a 5-2 win over New Hampshire.

“This is my biggest thrill, no doubt about it,” said Saunders. “The biggest thing about it was that I was real happy for the team.”

Maine junior right winger Cal Ingraham had forced the overtime by scoring his second goal of the game and 46th of the season with 4:03 remaining in regulation.

Ingraham’s tying goal came off a faceoff involving Jim Montgomery.

Montgomery won the faceoff to the right of Michigan goalie Steve Shields, pushed the puck ahead and slid it to the far post where Ingraham swept it in. On the faceoff, Montgomery beat Cam Stewart, who had replaced Brian Wiseman. Wiseman had been tossed from the draw.

“We had scored off that same play during the Cleveland tournament. We’ve tried it several times since, but it didn’t work,” said Ingraham. “Jimmy looked over to me and gave me a little nod so I knew the play was on.”

Both teams had great chances to win it in regulation, but Maine goalie Garth Snow and Michigan’s Shields made game-saving stops to send it into OT.

The Bears entered the third period trailing 3-2 as the result of a Ward power-play goal at the 7:54 mark of the second period.

Michigan’s David Oliver and David Roberts had staked the Wolverines to a 2-0 lead with goals 27 seconds apart early in the first period.

Oliver took a pass off the boards from Brian Wiseman, broke in alone down the left wing as Maine got caught on a line change, and snapped a low, 20-footer past Garth Snow’s glove hand. It was Oliver’s 35th goal of the season.

Moments later, Roberts pounced on a clear-out attempt by Maine’s Andy Silverman and fired a 30-foot slap shot that snuck through Snow’s pads. Roberts’ goal was his 27th of the year.

The goals came on Michigan’s first two shots on goal.

Cal Ingraham (45th of the year) got one back at the 9:55 mark and a second-period, power-play goal by Matt Martin at the 2:30 mark tied it up.

Ingraham’s goal came when his attempted pass to Eric Fenton was blocked by Michigan defenseman Steve Halko and slid back to him. Ingraham wasted little time roofing a 10-footer into the short side over the glove of Shields.

Michigan outshot Maine 9-7 in the first period and might have led by more than 2-1 if Bear junior defenseman Jason Weinrich hadn’t done an excellent job breaking up a pair of two-on-ones. The Bears also killed off two power plays.

The Bears began playing better in the second period and Martin tied the game off a Paul Kariya pass.

Kariya flipped the puck onto Martin’s stick at the right point, Martin took a stride and blasted a 40-footer that beat Shields, who was being screened by Fenton.

The Bears then began taking control of the game and generating quality scoring chances.

While killing a penalty, Chris Imes and Chris Ferraro nearly put the Bears on top 3-2. However, Imes’ pass to the open Ferraro at the far post got stuck in Ferraro’s skates.

Seconds later, Pat Neaton’s backhand pass out of the defensive zone set the play in motion that resulted in Ward’s goal.

Oliver got the pass and chipped it around Maine’s Dan Murphy to Stewart, who broke down the right wing and fed a perfect pass onto the stick of Ward, who lifted it over the stacked pads of Snow.

The Bears stormed the Wolverine net over the remainder of the second period and carried that into the third period only to be thwarted time and time again by Shields.

Shields saved Martin Mercier’s breakaway backhander in the second period and Mercier missed an open short side off a Dave LaCouture pass.

Imes just missed the far corner after being set up by Kariya in the third period and Shields made a couple good stops off Montgomery and Ingraham from the middle of the slot.

An apparent tying goal by Tardif with 10:43 left was waved off. Tardif slid the puck inside the far post, but the net had been lifted and the puck rolled under it and into the corner.

“Neither the on-ice officials nor the goal judge witnessed the puck crossing the goal line before the referee at the blue line blew the whistle,” explained Laing Kennedy, the chairman of the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey committee. “The whistle was blown after the goal cage was raised off the ice.”

But the Bears, who outshot Michigan 35-18, perservered and, in the end, were rewarded.

Bears 4, Wolverines 3 (OT)

Maine 1 1 1 1 – 4 Michigan 2 1 0 0 – 3

First Period – 1. Michigan, Oliver 35 (Wiseman), 3:58; 2. Michigan, Roberts 27 (unassisted), 4:25; 3. Maine, Ingraham 45 (unassisted), 9:55; Penalies – Maine, Saunders, holding, 6:50; Michigan, Ouimet, cross-checking, 10:21; Maine, Montgomery, charging, 10:21; Maine, Tardif, hooking, 14:56

Second Period – 4. Maine, Martin 5 (Kariya), 2:30; 5. Michigan, Ward 5 (Stewart, Oliver), 7:54; Penalties – Michigan, Tamer, cross-checking, 1:28; Maine, Montgomery, triping, 7:02; Michigan, Knuble, cross-checking, 8:37; Maine, Silverman, holding, 15:54; Michigan, Willis, boarding, 18:34

Third Period – 6. Maine, Ingraham 46 (Montgomery), 15:57; Penalty – Michigan, Hogan, holding, 5:37

Overtime – 7. Maine, Saunders 7 (Tardif, Latendresse), 1:36; Penalties – none

Goalies – Maine, Garth Snow; Maicgigan, Steve Shields

Shots on Goal – Maine, 7-11-15-2-35; Michigan, 9-6-3-0-18

Attendance – 17,403