Sophomore midfielder John Tomlinson (Smokey Hill HS; Aurora, CO) pulled the Rams within one with 7:38 to go as CSU found some success in the transition game. For most of the night, CU played a stifling zone defense and had patient possessions on the offensive end. But CSU's defense rose to the occasion late and created a couple of unsettled situations for the Rams on the other end of the field. Just over a minute after Tomlinson's goal, Bird found himself alone just inside the CU restraining box and blasted home a patented rocket to tie the game.

After both teams fought hard for several minutes, the Rams called a timeout in the offensive zone with about two and half minutes to go. Coming out of the timeout, the Rams worked hard and Bird fed junior midfielder Brian Stone (Air Academy HS; Colorado Springs, CO) just in front of the Buffalo goal. Stone faced up on the CU net and skimmed a goal just under goaltender Tyson Ehinger with 1:42 left for the game-winner.

Senior goaltender Pete Jokisch (Rockhurst Jesuit; Overland Park, KS) was solid all tournament, but he was at his best in the final game. Besides making 12 saves, Jokisch was all over the field, picking off passes from behind the goal and scooping up groundballs to create extra possessions for the offense. Jokisch teamed up seniors Kellin Bershinsky (Poudre HS; Fort Collins, CO) and Kurt Nakazono (George Washington HS; Denver, CO) and junior Adam Schnirel (Mt. Lebanon HS; Pittsburgh, PA), who played hard all day and their efforts in the final quarter were instrumental in bringing the Rams back.

While CSU's midfield combined for the final three goals, they did get a solid contribution from the attack. Junior Danny Stevens (Suffern HS; Suffern, NY) and sophomores Tyler Treece (Upper Arlington HS; Columbus, OH) and Campbell Diebolt (Central Bucks East; Doylestown, PA) each had two points to pace the front lines. CSU also got big efforts from long stick midfielders Matt Reiss (Sycamore HS; Cincinnati, OH) and Jay Matlin (Boulder HS; Boulder, CO).

Colorado was led by their dangerous attack unit of Upah, Jason Anderson and Jon Atwood, who combined for six points. The Buffs also controlled the face-off 'x' for the third time this season.

Colorado State finishes the 2006 season with an 18-3 record. They avenged their sole MDIA regular season loss in the semifinals against BYU and defeated the Buffaloes three times on the season. Danny Stevens was named Championship Game Offensive MVP while Kellin Bershinsky garnered Defensive MVP honors. Bird, Bershinsky and Treece were named to the All-Tournament team.

Game Notes:
- Colorado State has won MDIA titles in 1999, 2001, 2003 and now 2006. This is the first "odd" year for a CSU championship.
- The Rams now have twice as many championships as both BYU and UC-Santa Barbara, the two teams closest to CSU's success at this level.
- While CSU and CU have played over 20 times since 1998, this was the first time in the national championship game. CU advanced to their first title game with victories over Minnesota-Duluth, Cal Poly and UC-Santa Barbara while CSU beat Texas, Arizona and BYU.
- This is the second time that two RMLC teams have made the finals. BYU defeated CSU 16-11 in 2000.
- The score 8-7 carries extra significance in this game. CSU defeated CU 8-7 in the RMLC finals in late April and the previous two MDIA championship games have been decided by that score. UCSB beat both CSU and Sonoma State over the past two years 8-7. In addition, the past two RMLC finals were decided 8-7 with BYU defeating CSU in 2004 before this year's game.
- CSU has now beaten CU 14 straight times going back to 2000. Each of the last nine have been decided by three goals or less.

Score by Quarter  1  2  3  4  F
#3 Colorado       1  3  2  1  7
#1 Colorado State 2  1  2  3  8

Goaltenders:
Colorado - Tyson Ehinger (60:00 minutes, 7 saves, 8 goals against)
Colorado State - Pete Jokisch (60:00 minutes, 12 saves, 7 goals against)