MIGHTY HAVE RISEN DUCKS SWEEP MINNESOTA, REACH FIRST STANLEY CUP FINALS DUCKS 2, MINNESOTA 1.

Byline: Brice Nixon Staff Writer

ANAHEIM - Adam Oates wants another shot at the Stanley Cup.

In an 18-year career that has put him among the best ever to play in the NHL, Oates has been to the Stanley Cup Finals only once, with the Washington Capitals in 1998. The Capitals were swept as the Detroit Red Wings won their second consecutive championship that year.

Oates will have another chance to have his name engraved on Lord Stanley's Cup after scoring both of the Mighty Ducks' goals Friday in a 2-1 victory over the Minnesota Wild, which put the Ducks in the Finals for the first time in their 10-year history.

The Ducks' win in Game 4 of the Western Conference finals in front of a sellout crowd of 17,174 at the Pond gave them their second sweep of the 2003 playoffs. They swept the Red Wings in the first round.

But the Clarence S. Campbell Bowl, given to the Western Conference champion, left sitting at center-ice after the game told exactly what prize the Ducks have their eye on.

``This may sound funny,'' 19-year veteran Steve Thomas said, ``but we've only won three rounds. There's one more round to win.''

Like Oates, Thomas has played nearly two decades and has never won a Stanley Cup. Thomas had never been past the conference finals.

Oates scored two power-play goals, his first two-goal playoff game since the first round in 1998, as the Ducks held off a Minnesota team determined not to let its season end. With fans on their feet chanting ``Sweep,'' the Ducks held off the Wild in the final minutes.

The 40-year-old Oates doesn't know how many more seasons there will be in a career that includes 1,063 assists, the sixth-most in NHL history.

``It's been awhile,'' Oates said of his last trip to the Finals. ``When you get to a certain age, you always wonder, `Is this going to be it?' ''

The Wild rallied from 3-1 series deficits in the first two rounds, which might have drained them mentally.

``At times I could see they were mentally tired,'' Minnesota coach Jacques Lemaire said of his players. ``I could see that they were trying hard.''

Minnesota was determined to give itself another chance for a series comeback but first had to get a puck past Ducks goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere on his 26th birthday. Giguere shut out the Wild in the first three games of the series.

Giguere made 24 saves to reach the Finals in his first playoffs.

``That was a great birthday present,'' Giguere said.

The Wild achieved its objective with its first goal of the series early in the first period. But the Ducks negated that with a goal four minutes later, and the Wild was never able to muster enough to get another one.

Minnesota's playoff-leading power play finally came through 4 minutes, 47 seconds into the game, with Andrew Brunette's goal ending Giguere's playoff shutout streak at 217:54, the fifth-longest in NHL history. The NHL record is 270:08 by George Hainsworth of the Montreal Canadiens, set in 1930.

``When we got that first goal, everyone was really excited,'' Lemaire said. But it didn't last.

The Ducks' struggling power play got a goal of its own four minutes later. Mike Leclerc's pass from behind the goal went off the skate of Minnesota defenseman Andrei Zyuzin, then off defenseman Brad Bombardir before Oates pounced on the loose puck and put it through the legs of Wild goalie Manny Fernandez.

Oates scored his second goal of the game, also on the power play, midway through the second period. Similar to his first goal, Oates lurked near the net and was first to a bouncing puck. Rob Niedermayer's shot went off Minnesota defenseman Filip Kuba, and Oates knocked it in. The Ducks hadn't scored more than one power-play goal in a game during the playoffs.

The Wild had three power plays in the second period but couldn't come up with the tying goal. Keith Carney, the anchor of the Ducks' defense, was called for two penalties in the period. He's also one of the team's top penalty killers. But the Ducks held the fort without him.

Minnesota scored the fewest goals in a four-game series. The previous record was two.

CAPTION(S):

2 photos, 2 boxes

Photo:

(1 -- color) Goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere, right, celebrates the Ducks' first trip to the Cup Finals with Steve Rucchin, center, and Rob Niedermayer.

Kevork Djansezian/Associated Press

(2) Ducks' goalie Jean-Sebastien Giguere - held the Wild to a record-low one goal in the four-game series.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Box:

(1) STORY LINES

(2) GAME RECAP