Binghamton University athletic director Gene Marshall told Fox 40 News Wednesday that the school is planning to add both NCAA Division I men’s hockey and women’s field hockey for the 2024-25 season.
“We’re working on those as we speak,” Marshall said regarding a timeframe to start the programs. “We would like to have it done within the next two years. We are aggressively doing it.”
The school is currently exploring conference options for the hockey team.
There is no word on where the hockey team would play, but Marshall said it would be in a location that would benefit the local economy.
“I think it’s going to help downtown Binghamton and even if we have to go to other sites to play through the southern tier, I think is going to generate a lot of revenue,” Marshall said.
Marshall added that including hockey in the school’s athletic offerings was the idea of former athletic director Pat Elliott and Binghamton president Harvey Stenger.
“I can’t take credit for that, that goes to Pat Elliott, former athletic director, a good friend of mine, and President Stenger for their vision,” Marshall said. “Pat and I still talk quite a bit to this day about that and other things. And I think that Pat’s, an old coach, and he has a good vision as to what needed to take place here. I think President Stenger knew the same, this is a hockey town. This is a field hockey town. And so I think that that is going to really send the fans in a frenzy. I think it’s gonna, it’s going to do very well for the community.”
The SSE Arena is home to the EIHL’s Belfast Giants (photo: belfastgiants.com).
Hockey East, ECAC Hockey, and the Odyssey Trust jointly announced Wednesday the return of the Friendship Series for the 2023-24 season as Princeton and Providence will renew the women’s college hockey event with a two-game series Jan. 6-7, 2024 at the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
The weekend will be part of a homestand by the Belfast Giants, the professional team that skates out of the SSE Arena as part of the United Kingdom’s Elite Ice Hockey League. It will mark the third iteration of the women’s college hockey event, following clashes between Clarkson and Northeastern in 2018-19 and Merrimack and Quinnipiac in 2019-20.
The Friendship Series is an extension of the Friendship Four tournament, which was devised by the Odyssey Trust in 2015, and has been developed to promote education, social welfare, and community integration in Northern Ireland, building on the sister cities agreement between Belfast and Boston.
The Friendship Four tournament and Friendship Series grew out of a relationship that started when the Boston Bruins played an exhibition game against the Giants in 2010, before going on to win the Stanley Cup that same year.
“Hockey East remains committed to providing memorable experiences for our student-athletes and we are excited for two new women’s teams to return to Belfast for another Friendship Series,” said Hockey East commissioner Steve Metcalf in a statement. “We’re appreciative of the opportunity the great people in Belfast are providing and look forward continuing the series in the future.”
Belfast and Boston signed a ‘Sister Cities’ agreement in 2014, designed to foster stronger economic development, trade and investment, tourism, youth, cultural, faith-based exchanges, and educational linkages between the two cities, and to increase awareness of both cities as being growth hubs in the connected health, life sciences, creative industries, tourism, financial services, and knowledge economy sectors.
The tournament returned in 2023 with support from the Odyssey Trust, Hockey East, ECAC Hockey, and the former governor of Massachusetts and current NCAA president, Charlie Baker.
“First and foremost, I want to thank the Belfast Giants, the Odyssey Trust, the Hockey East Association, and ECAC Hockey for reigniting this experience for NCAA women’s ice hockey,” said Providence women’s hockey Matt Kelly. “I’ve heard nothing but great stories and memories from teams that have been over to Belfast in the past, and I look forward to creating memories of our own that will last a lifetime.”
The Friendship Series is the first and only NCAA Division I women’s hockey tournament to be held outside of the United States, but its roots are in Boston. The friendship theme is more than a namesake for the tournament. The event focuses on unifying communities throughout Northern Ireland by bringing a diverse group of young people from across all socioeconomic and religious backgrounds together for one event. It strives to create lasting cultural, sporting and educational partnerships between Northern Ireland and America.
“We are very excited to once again have ECAC Hockey participate in the Friendship Series with the Princeton women’s program facing Providence in January 2024 in Belfast, Northern Ireland,” said ECAC Hockey commissioner Steve Hagwell. “All previous events hosted by our friends in Belfast have been first class, and provided lifetime memories for student-athletes, coaches, staff, and fans. We are certain the 2024 Friendship Series will the same – a tremendously memorable event for everyone involved.”
As a result of the agreement, discussions began with the City of Boston, Hockey East and the ECAC about the possibility of hosting a tournament in Belfast. The city of Belfast identified that, through their professional ice hockey team, the Giants, that hockey was the one sport where people came together, irrespective of religion of community background, in a neutral setting, to cheer for the same team.
“We are so excited to travel to Belfast and showcase our game to international fans,” Princeton women’s coach Cara Morey said. “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that most college hockey players never get to experience. At Princeton, we believe in Education Through Athletics, and we are excited to learn the unique history and customs from the people of Belfast. We are also excited to play top-level college hockey as we take on Providence. This is going to be a highlight for many of our players as they create memories that last a lifetime. We’re grateful for the ECAC and Princeton University for helping facilitate this amazing experience.”
A key focus of the Friendship Series is education, including education of youth through sports to create a spirit of mutual understanding and the spirit of friendship, solidarity and fair play; an exploration of the opportunities that education can provide, both in Northern Ireland and the USA through scholarships and placements; and education linked to future job opportunities and economic success.
In parallel, the Friendship Series initiative aims to focus on social inclusion – ensuring that young people and communities from rural and urban deprived areas are engaged with education and provided with opportunities to identify relevant areas of study and future potential career paths.
Further information and details on the release of Friendship Series tickets will be released will be announced in the coming months.
Collin Graf was an impact player this season during Quinnipiac’s national championship run (photo: Rob Rasmussen).
USCHO.com announced Thursday its three All-USCHO teams for the 2022-23 season.
Voters were comprised of the full editorial staff of USCHO.com.
First All-USCHO Team
F Adam Fantilli, Michigan
F Collin Graf, Quinnipiac
F Matthew Knies, Minnesota
D Brock Faber, Minnesota
D Luke Hughes, Michigan
G Devon Levi, Northeastern
Second All-USCHO Team
F Logan Cooley, Minnesota
F Jason Polin, Western Michigan
F Jimmy Snuggerud, Minnesota
D Lane Hutson, Boston University
D Zach Metsa, Quinnipiac
G Yaniv Perets, Quinnipiac
Third All-USCHO Team
F Sean Farrell, Harvard
F Carter Mazur, Denver
F Matthew Coronato, Harvard
D Mason Lohrei, Ohio State
D Henry Thrun, Harvard
G Blake Pietila, Michigan Tech
Later today, the USCHO Rookie of the Year will be announced.
The USCHO Coach of the Year and Player of the Year will be announced Friday.
Mike Benning was a key cog in Denver’s 2022 national championship team (photo: Isaiah Vazquez/Clarkson Creative Photography).
Denver junior defenseman Mike Benning has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL’s Florida Panthers.
In signing the contract, Benning gives up his senior season with the Pioneers.
Benning led all DU defensemen this past season in scoring and ranked fourth in the country in goals (13) and tied for fifth in points (34) by a blueliner. He ranked tied for third overall on the team in both points and assists (21). Benning also ranked second overall on the squad with seven power-play goals and a plus-24 rating (tied) and was third with 101 shots.
The St. Albert, Alberta, native recorded 10 multi-point games during the 2022-23 campaign, the second-most on DU. The NCHC offensive defenseman of the year and a member of the all-NCHC first team, Benning scored two goals in a game seven times during his career, including on three occasions this past season.
A 2022-23 All-American second team member and a Denver nominee for the Hobey Baker Award, Benning finishes his collegiate career ranked eighth among all defensemen in school history with 31 goals. He also added 52 assists for 83 points in 101 career games.
A member of the NCHC academic all-conference team in each of his three years at Denver, Benning was named to the all-NCHC second team in 2021-22.
Benning was selected by the Panthers in the fourth round (95th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. His father, Brian, played two seasons for the Panthers from 1993 to 1995.
Mackie Samoskevich was a consistent producer up front the last two seasons for Michigan (photo: Michigan Photography).
Michigan sophomore forward Mackie Samoskevich has a signed a professional tryout agreement with the AHL’s Charlotte Checkers.
Samoskevich, a 2021 first-round draft pick (24th overall) of the Florida Panthers, foregoes his junior and senior years with the Wolverines.
Samoskevich was third on the team in scoring this season with 43 points, averaging 1.10 points per game, finishing the season 15th in the NCAA in points per game. He was second on the team in goal scoring with 20 tallies and added 23 assists.
A native of Sandy Hook, Conn., Samoskevich scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Penn State to send Michigan to the Frozen Four. With points in 26 of 39 games, he had three three-point games this season and was named second team all-Big Ten.
During his freshman season, he had 10 goals and 19 assists in 40 games and was named to the Big Ten all-freshman team and the Big Ten all-tournament team.
Samoskevich wraps his Michigan career with 30 goals and 42 assists for 72 points in 79 games.
Quinnipiac goalie Yaniv Perets tracks the puck during the NCAA national championship game April 8 (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Quinnipiac sophomore goaltender Yaniv Perets has signed an NHL contract with the Carolina Hurricanes.
In signing the deal, Perets gives up his remaining two years with the Bobcats.
The Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, native was a 2023 Frozen Four all-tournament team member, Hobey Baker top-10 selection and Mike Richter Award finalist.
Perets currently leads the Quinnipiac leaderboard in career goals-against average (1.34), save percentage (.935) and shutouts (21), while standing fifth in career wins with 56 and ninth in total saves with 1,386 to his name.
He also set the NCAA’s single-season GAA record a season ago, recording a 1.17 goals-against average by allowing 36 goals in 1,841 minutes between the pipes.
He made 49 saves on 50 shots during the Bridgeport regional of the NCAA tournament, earning most outstanding player honors during that portion of the national championship run.
Among the NCAA career ranks, he is second in goals-against average, tied for third in shutouts and tied for sixth in career save percentage. He was also the fastest netminder to reach 20 career shutouts in NCAA history.
Drew Commesso played three seasons in net for BU (photo: Matt Woolverton).
The NHL’s Chicago Blackhawks have announced that the team has agreed to terms with Boston University junior goaltender Drew Commesso on a three-year, entry-level contract.
Commesso will report to the AHL’s Rockford IceHogs on a professional tryout.
In signing the deal, Commesso gives up his senior year with the Terriers.
Commesso served as an alternate captain and appeared in 34 games with BU during the 2022-23 season, recording a 24-8-0 record, 2.46 GAA, a .913 save percentage and two shutouts. He set career-bests in wins, GAA and shutouts. In addition, his 24 wins ranked fourth among all NCAA netminders.
He skated in 73 games with Boston University from 2020 to 2023, posting a 43-22-4 record, 2.57 GAA, a .914 save percentage and three shutouts. Commesso helped the Terriers to two NCAA tournament appearances during his collegiate career, including the club’s first NCAA Frozen Four in over seven years in 2023.
The native of Norwell, Mass., represented the United States in the 2022 Olympic Winter Games, notching a 2-0-0 record, 1.00 GAA and a .964 save percentage.
Commesso was originally drafted by Chicago in the second round (46th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft.
Michigan goalie Erik Portillo makes a play in the 2023 national semifinal April 8 against Quinnipiac (photo: Jim Rosvold).
Michigan junior goaltender Erik Portillo has signed an amateur tryout agreement with the AHL’s Ontario Reign.
Portillo gives up his senior season with the Wolverines.
A 2019 third-round draft pick (67th overall) of the Buffalo Sabres, Portillo had his rights traded to the Los Angeles Kings last month for a third-round pick in the 2023 NHL Draft.
Portillo became the starting goaltender for Michigan in his sophomore season in 2021-22. That year, he was named a Mike Richter Award semifinalist, NCAA Regional most outstanding player, B1G tournament most outstanding player and a finalist for B1G goaltender of the year. He led the nation in saves with 1,111, and was second in wins with 31, second in minutes played at nearly 2,500 and fourth in win percentage at 75.0. His .926 save percentage was ninth in the nation while his goals-against average of 2.14 was 13th. He also had four assists.
This season, Portillo extended his B1G unbeaten streak to a perfect 8-0, helping Michigan to its second Big Ten tournament championship and Frozen Four appearance. He recorded a .908 save percentage and a 3.00 GAA and had four 40-plus save performances, including a career-best 51-save win against Penn State in January.
A native of Gothenburg, Sweden, Portillo finishes his Michigan career with a 60-22-3 overall record, .918 save percentage, 2.49 GAA and six assists.
Todd Knott was promoted to associate head coach for Minnesota State in 2018 (photo: Minnesota State Athletics).
Todd Knott, who spent the past 14 seasons as an assistant and associate head coach at Minnesota State, is joining the Wisconsin men’s hockey team as associate head coach.
“I have a tremendous amount of respect for him as a father, a husband, a friend,” said Wisconsin head coach Mike Hastings in a news release. “He is someone who I think is outstanding at what he does. Whether that is in the hockey rink or in the community or even what he is as a father, a husband, a parent. I’ve got an awful lot of respect for him.”
The 2023 AHCA’s Terry Flanagan Award winner for his career body of work as an assistant coach, Knott spent the last 11 seasons on Hastings’ staff at Minnesota State, first as an assistant coach before becoming associate head coach in 2018.
Before his time at Minnesota State, Knott coached in the USHL beginning in 2005 as associate head coach for the Des Moines Buccaneers, helping the team win the Clark Cup in his first season. He moved on to become head coach and general manager for the Sioux City Musketeers before joining the Mavericks.
Prior to the USHL, Knott served one season as assistant coach and one as head coach for the NAHL’s Fargo-Moorhead Jets, helping the team win a regular-season championship and the West Division playoff title. They finished as Tier II runners up that same 2004-05 campaign.
Knott’s collegiate playing career spanned 1998 through 2002 at Bemidji State where he earned his physical education degree in 2002.
Quinnipiac players celebrate the 2023 national title April 8 in Tampa (photo: Jim Rosvold).
With all 50 first-place votes this week, national champion Quinnipiac ends the 2022-23 season at the top of the USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll.
The Bobcats are up two spots from the March 20 rankings.
Former No. 1 Minnesota drops one to No. 2, while Michigan is down one to No. 3, Boston University is up one to No. 4, and St. Cloud State jumps up one to No. 5.
Denver falls two to sit sixth, Ohio State is up one to No. 7, Penn State rises three to No. 8, Cornell leaps three to No. 9, and Harvard falls three to finish at No. 10.
Western Michigan falls out of the top 10, to No. 11 this week, a drop of one spot.
In addition to the top 20 teams, nine others received votes in the season’s final poll.
No new teams enter the rankings this week.
The USCHO.com Division I Men’s Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 50 voters, including coaches and media professionals from across the country. Media outlets may republish this poll as long as USCHO.com is credited.
“I am extremely happy to have Coach Strand on board and ready to lead our team to the next level,” said Minnesota State president Dr. Edward Inch in a news release. “His record of success, engagement with the community, and leadership is exemplary, and I look forward to all that he will bring to Mankato and our men’s ice hockey program.”
Strand comes to Minnesota State after spending the last year as an assistant at Ohio State where he helped lead the Buckeyes to a 21-16-3 record, including a third-place finish in the Big Ten and a berth in the 2023 NCAA tournament that included a convincing 8-1 opening-round win over Harvard.
Minnesota State director of athletics Kevin Buisman is eager to welcome Strand to the program and anticipates a bright future.
“We are very excited to bring this process to closure and to announce this tremendously important leadership change,” Buisman said. “The Maverick hockey brand is founded on outworking our opponents in every facet of the game, and Luke has created a reputation for developing a culture built on that identity. He impresses me as someone who is more than ready to put in the type of hard work he knows will be necessary to continue the program’s upward trajectory by building upon a solidly established foundation.
“Luke is well-connected across the game and has a wide array of valuable experiences. Through our extensive conversations, I am confident that he is committed to operating a program on and off the ice that will make all those who support Maverick hockey very proud.”
Prior to his time at Ohio State, Strand coached in the USHL for the Sioux City Musketeers for five seasons, guiding them to an impressive Clark Cup title in 2022 behind a 41-16 record. While with the Musketeers, Strand also served the organization as president of hockey operations.
“It is an honor to be chosen as the next men’s hockey coach at Minnesota State University,” said Strand. “I am grateful to President Inch and director of athletics Kevin Buisman for this opportunity. The alumni who have paved the path before us have proven that this is a special place, and that is an important responsibility to uphold as we start this next chapter. We will play with tenacity, pace, and be connected as a team. I cannot wait to start with our student-athletes, welcome our incoming class of players, and discover future Mavericks.”
Strand is well-traveled and has experienced more than 600 games behind the bench. During his time with the Green Bay Gamblers as an assistant coach (2003-05), Strand coached former Mavericks standout Ryan Carter.
Strand then became the head coach at UW-Eau Claire from 2005 to 2007, before a stint as an assistant coach for the AHL’s Houston Aeros (2007-09). Strand had his first stop in Sioux City as head coach for the Musketeers from 2009 to 2011, joined the AHL’s Abbotsford Heat (2011-13), then signed on with the USHL’s Madison Capitols in 2014-15. Additionally, Strand was an associate head coach for Wisconsin during the 2015-16 season.
Outside the collegiate game, Strand served as part of the USA World Junior “A” Challenge player selection team from 2017 to 2022 and also spent time as an amateur scout for the NHL’s Calgary Flames in 2016-17.
A Wisconsin native, Strand played junior hockey for the North Iowa Huskies of the USHL before starting a four-year collegiate career at UW-Eau Claire, where he also played baseball. During his time as a Blugold, Strand played in 104 games, scoring 41 goals and recording 44 assists for a total of 85 points. Following the stop in Eau Claire, Strand played three years of professional hockey for the Madison Monsters and Madison Kodiaks of the UHL.
Matthew Knies averaged better than a point per game in his two years with the Gophers (photo: Brad Rempel).
Minnesota sophomore forward Matthew Knies has signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the NHL’s Toronto Maple Leafs and will forego his final two years of college eligibility.
Knies will join Toronto immediately.
Knies was a second-round pick (57th overall) of the Maple Leafs in the 2021 NHL Draft and was a Hobey Baker Memorial Award Hat Trick finalist and Big Ten conference player of the year in 2022-23, recording 42 points on 21 goals and 21 assists, including an NCAA-best seven game-winning goals.
The Phoenix, Ariz., native was named to the all-Big Ten first team as a sophomore after landing on the second team in his freshman season. He recorded 12 multi-point games with four three-point efforts for the Gophers in 2022-23.
Knies averaged more than a point per game in his two-year Minnesota career, totaling 75 points (36 goals, 39 assists) during 73 games. He tallied 33 points as a freshman and was a dominant force late in the year when he was named the most outstanding player of the Worcester Regional and earned a spot on the NCAA Northeast Regional all-tournament team.
He was part of the most prolific line in college hockey during the 2022-23 campaign with Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud as the trio combined for 152 points. The entire line was held off the scoresheet in just five games played this season, but only three times over the final four months of the campaign.
Brock Faber wore the ‘C’ in 2022-23 for the Gophers (photo: Bjorn Franke).
The NHL’s Minnesota Wild announced Sunday that the club has signed Minnesota junior defenseman Brock Faber to a three-year, entry-level contract starting with the 2022-23 season.
He will join the Wild today and travel with the team to Chicago for their game Monday night.
In signing the NHL contract, Faber foregoes his senior year with the Gophers.
Faber collected 27 points (four goals, 23 assists), a plus-29 rating and 54 blocked shots in 38 games with the Gophers in 2022-23 while serving as the team’s captain.
The native of Maple Grove, Minn., was a 2022-23 AHCA/CCM Hockey All-America West first team honoree, a two-time Big Ten defensive player of the year recipient (2021-22, 22-23 seasons), a two-time first team all-Big Ten selection (2021-22, 22-23) and a two-time academic all-Big Ten selection (2021-22, 22-23).
Faber helped the Golden Gophers win two Big Ten regular-season championships (2021-22, 22-23) and earn three berths in the NCAA tournament, including consecutive Frozen Four appearances during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 postseasons. He finishes his collegiate career with 53 points (seven goals, 46 assists), a plus-54 rating and 130 blocked shots in 97 games with Minnesota (2020-23). He also represented the United States at the 2022 Winter Olympics, tallying one assist in four games.
He was named captain of the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championship and won a gold medal with the U.S. National Junior Team at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.
Faber was a second-round selection (45th overall) by the Los Angeles Kings in the 2020 NHL Draft. Los Angeles traded Faber and a first-round pick in 2022 NHL Draft to the Wild on June 29, 2022, in exchange for forward Kevin Fiala.
No. 5 Boston University (29-10-0)
03/23/2023 – No. 9 Western Michigan 1 vs No. 5 Boston University 5 (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal, Manchester)
03/25/2023 – No. 12 Cornell 1 vs No. 5 Boston University 2 (NCAA Northeast Regional championship, Manchester)
04/06/2023 – No. 5 Boston University 2 vs No. 1 Minnesota 6 (NCAA National semifinal, Tampa)
No. 6 St. Cloud State (25-13-3)
03/23/2023 – No. 10 Minnesota State 0 vs No. 6 St. Cloud State 4 (NCAA West Regional semifinal, Fargo)
03/25/2023 – No. 6 St. Cloud State 1 vs No. 1 Minnesota 4 (NCAA West Regional championship, Fargo)
No. 7 Harvard (24-8-2)
03/24/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 8 vs No. 7 Harvard 1 (NCAA East Regional semifinal, Bridgeport)
No. 8 Ohio State (21-16-3)
03/24/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 8 vs No. 7 Harvard 1 (NCAA East Regional semifinal, Bridgeport)
03/26/2023 – No. 8 Ohio State 1 vs No. 3 Quinnipiac 4 (NCAA East Regional championship, Bridgeport)
No. 9 Western Michigan (23-15-1)
03/23/2023 – No. 9 Western Michigan 1 vs No. 5 Boston University 5 (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal, Manchester)
No. 10 Minnesota State (25-13-1)
03/23/2023 – No. 10 Minnesota State 0 vs No. 6 St. Cloud State 4 (NCAA West Regional semifinal, Fargo)
No. 11 Penn State (22-16-1)
03/24/2023 – No. 13 Michigan Tech 0 vs No. 11 Penn State 8 (NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal, Allentown)
03/26/2023 – No. 11 Penn State 1 vs No. 2 Michigan 2 (OT, NCAA Midwest Regional championship, Allentown)
No. 12 Cornell (21-11-2)
03/23/2023 – No. 12 Cornell 2 vs No. 4 Denver 0 (NCAA Northeast Regional semifinal, Manchester)
03/25/2023 – No. 12 Cornell 1 vs No. 5 Boston University 2 (NCAA Northeast Regional championship, Manchester)
No. 13 Michigan Tech (24-11-4)
03/24/2023 – No. 13 Michigan Tech 0 vs No. 11 Penn State 8 (NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal, Allentown)
No. 14 Merrimack (23-14-1)
03/24/2023 – No. 14 Merrimack 0 vs No. 3 Quinnipiac 5 (NCAA East Regional semifinal, Bridgeport)
Quinnipiac celebrates its first national championship, won in overtime against Minnesota on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — Quinnipiac waited nearly 50 years to watch its program win a national championship, so waiting an extra 10 seconds was nothing.
After rallying from 2-0 down and scoring an extra-attacker goal late in the third period to force overtime, Quinnipiac needed just 10 seconds in the extra session.
Forward Jacob Quillan took a perfect feed from Sam Lipkin, went in alone on Minnesota goaltender Justen Close and buried the puck around the netminder to give the Bobcats a 3-2 victory and the program’s first national championship on Saturday at Amalie Arena.
It was the fastest overtime game winner in NCAA championship game history, besting Wisconsin’s winner that came 23 seconds into overtime in 1977.
The goal came on a set play off the center-ice draw, with Quillan winning the puck back to Zach Metsa. Metsa hit Lipkin in stride with Quillan streaking to the net.
“It’s a neutral-zone faceoff play,” Metsa said of the goal. “You just attack the middle and [Lipkin] made an unbelievable pass back to [Quillan], crazy finish. I had a great view of it. It was awesome to watch.”
The victory gave Quinnipiac its first national championship for a program that has played at the Division I level since only 1999. It also avenged two losses in the finals in 2013 to Yale and 2016 to North Dakota, the latter coming in the same building.
Minnesota held a 2-1 lead heading to the third period but the final frame was dominated by Quinnipiac, which outshot Minnesota 14-2.
A penalty with 4:52 remaining to Minnesota’s Logan Cooley for high sticking sent Quinnipiac to its second power play of the game. With 36 seconds remaining on the power play, Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold called his timeout and pulled goalie Yaniv Perets for the extra attacker.
Seconds after the penalty expired, Collin Graf’s shot seemed to confuse Close, beating him five-hole to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.
“[Collin] Graf makes a great play,” said Pecknold. “If you watch that goal we score that goal because Sam Lipkin is doing exactly what he’s told to do. He’s hiding off the back post. And the goalie knows that. And he cheats the pass and Graf beats him with the fiver.”
The game began with a frenzy. It took just 21 seconds for Quinnipiac, the nation’s least penalized team, to find itself short-handed after Skyler Brind’Amour laid a hard hit on Minnesota’s Mike Koster. The hit was reviewed for a potential major before it was determined the hit was indirect contact to the head, resulting in just a minor penalty.
Minnesota couldn’t capitalize but got some early momentum off the power play and minutes later scored.
Connor Kurth picked off an errant pass from Jayden Lee, skated around the net to pull Perets out of position. Kurth centered the puck to John Mittelstadt, who buried it into the gaping net at 5:35.
In the second, Minnesota extended its lead off a set play of its own on an offensive-zone draw. Center Jaxon Nelson won the draw back to Brock Faber and immediately headed to the net. Faber intentionally shot the puck wide on Perets’ glove side, and when the puck ricocheted off the kick plate, Nelson was ready to fire it into the empty net at 4:24.
Quinnipiac was desperate for a response and, less than four minutes later, got one. Metsa picked off a puck at the offensive blue line, skated down low and centered a perfect pass through the goal mouth to Cristophe Tellier, who made the perfect redirect inside the left post at 7:41.
The Bobcats controlled the period, holding an 11-6 advantage in shots, but still trailed 2-1 entering the third.
For Minnesota and coach Bob Motzko, the loss was a difficult one to swallow, knowing that his team was in position.
“Tip your hat to Quinnipiac. They’re very difficult. But we were in the right spot,” Motzko said. “Turned the puck over for one. Second one never should have gone in. That was the unfortunate situation right there.
“We had a chance. I’m crushed. We just have a wonderful group. The love in that room for that group, I’m just crushed for them and for all of us.”
For Pecknold and his Quinnipiac team, the victory is a culmination for a program that grew from almost nothing. When he took over the club, Quinnipiac was playing a Division III schedule. But Pecknold oversaw the transition to Division I, a move to the MAAC and then Atlantic Hockey, the construction of a high-end arena and a move to ECAC Hockey.
Now he’s a national champion.
“Some of the guys were here tonight from that first team,” Pecknold said. “It’s incredible to do what we’ve done and be where we are. Just excited to get it done.”
A shot by Quinnipiac’s Collin Graf, bottom left, gets through Minnesota goalie Justen Close to tie Saturday’s championship game with 2:47 remaining (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold has a reputation for pulling his goalie early when down by a goal or two.
The strategy paid off for Pecknold and the Bobcats in the national championship game on Saturday, leading to the tying goal and forcing an overtime that lasted only 10 seconds as Quinnipiac defeated Minnesota 3-2 at Amalie Arena.
Down 2-1 in a third period that they were dominating, the Bobcats went to the power play with 4:52 left in regulation.
With a face off coming in the Minnesota zone and 3:28 left to play, Pecknold pulled goaltender Yaniv Perets for an extra attacker.
“I almost did it earlier,” said Pecknold. “As we all know, I like to pull the goalie. I just feel like you’re going to wait a little bit, go 6-on-5. Why not do it 6-on-4? Especially with an O-zone draw.”
Just after the penalty expired, the Bobcats were able to work the puck low and create traffic in front of Minnesota goaltender Justen Close. Quinnipiac sophomore Collin Graf fired a shot from a tight angle that went through Close’s pads for the tying goal.
“Graffer makes a great play,” said Pecknold. “If you watch that goal, we score that goal because Sam Lipkin is doing exactly what he’s told to do. He’s hiding off the back post. And the goalie knows that. And he cheats the pass. And Graffer beats him with the five-holer.”
Just like Pecknold drew it up.
“We’ve done it a lot, just (a) power play where we go off that back door,” he said. “Obviously, we got a little fortunate, too, but they executed it. We don’t practice it every day but we do practice our 6-on-4. You have to be prepared. And they found a way.”
The goal capped off a dominating third period for the Bobcats, who outshot the Golden Gophers 14-2 in the frame.
“We kind of knew we had them, to be honest,” said Quinnipiac forward Christophe Tellier, who scored the Bobcats’ first goal in the second period. “We kept working, and it worked out for us.”
“We wanted to execute our game plan, 6-on-4,” said forward Jacob Quillan, who scored the game-winner. “We practice it a lot every week. And the boys executed.”
“After that tying goal, we had all the momentum,” Quillan continued. “We were staying confident. And we were taking that momentum right into overtime.”
Quillan’s goal made it the shortest overtime in national championship game history.
Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud shoots wide on a 2-on-1 in the third period (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — Through one period of play in Saturday’s NCAA championship game, it looked as though Minnesota had solved Quinnipiac’s suffocating 1-1-3 defense.
That’s a system that aligns three players — usually two forwards and a defenseman — across the width of the neutral zone and keeps each of the two remaining players floating on either side of that defensive line.
For the first period and a good while in the second, the Golden Gophers got around that system by holding the puck in their own zone to draw out a Quinnipiac defender, opening up that structured formation and creating space to navigate into Quinnipiac’s end and create some offensive chances.
When they couldn’t force a wedge through that line, the Gophers had some success using the neutral-zone boards to skirt past the Bobcats into the Quinnipiac end.
The result was that Minnesota led Quinnipiac 1-0 after the first after outshooting the Bobcats 7-4.
After the Gophers took a 2-0 lead early in the second, however, Quinnipiac began to apply offensive pressure, risking some open ice in an attempt to get on the scoreboard. The 2-0 game became 2-1 before the midway mark of the second, and for the remainder of the game, the Bobcats outshot the Gophers by more than a 2-to-1 margin.
“Not by design,” said Minnesota coach Bob Motzko, who alluded to Quinnipiac’s “stingy” defense in a news conference Friday, saying that the Bobcats defensive design “keeps doing it cycle after cycle.”
In the championship game, said Motzko, “We changed our neutral zone in the second period, and it worked. We stopped their zone entry. They were making a push.”
In the third period, Minnesota was unable to draw off the centered Quinnipiac defender and create that space, which led to most of the final 20 minutes played in the Gophers’ end and a 14-2 Quinnipiac shot advantage. When Quinnipiac pulled Yaniv Perets for an extra attacker with 3:28 remaining in regulation, the already overwhelmed Golden Gophers were unable to clear, resulting in the Bobcats’ tying goal with 2:47 left in the third.
Jacob Quillan scored 10 seconds into overtime to give Quinnipiac a 3-2 victory and the championship.
“They were coming out hot,” said Minnesota center Aaron Huglen. “Second and third period, they were making a push. And we did the best we could to keep it under control. But they’re a good team and they played well, too.”
Said forward Rhett Pitlick: “Obviously they shut down and they’re a very systemized team. We stuck to our game plan. But it was just a tough game.”
Minnesota goalie Justen Close and defenseman Mike Koster play against Quinnipiac’s Christophe Tellier on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — Here are five numbers to know from Quinnipiac’s 3-2 overtime win over Minnesota in Saturday’s Frozen Four championship game:
10 seconds
Jacob Quillan’s goal just 10 seconds into overtime is the fastest overtime game-winning goal in NCAA championship game history. It eclipses the previous record of 23 seconds set in Detroit on March 26, 1977, as Wisconsin beat Michigan 6-5 on Steve Alley’s goal.
Quinnipiac missed the mark for shortest tournament overtime by just one second. That came in the West Regional in Grand Rapids, Mich. on March 29, 2013, as Yale beat Minnesota 3-2.
Two shots
Minnesota’s two shots on goal in the third period at the hands of Quinnipiac’s smothering defense tied the Division I men’s championship record for the fewest shots on goal in a regulation period. It has happened only three other times, most recently when Boston University was held to two in the first period in a 9-1 loss to Lake Superior State on April 2, 1994.
Denver had two shots in the third period in a 6-5 loss to North Dakota on March 16, 1963, and Michigan State had just two in the first in a 5-3 loss to North Dakota on March 28, 1987.
15 shots
Minnesota set a record for the fewest shots on goal in the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship game with just 15. The previous record was set by Denver in its 1963 loss to North Dakota.
It was the fewest shots on net for a team in a national championship game since Massachusetts mustered only 18 in a 3-0 loss to Minnesota Duluth on April 13, 2019, in Buffalo, N.Y.
Minnesota was held to no fewer than 23 shots on goal in the 2022-23 season. That low came on Jan. 7, 2023, in a 3-0 loss at St. Cloud State.
Four minors
Minnesota was first and Quinnipiac third in fewest penalty minutes this season, so a combined four minor penalties between the two teams should not be a surprise. Only once has there been fewer: Denver had one and Minnesota Duluth two in the Pioneers’ 3-2 win on April 8, 2017.
Only once
Minnesota lost only once in the 2022-23 season when leading after two periods, Saturday’s national championship game. The Golden Gophers had been 22-0-0.
Quinnipiac won only once in overtime this season, again in Saturday’s title contest. The Bobcats were 0-1-3 in games decided in OT prior the final game of the season.
Quinnipiac celebrates its first goal in its overtime victory against Minnesota on Saturday (photo: Jim Rosvold).
TAMPA, Fla. — It may have taken an extra 10 seconds, but for Quinnipiac, it was worth every one of them.
After rallying late from 2-0 down and scoring an extra-attacker goal late in the third period to force overtime, Quinnipiac needed just 10 seconds in the extra session as forward Jacob Quillan took a perfect feed from Sam Lipkin, went in alone on Minnesota goaltender Justen Close and buried the puck around the netminder to give the Bobcats a 3-2 victory and the program’s first national championship.
The goal came on a set play off the center-ice draw, with Quillan winning the puck back to Zach Metsa. Metsa hit Lipkin in stride with Quillan streaking to the net.
Minnesota held a 2-1 lead heading to the third period but the final frame was dominated by Quinnipiac, which outshot Minnesota 14-2.
A penalty with 4:52 remaining to Minnesota’s Logan Cooley for high sticking sent Quinnipiac to its second power play of the game. With 36 seconds remaining on the power play, Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold called his timeout and pulled Perets for the extra attacker.
Seconds after the penalty expired, Collin Graf’s shot seemed to confuse Close, beating him five-hole to even the score at 2-2 and force overtime.
The game began with a frenzy. It took just 21 seconds for Quinnipiac, the nation’s least penalized team, to find itself short-handed after Skyler Brind’Amour laid a hard hit on Minnesota’s Mike Koster. The hit was reviewed for a potential major before it was determined the hit was indirect contact to the head, resulting in just a minor penalty.
Minnesota couldn’t capitalize but got some early momentum off the power play and minutes later scored.
Connor Kurth picked off an errant pass from Jayden Lee, skated around the net pulling goaltender Yaniv Perets out of position. Kurth centered the puck to John Mittlestadt, who buried it into the gaping net at 5:35.
In the second, Minnesota extended its lead on a set play off an offensive-zone draw. Center Jaxon Nelson won the draw back to Brock Faber and immediately headed to the net. Faber intentionally shot the puck wide on Perets’ glove side, and when the puck ricocheted off the kick plate, Nelson was ready to fire it into the empty net at 4:24.
Quinnipiac was desperate for a response and, less than four minutes later, got one. Metsa picked off a puck at the offensive blue line, skated down low and centered a perfect pass through the goal mouth to Cristophe Tellier, who made the perfect redirect inside the left post at 7:41.
The Bobcats controlled the period, holding an 11-6 advantage in shots, but still trailed 2-1 entering the third.
TAMPA, Fla. — A set play off the center-ice faceoff gave Quinnipiac its first NCAA championship.
Defenseman Zach Metsa’s pass up ice to Sam Lipkin opened up space, and Lipkin threaded a pass to Jacob Quillan for the winning goal 10 seconds into overtime Saturday as the Bobcats defeated Minnesota 3-2 at Amalie Arena.
Here’s the winning goal:
BOBCATS WIN!!!! BOBCATS ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!!
