OVERALL BLANKET REPORT ON THE WHOLE NCAA DAY FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2023

College Hockey Update: Are you kidding me? The total of winners’s combined scores versus losers’s combined scores on Friday was 32-2. And I have to say that we could say it started with the final game played on Thursday night, actually. If you add that one in, the total combined scores of the last five games played in the tournament, through Friday night, was 41-4. I don’t really recall any tournament day so lopsided. Not saying there never was one, but I don’t recall there being one. Give the one-sided nature of all four of these games, these summaries will be brief.

Massive Second Period Propels Ohio State Demolition Of Harvard

College Hockey Update: It started early and really took off like a rocket in the second period, as Ohio State demolished Harvard in the first game of opening round action of the the NCAA Hockey Tournament in the Bridgeport, Connecticut Region on Friday, March 24, 2023. Ohio State outshot Harvard 17-3 in the first and had a 2-0 lead going into the break off of goals from sophomores Cam Thiesing and Cole McWard. The second was insane, as goals by Gustaf Westlund, Cam Thiesing, Mason Lohrei, Joe Dunlap, and Cole McWard put Ohio State up 7-0 going into the second break after outshooting Harvard 17-5 in the period. A goal by Patrick Guzzo early in the third made it 8-0, and the final score was determined when John Farinacci scored for Harvard with three minutes left in the game, making the final 8-1. Ohio State advanced to play for a spot in the Frozen Four against Quinnipiac today, Sunday, March 26th, in Bridgeport, Conn., at 1:00pm on ESPN2.

OUR POOL

This outcome was not an upset in our pool, as 26 of our 49 participants picked Ohio State to win this game, compared to 23 participants who picked Harvard.

Likewise, Pennsylvania State University Fleeces Michigan Technological University

College Hockey Update: This one was eerily like the last one, as Pennsylvania State University fleeced Michigan Technological University from the get-go in the first game of opening round action of the NCAA Hockey Tournament on Friday, March 24, 2023, in the Allentown, PA. Region. Pennsylvania State outshot Michigan Tech 11-7 in the first and took a 1-0 lead into the break off of a goal by Tyler Paquette, of Collegeville, PA. Things got busier in the third, as Pennsylvania State increased their lead to 4-0 off of goals by Jared Crespo, Ashton Calder, and their janitor, Chuck Williams. Ok, I made that up about the janitor playing in the game. The third goal was scored by Christian Berger. And the fourth was pretty insane, as Pennsylvania State blew it out to 8-0 on goals by Kevin Wall, Chase McLane, Connor McMenamin, and the coach’s son, little Timmy Gadowski. Alright, alright, so the fourth goal was really scored by Ryan Kirwan. Pennsylvania State advanced to play Michigan today, Sunday, March 26th, in Allentown, PA., at 3:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.

OUR POOL

The outcome of this game would be considered a minor upset, as 23 of our 49 participants picked Pennsylvania State to win, compared to 26 participants who picked Michigan Tech.

Quinnipiac Dismisses Merrimack

College Hockey Update: Once again we report on a game that started out well for a team that then turned it up in the last two periods, as Quinnipiac outshot Merrimack 14-7 in the first period in the late game of opening round action of the NCAA Hockey Tournament in the Bridgeport, Connecticut Region on Friday, March 24, 2023. The first ended in a scoreless tie. But in the second, Quinnnipiac turned up the heat outshooting Merimack 11-6, and took a 2-0 lead into the second break off of goals by Joey Cipollone and Jacob Quillan. In the third it was even worse as Quinnipiac outshot Merrimack 10-2, and scored three more goals, one of which was by Michael Lombardi, a graduate student from Barrington, R.I., for a final score of 5-0, Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac advanced to play Ohio State today, Sunday, in Bridgeport, Conn., at 1:00pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.

OUR POOL

The outcome of this game was not an upset in our pool, as only 5 of our 49 participants picked Merrimack to win this game, compared to 44 participants who picked Quinnipiac. Quinnipiac advanced to play Ohio State tomorrow, Sunday, March 26th, in Bridgeport, Connecticut, at 1:00pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.

Michigan Spanks Colgate

College Hockey Update: And, here we go again with a game that started out well and then exploded in the second and stayed hot in the third, as Michigan outshot Colgate 17-7 in the first and took a 1-0 lead into the first break off a goal by Nick Granowicz in the late game of opening round action of the NCAA Hockey Tournament on Friday, March 24, 2023, in the Allentown, PA. Region. The second period was goals gone wild as Michigan racked up seven of them from Eric Ciccolini, Adam Fantilli, Frank Nazar, Mark Estapa, Rutger McRoarty, Gavin Brindley, and Luke Hughes. Colgate got on the board early in the third to cut the Michigan lead to 8-1, but Michigan scored three more in the period, with two from Rutger McRoarty and one from Dylan Duke, to make the final 11-1, Michigan. Michigan advanced to play Pennsylvania State today in Allentown, PA., at 3:30pm Pacific Time on ESPN2.

OUR POOL

The outcome of this game is not an upset in our pool, as 43 of our 49 participants picked Michigan to win, compared to six who picked Colgate.

That’s all for now.

Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom