College Hockey Update: This provides a (very late) look at the tournament games that brought us to this point; this page provides the two games played on Saturday, March 30th.

DENVER REPEATS 2-1 WIN, THIS TIME OVER CORNELL

College Hockey Update: Denver gave up an early goal to Cornell in a pretty evenly played first period in the Springfield, MA. Regional Final, but with two minutes left in the period Miko Matikka netted one for Denver to tie it at one apiece, the score going into the break. This game looked and felt much the same type of tense brick-wall style of play as the Denver game Thursday against UMass. Shots on goal in the first were Cornell 8, Denver 7. The second period played the same but even more so as the two went scoreless for nearly the entire twenty minutes, until Sam Harris scored in a rush on the goal with only four seconds remaining. Cornell managed to get nine shots on goal in the third while Denver did little to upset its apple cart, and effectively held Cornell off while managing only three shots on goal, and effectively killed the clock for twenty minutes, taking away the 2-1 win. Denver advanced to the Frozen Four to play the winner of the Boston University vs. Minnesota game played later in the day.

The outcome of this game is not an upset in our pool as 28 entrants picked Denver to win it vs. only 3 for Cornell; eight picked Maine, and two picked Massachusetts.

BOSTON UNIVERSITY EARNS A WIN OVER MINNESOTA

College Hockey Update: Boston University gave up two early goals to Minnesota and endured a slug-fest to start digging itself out in the first period of the Sioux Falls, S.D. Regional Final. Minnesota scored at the seven minute mark and the eighteen minute mark playing alertly and seizing on opportunities presented to them, despite BU out-shooting them 15-10 in the first period. An equally alert and opportunistic Quinn Hutson intercepted a clearing pass out of the Minnesota zone along the board, skated against the flow down to the goal and zipped one under the goalie’s pads to narrow the gap to 2-1, Minnesota, the score at the first break. Play was fairly even in the second, and with all eyes on Macklin Celebrini skating into the Minnesota zone and down to the lower right circle just a minute into the period when he dodged around a defender, turned and fired across the ice to a wide open Shane Lachance in the left circle, who potted the puck into the open net, tying it at two apiece. Four minutes later Macklin Celebrini zipped the puck from the lower right corner to Jack Harvey at the lower right circle, and Harvey fired an open shot into the right top corner, giving BU the 3-2 lead. But Minnesota scored again just four minutes later, tying it up at three goals apiece. With two minutes left in the period Lane Hutson had the puck at the blue line and dodged a defender, skated down the left side to the circle, and fired one under the goalie that went off the goalie’s skate and into the net, as BU regained the lead at 4-3, the score going into the second break. In the third period things just didn’t go the way of Minnesota. Despite pulling their goalie with two minutes to go, BU kept in the game and kept the pressure on Minnesota, out-shooting them Gophers 15-9 (38-28 in the game). The two teams skated to what might have been a scoreless stalemate, except for Case McCarthy finding the empty net with two minutes left to increase the Terrier lead to 5-3, and then Sam Stevens doing the same with a minute to go, making the final 6-3, Boston University. BU advanced to play Denver in the Frozen Four.

The outcome of this game is not an upset in our pool as 29 entrants picked Boston University to win it vs. 12 who picked Minnesota.

CHAMPIONSHIP GAME ABOUT TO START

AS OF THE TIME OF THIS POSTING, the start of the NCAA Hockey Championship game between Boston College and Denver is only one hour and fifteen minutes away, to be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3pm Pacific Time.

That’s all for now.

Stay tuned, and go Terriers!

— Tom