After Boston University and the University of Minnesota advanced to the Frozen Four on Saturday, Quinnipiac and Michigan posted Sunday comebacks to fill out the 2023 NCAA men’s national title field.
Quinnipiac scored three straight goals to defeat Ohio State, while Michigan’s third-period effort led them to a 2-1 overtime win against an inspired Penn State team.
Starting in the Bridgeport Regional, the Buckeyes needed just under two minutes to kick into gear. On his first shift of the game, Joe Dunlap created a flawless breakaway chance before beating Yaniv Perets for the icebreaker. But subsequent goals to Christophe Fillion and Skyler Brind’amour just 15 seconds apart for Quinnipiac flipped the script, giving the Bobcats a 2-1 lead heading into the first break.
Quinnipiac went without a shot attempt over the first 12 minutes of the third period, as Ohio State was doing a fantastic job of controlling the pace of play. With over four minutes remaining, though, Christophe Tellier scored one of the season’s best goals, tapping the puck over Jakub Dobes’ head before batting it in to push the Bobcats to a 3-1 advantage. The call on the ice was originally for a no-goal, with the play resuming for a few seconds before the refs had a chance to take another look and change their minds. Thus ended Ohio State’s best shot to keep the game close in earnest.
Elsewhere in the Allentown Regional, the action was intense throughout the first 40 minutes of play. The teams traded 14 shots apiece in the first period before Michigan took over, possession-wise, in the second. But Michigan’s offense kept coming up short thanks to the tremendous goaltending of Liam Souliere, who made 25 saves in the first 40 minutes of the contest, including a couple of big ones on an early power play for Michigan. The Wolverines’ inability to capitalize hurt them, and with 1:02 left in the second, Penn State managed to take the lead.
Michigan needed to do whatever it took to get on the board and with under eight minutes to go, they got it. Adam Fantilli, the NCAA’s leading scorer and projected to go second overall in the NHL Draft, scored his 29th goal of the season on the power play to make it a 1-1 game.
That forced overtime for the first time in the regional championships. Mackie Samoskevich, a Florida Panthers prospect, scored his 20th goal of the season – and the biggest of his college hockey career – with a snapshot that beat Penn State goaltender Liam Souliere, who was otherwise fantastic with 41 saves. That win sent Michigan back to the Frozen Four, while Penn State missed out on advancing for the first time in the school’s history.
The Frozen Four will take place in Tampa Bay on April 6 and 8. Last year's champ, Denver, took an early exit in Thursday's regional playoff action, meaning that we will see a new champion come early April. The two semifinal games are scheduled for April 6, with the national championship game set to follow two nights thereafter.
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