By: Victoria Rutigliano
Twenty minutes of hockey was all it took for Quinnipiac to lodge a 2-0 lead against Boston College in the Frozen Four Thursday night in Tampa, Fla. With that, the Bobcats (32-3-7, 16-1-5 ECAC) ended the Eagles (28-7-5, 15-2-5 Hockey East) season by a score of 3-2, ensuring the Bobcats a few extra days in the sun and a chance to win a National Championship.
Boston College senior captain Teddy Doherty said there was one simple reason Quinnipiac jumped out to an early lead.
“They just came out faster than us. There’s no other way to explain it,” he said. “Two goals in the first ten minutes is unacceptable and ultimately cost us the game.”
Quinnipiac dominated the corners and maintained patience throughout the first period of the game, not allowing the Eagles long stretches of controlling the puck and time to set up plays.
“We want to do that to anybody we play. We want to deny time and space,” head coach Rand Pecknold said. “I think if you look at the talent, the firepower that BC has… If those kids have time they’re gonna make plays and I think we had to get up in their face a little bit.”
Kevin McKernan tallied the first goal of the game just 2:31 into the first period from between the faceoff circles, wristing a shot past the left pad of Hobey Baker nominee Thatcher Demko. Andrew Taverner scored a few minutes later to give the Bobcats a two-goal lead.
Boston College was fast to jump back into the game 23 seconds into the second period when Alex Tuch tapped a puck that was inching towards the goal line.
But when Quinnipiac’s nationally ranked 4th place power play hit the ice, the team brought the lead back to two just nine seconds in to the man-advantage with Landon Smith netting in a rebound off the initial shot of Travis St. Denis.
“I think we have a really resilient group of guys and it seems like no matter what the score is, no matter what the situation is in the game, nothing changes in the locker room,” Smith said. “Everybody expects to win and everybody goes out there and gives it their all.”
The Bobcats went into the second intermission with a 3-1 lead and a boisterous undefeated record of 26-0-2 when leading after two periods.
As a college hockey perennial powerhouse, and a team with an NCAA record of 25 appearances in the Frozen Four, it was no surprise the Eagles weren’t going to back down late. After the Bobcats got called for back-to-back penalties, the Eagles were able to convert with leading goalscorer, Ryan Fitzgerald netting the puck through the crease.
In the final minutes, and most notably the last four seconds of the game, Garteig had to make a few incredible saves barely nicking the puck out of the air to keep the Bobcats in the lead.
Pecknold was not surprised by the performance.
“Garteig’s a winner,” Pecknold said. “He’s got great battle mode and just all year long he’s been going up head to head with the top goaltenders in the country and he finds a way to win. That’s what he does.”
When the final horn sounded, junior forward Sam Anas had two words to describe what he was feeling.
“Pure excitement,” he said. “I mean, there’s not much better than that. I think there’s one thing that will be better than that. Hopefully we’re hearing that buzzer sound like that again on Saturday night.”
Quinnipiac now has a chance to win its first-ever national championship. A goal that has been on the forefront of the team’s mind since the beginning of the season is finally within view.
The Bobcats will try to become the fourth consecutive team to win the NCAA championship for the first time in the school’s history.
The puck will drop Saturday night at 8 p.m. at Amalie Arena. Quinnipiac will face the winner of North Dakota and Denver.
