NCAA men’s hockey regional recap: Blowouts galore on final day of semifinal action

With three teams winning with eight-goal efforts, and the other taking a 5-0 shutout victory, we’re now down to eight teams remaining in the NCAA regional championship, with titles to be decided this weekend.

Buckeyes shock Harvard with blowout win

In a game that many expected to go be one of the best games of the day, the Ohio State Buckeyes instead dominated the pace in a huge 8-1 win to advance to Sunday’s Bridgeport Regional final.

Ohio will play Quinnipiac in the regional final Sunday at 4:00 PM ET with a shot to qualify for the Frozen Four next month.

It didn’t take long for Ohio State to start strong. Just 3:22 in, Gustaf Westlund – who hadn’t played since October – found Cam Thiesing in close for a tight-angle shot to make 1-0. Thiesing then helped to create a screen in front of goaltender Mitch Gibson at 18:24, and Mason Lohrei’s shot hit Cole Mcward in front for the 2-0 goal in a period that saw OSU outshoot Harvard 17-3.

Ohio State’s dominance continued in the second. Westlund scored one of his own after some slick passing between him and Jake Wise at 3:44. Then, just seconds later, Thiesing somehow caught Gibson off-guard blocker side to make it 4-0 – a score that completely deflated Harvard.

The scoring wasn’t done. Mason Lohrei scored at 28:24 after tipping in Stephen Halliday’s shot, and Joe Dunlap made it a 6-0 game with another in-close goal with under five minutes to go in the frame. Mcward’s second of the night would make it 7-0, and Patrick Guzzo scored just 1:10 in the third to make it 8-0.

Harvard wouldn’t go down without a fight, though. John Farinacci, who is expected to sign with the Arizona Coyotes in the coming days, managed to bounce a weird shot off Jakub Dobes and in for the 8-1 goal with around three minutes to go. That didn’t matter in the end, but it gave the traveling fans something to cheer about.

Penn State crushes Michigan Tech

Penn State is off to the Allentown Regional final thanks to a convincing 8-0 win over Michigan Tech.

The Nittany Lions will play the Michigan Wolverines in an attempt to advance to the Frozen Four next month.

Penn State got off to a hot start. At 2:15, a pair of Tyler’s – Paquette and Gratton – combined for the first goal, with Paquette capitalizing to give the second-ranked team in Allentown the lead. That lead stuck for about 22 minutes, when Jarod Crespo’s shot beat Blake Pietila for the 2-0 goal. Ashton Calder scored about 10 minutes later to make it 3-0, before Christian Berger completed the second-period onslaught with a great shot of his own.

Michigan Tech looked defeated from the get-go in the third, and it didn’t help that Kevin Wall scored early to make it 5-0. Chase Mclane, Connor McMenamin and Kevin Wall all scored to make it an 8-0 game, while Liam Souliere held on for the 24-save shutout – his third of the season.

Second period surge gives Quinnipiac win over Merrimack

The Quinnipiac Bobcats have moved on to the Bridgeport Regional final after beating the Merrimack Warriors 5-0 on Friday.

On Sunday, Quinnipiac will battle with the Ohio State University for a berth in April’s Frozen Four.

The first period was quiet, with the two teams focused more on landing hits than anything. That all changed at 21:56 when Joey Cipollone scored from the right of Merrimack goaltender Zachary Borgiel. Cipollone’s shot bounced off a defenseman and in for the 1-0 goal, a big momentum changer.

Two minutes later, Quinnipiac’s top line struck to make it 2-0. Jacob Quillan was able to jam it home after both Sam Lipkin and Collin Graf had looks, and suddenly the game looked out of reach for Merrimack.

Merrimack was doing everything it could to hold on as the bottom seed in Bridgeport, but, eventually, Quinnipiac put a bow on everything. With 13:32 to go, Michael Lombardi’s simple wrister made it 3-0, a deficit Merrimack wasn’t able to penetrate. Quillan scored another one late, and Lipkin scored in an empty net, while Yaniv Perets finished the effort with a 15-save shutout.

University of Michigan demolishes Colgate

The University of Michigan is off to the Allentown Regional final with a big 11-1 win over Colgate.

Michigan will meet with Ohio State on Sunday, with the Wolverines looking to make the Frozen Four for the third time since 2018.

Luke Hughes is known for his tremendous puck-moving ability, and it was on full display in the first. At 10:20, Hughes skated from the blueline and wrapped around the net and found Nick Granowicz in front. Granowicz quickly tapped it in for the 1-0 goal, catching Colgate goaltender Carter Gylander off guard.

The score remained tied for the next 18 minutes. But with under eight minutes off the clock in the second, everything started to fall apart for Colgate. Eric Ciccolini scored the first at 7:33 on the power play. Then, on the very next shift, Adam Fantilli went end to end, showing why he’s projected to go second overall, to make it 3-0.

Frank Nazar then made it 4-0 after Jackson Hallum used his speed to create a chance, only to get stopped. Nazar, a Chicago Blackhawks prospect, managed to poke it past on the third poke attempt to score the team’s third goal in four minutes. The onslaught continued on the next two shifts, with Mark Estapa and Rutger McGroarty both scoring to make it 6-0 with over seven minutes to go in the middle stanza.

Fantilli wasn’t the only 2023 NHL Draft prospect worth watching. Late in the second, Gavin Brindley – a projected first-round pick – scored from the high slot, beating a frustrated Gylander for the 7-0 goal. Hughes capped off the seven-goal period with a simple wrister, ending Gylander’s tournament with over a period to go.

Hughes scored one of his own at 16:54. Expected to go pro once Michigan’s season comes to a close, he took the off a defender and fired it in from the slot, making it an 8-1 game with 3:07 to go in the second. Colgate’s Nic Belpedio ended Erik Portillo’s shutout bid early in the third, but that didn’t spur any late-game momentum.

Instead, a five-minute power play for Michigan kept things rolling. Hughes scored his second, Dylan Duke scored one and McGroarty got another to make it a three-goal outburst after Alex Young was given a five-minute major for buttending an opponent. Once that came to a close, Michigan finally was able to call it a game.

NHL Implications

Harvard has 15 NHL prospects, many of whom could sign and suit up for their respective teams in the near future. That includes Sean Farrell (Montreal Canadiens), Matt Coronato (Calgary Flames) and Henry Thrun (San Jose Sharks). Farrell and Coronato should give their respective teams some speed and skill, while Thrun will have the opportunity to learn from Erik Karlsson, Marc-Eduard Vlasic and Co. John Farinacci, an Arizona Coyotes prospect, is expected to sign with the club soon.
Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Ryan O’Connell has finished his fifth year and fourth with Michigan Tech. The Leafs have until August 15, 2023 to sign him, or else the 2017 seventh-round pick will become an unrestricted free agent.
Merrimack’s loss marked the end of Stanislav Demin‘s run with Merrimack, his third college team over five years. The Chicago Blackhawks prospect can now turn pro, so we’ll see if the team is happy enough with his breakout season.

Regional Championship Schedule

Saturday:
Cornell Big Red vs. Boston University Terriers – 4:00 PM ET
Minnesota Golden Gophers vs. St. Cloud State Huskies – 6:30 PM ET

Sunday:
Quinnipiac Bobcats vs. Ohio State Buckeyes – 4:00 PM ET
Penn State Nittany Lions vs. Michigan Wolverines – 6:30 PM ET