This year’s NCAA tournament features some very intriguing first round matchups that defied past geographical considerations and made for some exciting D-III hockey. Hobart and Endicott enjoyed their first-round byes but now know who is coming to their barn for the quarterfinal round.
Here is how the first round of the NCAA tournament went down on Saturday with one thriller and five slightly less dramatic games played:
University of New England v. St. Norbert
In a game that many thought would be the marque match-up in the first-round, UNE and St. Norbert did not disappoint in a thrilling last minute of regulation drama that ended in a 5-4 win for the Green Knights.
The first period was electric with Calvin Hansen scoring in the opening minute to give the hosts a 1-0 lead. UNE responded with a pair of goals to take a 2-1 lead before Logan Dombrowsky scored on the power play to tie the game at 2-2 all in the opening seven and a half minutes of play. Things settled down until Dominic Murphy scored to give the nor’easters a 3-2 lead at the first intermission.
Blake Ulve’s power play goal in the second period was the only goal in the middle frame setting up a lot of excitement for the third with the score tied at 3-3.
Brayden Beahm scored with less than five minutes remaining to give the Green Knights a one-goal advantage but with the goalie pulled for the extra attacker in the final minute, Nathan Chickering scored in a loose puck battle in the crease to tie the score with just 30 seconds remaining in regulation. With overtime looming, Jack Christen had other ideas as he deked goaltender Harrison Chesney to score on the backhand with just 12 seconds remaining on the clock for the winning goal. A UNE challenge for offsides on the play was unsuccessful and the Knights skated off with an amazing 5-4 win. Christen finished the game with a goal and an assist to pace the SNC offense.
St. Norbert will now travel to New York to face No. 1 seed Hobart in a quarterfinal game on Saturday, March 21.
Anna Maria v. Wisconsin – Stout
The MASCAC and WIAC champions faced-off in first round action and the Blue Devils were less than hospitable hosts as they downed the AmCats 4-1 to advance to the quarterfinal round.
Wisconsin-Stout broke the ice eleven minutes into the first period as Gunner Moore beat goaltender Mattthew Hennessey for the 1-0 advantage. Less than six minutes later, the Blue Devils got some breathing room on a goal from Tristan Therrien for a 2-0 lead after the first period of play.
The AmCats were looking to shift momentum in the second period but just a minute after the face-off, Hayden Stocks scored for a 3-0 advantage. Lucas de la Salle finally got AMC on the board to cu the deficit to just two goals but the Blue Devils were in lock down mode in front of goaltender Christian Monaco.
The third period saw limited chances for both teams before Kullen Daikawa scored an empty-net goal for the final 4-1 margin. Monaco finished with 21 saves on the night while Stocks and Moore each finished with a goal and an assist in the game.
Wisconsin-Stout will travel to play Utica in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 21.
Neumann v. Hamilton
The MAC champions traveled to Clinton, NY to face a Hamilton team that received an at-large bid and struggled down the final weeks of the season and NESCAC playoffs. This one was expected to be close and highly contested from the opening face-off.
The visitors found the back of the net first as Jared Coccimiglio would score the only goal of the first period for the Knights to take a 1-0 lead into the first intermission.
It didn’t take long for the Continentals to get going in the second period as Ryan Sordillo tied the score less than 90 seconds after the opening face-off and Luke Tchor gave the home fans something to celebrate with a power play goal just past the halfway point of the period for a 2-1 lead. Coccimiglio would net his second of the game less than a minute later to tie the score at 2-2 after forty minutes of play.
The third period was all Hamilton as Max Bulawka scored a pair goals just seventeen seconds apart for a 4-2 lead and the Continentals would add two more for insurance in a 6-2 win over the Knights. Bulawka paced the Continentals with his two goals while John Wojciechowski chipped in with three assists in the win.
Hamilton will next play host to Norwich in the quarterfinal round on Saturday, March 21.
Williams v. Utica
Williams was on a Cinderella-run having won the NESCAC conference tournament as a No. 6 seed and entered the NCAA tournament as the only team with a record less than .500. All that had no bearing on the Pioneers taking the game very seriously against a dangerous and explosive opponent on Saturday.
After a scoreless opening period where both teams had a few quality scoring chances, Utica found three goals in a three-minute span late in the second period to take a commanding 3-0 lead after forty minutes of play. Aiden Hughes, Andrew Della Rovere and John Gutt finally solved Ephs’ netminder Harrison Fogel and the Pioneers went into lockdown mode in front of goaltender Kyle Curtin in the third period to preserve the program’s first ever NCAA shutout in the 3-0 final. Curtin was especially good over the final two periods making 22 of his 28 saves for the game to earn the shutout.
Utica will host Wisconsin-Stout in quarterfinal round action on Saturday, March 21.
St. John’s v. Aurora
The Spartans played host to the MIAC champions and started the game seeking to put their opponents on their heels with a 17 shot first period onslaught of goaltender Jon Howe. Aurora was finally rewarded in the final minute of the period with Jakson Kirk’s goal in the final 15 seconds of the period for a 1-0 lead.
Jordan Newpower for St. John’s and Andrew Schultz for Aurora exchanged goals in the second period for a 2-1 advantage to the Spartans entering the third period.
The game was broken open in the third period as Aurora scored three goals in a span of 46 seconds. Connor Ronayne extended the lead to 3-1 before unassisted goals from Jacob Brockman and Lucas Sedlacek put the game out of reach. Jake code’s empty-net goal provided the final margin in a 6-1 win. Matt O’Connell made 30 saves for Aurora including 18 in the final twenty minutes of action to shutdown St. John’s.
Aurora travels to pay No. 2 seed Endicott on Saturday, march 21 in quarterfinal round action.
Norwich v. Salve Regina
The Cadets were ready for their matchup with at-large bid recipient Salve Regina and were not putting a lot of stock into the fact the Seahawks hadn’t played a competitive game in over a month before Saturday’s NCAA first-round contest.
Frank D’Ancona and Jed Brazo scored goals less than twenty seconds apart in the opening five minutes of action and Norwich never took their foot off the gas building on that lead while limiting the Seahawks chances against goaltender Sami Molu.
Nick Cordeiro gave Norwich a 3-0 lead after one period while Zach Ophoven expanded the lead to 4-0 after two periods. Two goals in the opening minute of the third period from Ben van Waterschoot and Boyd Stahlbaum gave the visiting Cadets a 6-0 lead before Jack Arizo broke Molu’s shutout bid with a late power play goal for the final 6-1 margin. D’Ancona finished with a goal and an assist while Cordeiro had a three-point game adding two assists to his first period goal.
Norwich will travel to play Hamilton in quarterfinal action on Saturday, March 21.
USCHO Game Pucks
Jack Christen – St. Norbert – scored the game-winning goal with just 12 seconds remaining in regulation time in St. Norbert’s thrilling 5-4 win over UNE on Saturday night.
Max Bulawka – Hamilton – scored a pair of goals in the third period to break open a close game and help Hamilton to a 6-2 win over Neumann in NCAA first round action on Saturday.
Kyle Curtin – Utica – stopped all 28 shots he faced from Williams to record Utica’s first-ever shutout win in an NCAA game.
We are down to the Elite Eight and the quarterfinal round matchups are set – Just one week away from knowing who this year’s Frozen four combatants will be!