LAKE PLACID, N.Y. — For the first time since 2016, and just the second time in program history, the Quinnipiac Bobcats are the champions of ECAC Hockey. A day after downing Princeton in overtime to advance to the conference’s championship game, the Hamden, C.T squad cruised by Yale to earn the conference title.
When the clock hit zero on the 5-1 win over the Bulldogs, Quinnipiac head coach Cassandra Turner had one thought running through her mind.
“Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry. Don’t cry,” she told reporters. “I took like eight deep breaths so that I didn’t cry.”
It was not the win itself that made Turner emotional. Instead, it was the journey.
“It’s so hard to get here, let alone win this game,” Turner said. “Our league is a gauntlet. It is so challenging, and to get all the pieces together, to get to this place, and then to execute and build beyond the semis and win the final. It’s hard. It’s really hard.”
For a team that was picked to finish fourth in the conference in the pre-season coaches poll — in large part thanks to the loss of four players to the PWHL — coming out on top was never a foregone conclusion.
“Nothing really intimidated them, and they knew that everyone needed to trust in what they could bring to the group and trust in one another to execute,” said Turner.
In the semifinals against Princeton, the Bobcats season hung in the balance throughout a back-and-forth third period, and eventually overtime. While Taylor Brueske got the scoring started just over halfway through the game’s opening frame, the Tigers picked up momentum as the game went on and eventually found an equalizer midway through the third period courtesy of Angelina DiGirolamo.
“The momentum of the game [had] completely shifted, and I came down [the ice] two-on-one, and I knew I had to bury it,” DiGirolamo said. “It was a great moment.”
In the game’s final minutes of regulation, the Tigers nearly broke through multiple times, with Bobcat netminder Felicia Frank making a series of impressive saves just before the horn sounded to conclude the third period.
3:48 into overtime, Quinnipiac punched its ticket to the finals thanks to an unlikely source. Coming into the weekend, Avery Bairos had totalled just two goals and seven points across 55 career games. So it was no surprise that when the sophomore deposited a rebounding puck into the back of the Princeton net, her mind went blank.
“To be completely honest, I kind of blacked out,” Bairos said when asked how she felt after scoring the game-winning goal. “I’m just super proud of this team … and I’m just so happy to be going to the finals tomorrow.”
Quinnipiac’s finals opponent — Yale — had an easier time in its semifinal win over Cornell.
While the Red jumped out to a 1-0 lead 44 seconds into the game behind a well placed wrister from Avi Adam, the Bulldogs remained composed and notched a pair of first period goals to enter the first intermission with a 2-1 lead.
“You don’t want to go behind against a team like Cornell, but we fought back quickly, and we knew it was going to be a real tough game,” said Yale head coach Mark Bolding.
Arguably the most impressive part of Yale’s resilience in overcoming the poor start was Samson Frey. The ECAC All-Rookie netminder made their collegiate playoff debut against Cornell after missing the Bulldogs quarterfinals sweep of Union with an undisclosed injury (Bolding said Frey “did not feel 100%” when asked about their absence).
Cornell dominated the second period in nearly every stat — including shots, faceoff wins and power-play chances — but conceded a pair of goals on a four-on-one rush and a blown defensive assignment.
“I don’t think we played one of our better games this year, and it was the wrong day to not play one of your better games,” said Cornell head coach Doug Derraugh.
A goal 99 seconds into the final stanza gave the Red some life, but a Stephanie Stanton shorthanded score brought the Yale lead back up to three. A pair of late goals put the finishing touches on the 7-2 Bulldog win, which ended Cornell’s season.
Yale’s seven goals came via six skaters, and 12 Bulldogs tallied at least one point.
“[I’m] thankful for the contributions by everybody,” Bolding said. “If you could draw up a game where you get some confidence in a win, that was it. It wasn’t easy, but we were resilient.”
Searching for its first ECAC title in program history, Yale jumped out to an early start in Saturday’s final, testing Frank from the low slot less than a minute in. Three minutes later, Makayla Watson was whistled for tripping when she sent a Bulldog skater tumbling to the ice in a (successful) effort to prevent a two-on-one breakaway.
The Bobcats penalty kill — which had been perfect in its three opportunities the night before — killed the Watson penalty and went on to finish the weekend a perfect 7-7.
Turner credited the unit’s success (Quinnipiac’s penalty kill ranks fourth in the nation) to assistant coach Amanda Alessi.
“I think [Alessi’s] demeanor carries over to how they play,” Turner said. “She’s just so calm and logical about what she wants to do with the PK, and she’s so smart in her scouts. She picks the most important things for us to be concerned about, but then also builds confidence to be us.
“I think that’s what we’ve been throughout the playoffs. We’ve really killed penalties in a way that is who we are, versus being worried about the other team.”
Ella Johnson scored her fourth career goal 13 seconds after the Watson penalty expired, continuing the trend of the Bobcats getting offensive contributions from throughout its roster.
“I think [the team’s success comes from] the ability for players to allow one another to step up; they gave permission to one another [to step up],” Turner said. “We’ve had so many injuries this year, and in important moments. Sometimes we won through them, and sometimes we didn’t, but in every game, people got better.
Bairos — the hero from Quinnipiac’s semifinal win — scored what became the game-winning goal midway through the period, and a Zoe Uens power-play goal four minutes into the third period brought the score to 3-0.
Throughout the game, Yale produced a plethora of grade-A offensive chances, but Frank remained unsolvable until there were just seven minutes left in the final frame. The sophomore was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player after allowing two goals on 65 shots over the course of the weekend.
“Frankie has been the heart and soul of our team this year,” Watson said. “She’s played every single game, and she’s backstopped us to some incredible wins. We’re so lucky to have her.”
Though the Mariya Rauf goal gave Yale some life, Frank continued her stellar play to ensure a comeback would not be in the cards. A pair of Quinnipiac empty-net goals later, and the celebration was on.
While the 2228 fans at Herb Brooks Arena (the majority of whom seemed to be Bobcats supporters) made their voices heard, Quinnipiac’s bench emptied as the team surrounded Frank in net.
“Honestly, I didn’t have a doubt the whole entire game. Before the game even started, I was like, ‘Oh, we’re gonna win’”, said Mia Lopata. “Before I even came here I got my nails done. I was like ‘my nails need to be done when I lift that trophy.”
Quinnipiac, Princeton, and Yale will advance to the NCAA tournament and play for a national championship. The tournament’s bracket will be released Sunday morning at 11 a.m. on ESPNU.