Re: 2020 NCAA Hockey Tournament - What If: A Simulation of the 2019-2020 Postseason
And the evening games have wrapped up...
Atlantic Hockey Semifinals
RIT v. Sacred Heart
The RIT Tigers and the Sacred Heart Pioneers battled for the other spot in the AHA Championship tilt this evening. The Tigers and Pioneers both struggled to get shots on net early, with both sides generating just 6 shots on goal in the first period. RIT's Logan Drackett and SHU's Josh Benson handled the dozen shots with relative ease, and through twenty minutes it remained scoreless. Sacred Heart broke the stalemate midway through the second period on the powerplay when Jason Cotton lit the lamp, gathering a rebound and lifting a backhand over Drackett's outstretched leg to put the Pioneers up 1-0. RIT battled back and tied the game minutes later when Will Calverley's wrister from right along the goal line found just enough space between Benson and the near post to slide in and put the sides all square at 1-1. As the middle stanza crept towards an end, Sacred Heart wrestled the lead back on Vito Bavaro's one-timer from the point, and after forty minutes of action Sacred Heart led 2-1. The first half of the third period was a defensive battle, with neither side giving an inch, but midway through the frame RIT's Nick Bruce electrified the Tiger faithful in the stands when his wraparound attempt slid through Benson's five hole to knot the game at 2 apiece. The Pioneers stormed back, and with just over six minutes to play, Matt Tugnett gave SHU the lead, picking up a loose rebound and burying it in the back of the net from the bottom of the far circle. RIT put on the pressure, but Benson stood tall in net, and the Pioneers added an empty netter in the waning seconds to capture a 4-2 victory, and a spot in the AHA Championship game tomorrow night against Army.
ECAC Semifinals
Quinnipiac v. Clarkson
The Bobcats and Golden Knights met in Lake Placid this evening in the nightcap of the ECAC Semifinals in Lake Placid. The Bobcats had opportunities early in the first, earning two powerplays in the first ten minutes, but were unable to solve Clarkson's Frank Marotte. The same could not be said when Clarkson earned its first powerplay midway through the opening frame, as Connor McCarthy blasted a slapper from the point that weaved its way through traffic and past Keith Petruzzelli to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. Clarkson took a 2-0 advantage with just over two minutes to play in the first period when Zach Tsekos intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and lasered a wrister past Petruzzelli's blocker. The Golden Knights continued to put on pressure in the second period, and just before the midway point of the tilt, Chris Klack tipped in a Brian Hurley's shot from the near boards, and Clarkson could smell the ECAC Final. While the Bobcats mounted a ferocious attack towards the end of the second period, Marotte was up to the task, stopping all 19 shots on frame by Quinnipiac through forty minutes of play. The Bobcats finally solved Marotte midway through the third period when Ethan Layh's wrister squeezed its way past Marotte to pull QU within two goals. It would not be enough. Clarkson scored two more goals in the final ten minutes of action, one by Heralds Egle, and the other by Josh Dunne, and when the final buzzer sounded, it was Clarkson winning 5-1 to set up an epic ECAC Title tilt with Cornell.
Hockey East Semifinals
Massachusetts Lowell v. Massachusetts
Lowell and Amherst...a rivalry like no other...renewed itself this evening in the Hockey East Semifinals. John Leonard put the Minutemen up early, pushing his own rebound past Tyler Wall to put UMASS up 1-0. Wall kept Massachusetts off the board the rest of the way in the first period though, despite the Minutemen launching an incredible 16 shots on frame, and after one, UMASS led Lowell 1-0. The RiverHawks responded early in the second when Andre Lee took a loose puck in the near corner, and whistled a wrister on net that deflected off a Massachusetts defender and past Minutemen goalie Matt Murray and into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. Murray and Wall then battled in a classic goaltender dual in the second period, with Wall stopping each of UMASS' 9 shots on goal, and Murray fending off Lowell's last six shots of the period, and it was all square at 1-1 through forty minutes. Murray and Wall continued their dual in the third, with each goalie trying to outdo the other. With just over four minutes to play, Lowell's Lee got called for boarding. The officials reviewed the play to see if it would be called a major penalty for checking from behind. After a lengthy review, the minor call stood. Wall stood tall on the penalty kill, and after sixty minutes of action, the game remained tied 1-1. Both sides played cautious early in the extra frame, and it appeared that a second overtime would be necessary. However, with just over three minutes to play in overtime, Seth Barton launched a blast from the near boards that went wide on the near side, but ricocheted off the boards and right onto the stick of Lucas Condotta. Condotta lifted a wrister over the outstretched blocker of Murray and into the net to give the RiverHawks a 2-1 victory, and a spot in the Hockey East final.
NCHC Semifinals
Denver v. Minnesota Duluth
Denver and Duluth met up this evening at the X in front of a lot of fans clad in darkish red. While the game started off slow, the action picked up midway through the first period when Ian Mitchell feathered a wrister through traffic that surprised Hunter Shepard, who only had enough time to watch the puck sail into the net to give DU a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers then added a second tally in the final minute of play in the opening stanza, when Cole Guttman scored on the powerplay, and through twenty minutes, Denver held a 2-0 advantage. The Bulldogs stormed back in the second behind back-to-back goals by Cole Koepke and Kobe Roth midway through the period, which leveled the score at 2-2. Shepard put on a sterling performance in the second period, stopping numerous grade A opportunities from Denver, with perhaps none looming larger than his breakaway save on Liam Finley, who attempted a forehand to backhand deke, but Shepard gloved the backhand attempt, giving the Bulldogs even more momentum heading into the third period. However, the third belonged to Denver. Mitchell tallied his second goal of the game on a one-timer from the point that caught Shepard out of position. Bobby Brink added the fourth goal for the Pioneers on a wrister from the near circle, and that would be all Magnus Chrona would need, as the DU netminder stopped all 11 shots on goal by the Bulldogs in the final twenty minutes to propel Denver to a 4-2 victory, and a place in the NCHC Championship.
And the evening games have wrapped up...
Atlantic Hockey Semifinals
RIT v. Sacred Heart
The RIT Tigers and the Sacred Heart Pioneers battled for the other spot in the AHA Championship tilt this evening. The Tigers and Pioneers both struggled to get shots on net early, with both sides generating just 6 shots on goal in the first period. RIT's Logan Drackett and SHU's Josh Benson handled the dozen shots with relative ease, and through twenty minutes it remained scoreless. Sacred Heart broke the stalemate midway through the second period on the powerplay when Jason Cotton lit the lamp, gathering a rebound and lifting a backhand over Drackett's outstretched leg to put the Pioneers up 1-0. RIT battled back and tied the game minutes later when Will Calverley's wrister from right along the goal line found just enough space between Benson and the near post to slide in and put the sides all square at 1-1. As the middle stanza crept towards an end, Sacred Heart wrestled the lead back on Vito Bavaro's one-timer from the point, and after forty minutes of action Sacred Heart led 2-1. The first half of the third period was a defensive battle, with neither side giving an inch, but midway through the frame RIT's Nick Bruce electrified the Tiger faithful in the stands when his wraparound attempt slid through Benson's five hole to knot the game at 2 apiece. The Pioneers stormed back, and with just over six minutes to play, Matt Tugnett gave SHU the lead, picking up a loose rebound and burying it in the back of the net from the bottom of the far circle. RIT put on the pressure, but Benson stood tall in net, and the Pioneers added an empty netter in the waning seconds to capture a 4-2 victory, and a spot in the AHA Championship game tomorrow night against Army.
ECAC Semifinals
Quinnipiac v. Clarkson
The Bobcats and Golden Knights met in Lake Placid this evening in the nightcap of the ECAC Semifinals in Lake Placid. The Bobcats had opportunities early in the first, earning two powerplays in the first ten minutes, but were unable to solve Clarkson's Frank Marotte. The same could not be said when Clarkson earned its first powerplay midway through the opening frame, as Connor McCarthy blasted a slapper from the point that weaved its way through traffic and past Keith Petruzzelli to give the Golden Knights a 1-0 lead. Clarkson took a 2-0 advantage with just over two minutes to play in the first period when Zach Tsekos intercepted a pass in the neutral zone and lasered a wrister past Petruzzelli's blocker. The Golden Knights continued to put on pressure in the second period, and just before the midway point of the tilt, Chris Klack tipped in a Brian Hurley's shot from the near boards, and Clarkson could smell the ECAC Final. While the Bobcats mounted a ferocious attack towards the end of the second period, Marotte was up to the task, stopping all 19 shots on frame by Quinnipiac through forty minutes of play. The Bobcats finally solved Marotte midway through the third period when Ethan Layh's wrister squeezed its way past Marotte to pull QU within two goals. It would not be enough. Clarkson scored two more goals in the final ten minutes of action, one by Heralds Egle, and the other by Josh Dunne, and when the final buzzer sounded, it was Clarkson winning 5-1 to set up an epic ECAC Title tilt with Cornell.
Hockey East Semifinals
Massachusetts Lowell v. Massachusetts
Lowell and Amherst...a rivalry like no other...renewed itself this evening in the Hockey East Semifinals. John Leonard put the Minutemen up early, pushing his own rebound past Tyler Wall to put UMASS up 1-0. Wall kept Massachusetts off the board the rest of the way in the first period though, despite the Minutemen launching an incredible 16 shots on frame, and after one, UMASS led Lowell 1-0. The RiverHawks responded early in the second when Andre Lee took a loose puck in the near corner, and whistled a wrister on net that deflected off a Massachusetts defender and past Minutemen goalie Matt Murray and into the back of the net to tie the game at 1-1. Murray and Wall then battled in a classic goaltender dual in the second period, with Wall stopping each of UMASS' 9 shots on goal, and Murray fending off Lowell's last six shots of the period, and it was all square at 1-1 through forty minutes. Murray and Wall continued their dual in the third, with each goalie trying to outdo the other. With just over four minutes to play, Lowell's Lee got called for boarding. The officials reviewed the play to see if it would be called a major penalty for checking from behind. After a lengthy review, the minor call stood. Wall stood tall on the penalty kill, and after sixty minutes of action, the game remained tied 1-1. Both sides played cautious early in the extra frame, and it appeared that a second overtime would be necessary. However, with just over three minutes to play in overtime, Seth Barton launched a blast from the near boards that went wide on the near side, but ricocheted off the boards and right onto the stick of Lucas Condotta. Condotta lifted a wrister over the outstretched blocker of Murray and into the net to give the RiverHawks a 2-1 victory, and a spot in the Hockey East final.
NCHC Semifinals
Denver v. Minnesota Duluth
Denver and Duluth met up this evening at the X in front of a lot of fans clad in darkish red. While the game started off slow, the action picked up midway through the first period when Ian Mitchell feathered a wrister through traffic that surprised Hunter Shepard, who only had enough time to watch the puck sail into the net to give DU a 1-0 lead. The Pioneers then added a second tally in the final minute of play in the opening stanza, when Cole Guttman scored on the powerplay, and through twenty minutes, Denver held a 2-0 advantage. The Bulldogs stormed back in the second behind back-to-back goals by Cole Koepke and Kobe Roth midway through the period, which leveled the score at 2-2. Shepard put on a sterling performance in the second period, stopping numerous grade A opportunities from Denver, with perhaps none looming larger than his breakaway save on Liam Finley, who attempted a forehand to backhand deke, but Shepard gloved the backhand attempt, giving the Bulldogs even more momentum heading into the third period. However, the third belonged to Denver. Mitchell tallied his second goal of the game on a one-timer from the point that caught Shepard out of position. Bobby Brink added the fourth goal for the Pioneers on a wrister from the near circle, and that would be all Magnus Chrona would need, as the DU netminder stopped all 11 shots on goal by the Bulldogs in the final twenty minutes to propel Denver to a 4-2 victory, and a place in the NCHC Championship.
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