Re: 2020 NCAA Hockey Tournament - What If: A Simulation of the 2019-2020 Postseason
Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinals
Bentley @ AIC - Game 1:
The Yellow Jackets came out strong in Game 1 of their Quarterfinal Matchup with the Falcons, taking a 2-0 lead through 20 minutes behind a pair of goals from Jared Pike. Senior netminder Zackarias Skog kept AIC in front in the middle stanza, stopping all 10 shots on goal faced. Falcon goalie Aiden Pelino was equally impressive in the second period, posting a zero to keep Bentley within striking distance heading into the third. Falcon forward Jakov Novak blistered a wrister past Skog midway through the third frame to pull Bentley within a goal, but the Yellow Jackets held strong, and a Joel Kucur blast from the far circles gave AIC their two-goal lead back with just under 5 to play. AIC potted an empty-netter in the final minute to capture a 4-1 victory, and a 1-0 series lead.
Robert Morris @ Sacred Heart - Game 1:
Bobby Mo struck early in this contest, as Junior Forward Nick Prkusic got the Colonials on the board early in the first period. Unfortunately for RMU, it would not last long. Austin McIlmurray tied the game on a powerplay goal midway through the first, and James Cotton potted another to give Sacred Heart a 2-1 lead after twenty minutes of play. The Pioneers continued the onslaught in the second period, scoring three goals, including another from McIlmurray with the man advantage. Robert Morris had a glorious opportunity at the end of the second period following back-to-back minors by Mike Lee (Roughing) and Austin Magera (Tripping) to give the Colonials a 5x3. However, Josh Benson stood tall between the pipes for Sacred Heart, and the Pioneers led 5-1 after two. Sacred Heart and Robert Morris skated to a scoreless third period, to give Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead in the series.
Air Force @ RIT - Game 1:
A goaltenders dual broke out in upstate New York this evening, as the Tigers and Falcons were unable to light the lamp for nearly 45 minutes. RIT Junior Netminder Logan Drackett and Air Force Sophomore Goalie Alex Schilling kept the skaters off the boards in the first two periods, despite a bevy of shots on goal. Through the first two stanzas, RIT launched 23 shots on goal, while Air Force lobbed 20 on Drackett. Finally, just over four minutes into the final frame, RIT forward Kobe Walker's wrister snuck past Schilling to put the Tigers up 1-0. Air Force stormed back and tallied a powerplay goal just three minutes later on Brandon Koch's laser from the point. The two squads battled over the final minutes of regulation, and with just over two minutes to play, Falcon Brady Tomlak ripped a one-timer from the near circle off the crossbar, which ricocheted to Trevor Stone, who buried the puck into the back of the net to give Air Force a 2-1 advantage. The Tigers swarmed the net in the final 120 seconds, but were unable to notch the equalizer. Air Force takes Game 1 of this series 2-1!
Niagara @ Army - Game 1:
It was a disappointing night for the man in-between the pipes for Niagara, Freshman Chad Veltri, as he was unable to make it to the first intermission. Army dominated Niagara from the puck drop, scoring three times in a six minute span in the middle of the first period, and then added a fourth to bounce Veltri from the pipes with just over a minute to play in the opening frame. The Black Knights continued to control the game in the middle stanza, a notched a fifth goal, Eric Butte's second of the game, to give Army a commanding 5-0 lead heading into the third period. The Purple Eagles were able to get on the board a few minute into the third, on a tremendous individual effort from Jack Billings, who caught Army blueliner Jack Zielinski flat-footed, and then ripped a wrister past Army Goalie Trevin Kozlowski's outstretched glove to put Niagara on the board. That was the end of the scoring, as Army held on for a 5-1 victory in Game 1 of this series.
ECAC Quarterfinals
Princeton @ Cornell - Game 1:
The Big Red took it to the Tigers in the opening game of this Best-of-Three series. Cornell used two goals in the opening frame, from Cam Donaldson and Morgan Barron respectively, to take a 2-0 lead, and that would be all the Big Red's Junior Netminder Matthew Galajda would need. Galajda stymied Princeton throughout the night, posting a 26-save shutout. Cornell added to their lead midway through the second on a Matt Steinburg tip of an Alex Green blast that beat Princeton goalie Jeremie Forget to give the Big Red a 3-0 lead through two periods. Both sides skated to a scoreless third period, and Cornell walked out of the rink with a 1-0 series lead.
Colgate @ Clarkson - Game 1:
Some nights, an individual can take over a game all by himself. Tonight, that was Clarkson star forward Josh Dunne. Dunne lit the lamp early in this one, scoring on a rebound at the top of the crease to put Clarkson up 1-0 early in the first. Dunne was not done. The Sophomore Sensation scored again late in the first, and completed the natural hat trick four minutes into the second period to give the Golden Knights a 3-0 advantage. However, Colgate stormed back, as Senior Ben Sharf notched his first goal of this series to get the Red Raiders on the scoreboard, and Paul McAvoy scored a powerplay tally in the final minute of the second period to pull Colgate back within one goal entering the final frame. Dunne would strike again, this time with a helper on Connor McCarthy's blast from the top of the far circle that gave Clarkson a 4-2 lead. That would be all Clarkson keeper Frank Marotte would need, as he shut down Colgate the rest of the way, as Clarkson held on for a 4-2 victory in game 1 of the series.
Yale @ Quinnipiac - Game 1:
The Battle for Connecticut waged on this evening, as the Bobcats and the Bulldogs waged an epic thriller. A scoreless opening stanza gave way to a second period circus. Yale Forward Luke Stevens found the back of the net first, about three minutes into the second, to give the Bulldogs a one-goal lead. It would not last long. On the powerplay, Quinnipiac's Nick Jermain lit the lamp, and just thirty seconds later, the Bobcats' Odeen Tufto slid a backhand past Yale goalie Corbin Kaczperski to give Quinnipiac a 2-1 lead. The Bobcats added a third goal midway through the game, on a Karlis Cukste wrister from the point. Yale would storm back, when Kevin O'Neil capitalized on his hard work in front of the net, roofing a rebound over the outstretched leg of Quinnipiac's netminder Petruzzelli to put the Bulldogs within a goal. The Bulldogs tied the game at 3 just after the start of the third, when Graham Lilllibridge found the net on what appeared to be a harmless wrister from the near boards. The game remained knotted through the end of regulation, and Yale and Quinnipiac headed to overtime. The OT session did not last long, as Alex Whelan sent the Quinnipiac faithful home happy on a partial breakaway after a lazy line change. The goal gave Quinnipiac the victory, and a 1-0 series lead.
Harvard @ RPI - Game 1:
Red-hot Rensselaer continued their hot streak early in Game 1, as the Engineers scored twice in the first twenty minutes, on goals by Ture Linden and Todd Burgess. RPI continued their domination over Harvard in the second period. After Harvard squandered back-to-back powerplays, the Engineers used the momentum and the lift from the home crowd to generate a powerplay of their own. This time, RPI took advantage, as Burgess knotted his second goal of the game on a beautifully-set one-timer from the near circle that flew past Harvard's Mitchell Gibson. Harvard nearly got back within two, when Colton Kerfoot had a breakaway, but RPI's Owen Savory sniffed out Kerfoot's deke to the backhand, and kept the Engineers three-goal lead. In the final stanza, the squads traded goals, as RPI got a tally from Patrick Polino, and the Crimson finally got on the scoreboard with about five minutes to go on a goal from R.J. Murphy. However, that is where the scoring would end in this one, as RPI earned a 4-1 win, and a 1-0 lead in the series.
