BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Quinnipiac ousted Merrimack and Ohio State at the Bridgeport Regional en route to its third trip to the Frozen Four in 11 years.
The Bobcats defeated Ohio State, 4-1, in Sunday’s regional final to punch their ticket to Tampa, the site of the program’s last Frozen Four appearance in 2016. Senior goaltender Yaniv Perets stopped 49 of 50 shots he faced to earn regional MVP honors.
“He’s a big-time goalie. You know, a (Mike) Richter finalist and Hobey Baker finalist, and he was excellent, as we expect him to be every night. I thought we did a nice job in front of him,” said Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold.
Quinnipiac easily dispatched of Merrimack, allowing just 15 shots and dominating territorially from start to finish. While Quinnipiac had some precarious moments and fell behind 1-0, the Bobcats were able to subdue an Ohio State team with multiple big-time players for most of the game. It was yet another shining example of Pecknold’s greatness as head coach.
Other small schools in the East have made runs and had great seasons recently, including Union, culminating in a national championship for the Dutchmen in 2014. But, what Pecknold has done to build a consistent winner in Hamden has been truly remarkable. The school has supported him with necessary resources, including a beautiful on-campus rink and a substantial budget for a smaller school. However, it all starts with Pecknold and his unwavering vision.
Two of his former assistant coaches, Reid Cashman and Bill Riga, are now head coaches at Dartmouth and Holy Cross, respectively. His two current assistants, Joe Dumais and Mike Corbett, have continued the success and helped implement the structure that makes Quinnipiac good on the ice, but they have also worked hard on the recruiting trail.
Quinnipiac's wins over Merrimack (in the first round) and Ohio State were vastly different, but structure and depth were two key points. Leading scorer and Hobey Baker Award finalist Collin Graf had just one assist in the regional. Two other big-name forwards, Jacob Quillan and Sam Lipkin, had two- and three-point nights against Merrimack.
Players further down on the depth chart had big performances against Ohio State. Christophe Tellier had two goals and an assist and Christophe Fillion had a goal and two assists. Skyler Brind’Amour and Jayden Lee also scored in the 4-1 win over the Buckeyes.
When it comes to structure, Quinnipiac did a great job of not allowing Merrimack much time or space. It shut down the Warriors’ vaunted first line, including locals Alex Jefferies and Matt Copponi. Ohio State presented a stiffer challenge with Bruins prospect Mason Lohrei on defense and several forwards who can produce. Outside of maybe two or three shifts, Lohrei’s effectiveness was eliminated with good gaps and back pressure from the forwards.
“(Lohrei) is a special player. He’s elite. He should probably be in the NHL right now and probably will be in about a day or two is my guess,” said Pecknold.
“I think a player of that stature and that caliber, I go back to (Cale Makar), who played at UMass, and we played them all the time. You got to defend guys like that in layers. You have to have layers. You can’t just be one-on-one. So I thought we did a good job of that tonight,” Pecknold continued.
Watching Quinnipiac twice this weekend, it was easy to see how the team only lost four games. The Bobcats can skate, play with pace, defend, compete and come at the opposition in waves. There isn’t much of a dropoff in the lineup. This team lacks the firepower on paper of the 2016 squad, but might have more depth.
Quinnipiac will head to Tampa in search of the program’s first national championship. The road will get even harder as the Bobcats face top-ranked Minnesota in the first semifinal on Thursday, April 6. If the Bobcats can pull off the upset, the opponent in the title game will be the winner of Boston University and Michigan.
The biggest key to Quinnipiac winning two more games is Perets. While he might not be an NHL prospect because of his size, his ability to stop pucks and win games at the collegiate level could be the best of any of the four remaining goaltenders. Buffalo Sabres prospect Erik Portillo at Michigan and Boston University’s Drew Commesso have higher pro ceilings, but Perets could be a difference-maker for the Bobcats in Tampa.
