Friday, April 12, 2013

Quinnipiac, Yale to Meet for Title

Two rivals posted semifinal wins Thursday in Pittsburgh to set up Saturday’s championship.

Quinnipiac, Yale to Meet for Title
Yale’s Andrew Miller scores the winning goal in overtime of the NCAA semifinals (Photo by Larry Radloff).

Two schools separated by just 10 miles who are bitter ECAC Hockey rivals will meet for the national championship Saturday night after winning their semifinal games Thursday in Pittsburgh.

Championship Game: 7 p.m. ET Saturday on ESPN

Yale topped UMass Lowell, 3-2 in overtime, and Quinnipiac beat St. Cloud State, 4-1, to set up the title game. Both teams will play for their first national championship.

Senior captain Andrew Miller led Yale to its win by tucking the overtime goal under UMass Lowell goaltender Connor Hellebuyck 6:59 into the extra session. It capped off a game that saw the Bulldogs hold a commanding 47-18 shot advantage.

Quinnipiac also got big performances by its seniors, including a 33-save performance by senior goaltender Eric Hartzell. Junior Jordan Samuels-Thomas had a goal and an assist in the first 5:07 of play, sparking a 3-0 first period for the Bobcats.

These two teams compete each year for the Heroes Hat, which was established in honor of first responders lost in the 9/11 attacks. Quinnipiac won the trophy this year by winning both regular-season meetings with Yale, then topped the Bulldogs three weeks ago in the ECAC Hockey consolation game.