CANTLON: COLLEGE PLAYOFFS ARE UNDERWAY 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HAMDEN, CT – The topsy-turvy world of Division I college hockey this year was on display again last weekend and in Hamden, CT being the most prime example.

The Brown University Bears, a .500 team entering the weekend, upset the fifth-ranked team in the nation in the first round of ECAC quarterfinals, sweeping the Bobcats on their home ice.

Last Friday, the Bears thoroughly out-played Quinnipiac who were without three players as a result of suspensions from an end of the regular-season wild brawl with both the league and intra-state rival, Yale.

On Saturday night, Alex Whalen scored two goals and gave QU a seemingly safe 2-0 lead entering the third period. That lead disappeared faster than you could say, “Quinnipiac.” The Bobcats surrendered two goals, 32 seconds apart in the first 1:54 of the final frame from Max Gottlieb, (Old Bridge, NJ) and Tommy Marchin.

Brown built a 3-2 lead in part from a gorgeous Alex Beaudoin breakaway goal. Beaudoin took a loose puck at the blue line and snapped a shot to the stick-side and they held on for the 4-3 win to advance to the conference semifinals this coming weekend in Lake Placid, NY. It will be their first appearance since 2012.

A key play in the second period was a blocked shot by Zach Giuttari (Loomis Chaffe) of an open net shot after Brown netminder, Gavin Nieto, was caught out of position on an attempt by Ethan de Jong. The blocked shot kept the score at 2-0.

Yale’s season ended when they lost in two straight games to Clarkson University in the always tough arena.

In Hockey East, in Game 1, UMASS-Amherst had to go to double-overtime to win 6-5, but they came back in Game 2 with a 6-0 series-ending win over New Hampshire.

The Hockey East playoffs at the TD Bank Garden in Boston saw BU vs. Northeastern in the first game and Boston College vs. UMASS-Amherst in the second.

Hockey East Major awards were announced with Hobey Baker nominee Cale Makar being named the conference’s Player of the Year.

In UCONN’s season-ending win over UMASS-Amherst, Huskies head coach Mike Cavanaugh gave a full vote on Makar. “He plays at another level and that is one of the best defensive corps in the country. He’s got my vote for Hobey Baker.”

BU’s freshmen, Joel Farabee, was named Hockey East Rookie of the Year. UMASS-Amherst’s head coach, Greg Carvel, won Coach of the Year by guiding the Minutemen to their first conference title ever.

The Big 10 Final has a football feel to it with Penn State playing at Notre Dame.

NCHC semifinals at the Frozen Faceoff in St. Paul, MN pits Colorado College vs. St. Cloud State and defending national champion University Minnesota-Duluth against Denver.

The ECAC Final Four at the Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid sees Cornell vs. Brown and Clarkson vs. Harvard.

In Division III, at the Frozen Four being held at Wisconsin-Stevens Point, one of the semis features the host school playing Hobart College and Norwich University (VT) playing Geneseo (NY).

WOMEN’S FROZEN FOUR

The National Women’s Four comes to Quinnipiac this weekend at People United Center. On Friday there will be two semifinal games and the Final on Sunday.

Among the four finalists participating are the Wisconsin Badgers. They are coached by former Hartford Whaler and member of the famed 1980 US Olympian, Mark Johnson. They make their sixth straight Final Four appearance and feature Jessica DeVito (Kent School).

#6th ranked Cornell knocked off the #3 ranked team, Northeastern, winning in overtime on a breakaway goal by Gillis Frechette to earn their berth. It’s their first Final Four appearance since 2012 and the Lady Big Red feature Paige Lewis from New Canaan.

#4th ranked Clarkson, a two-time defending national champion, will make their fifth straight appearance in the Final Four. They won as leading scorer Elizabeth Giguere (Quebec City, QC) tallied the overtime winner over #5th Boston College, the Lady Eagles winning by a score of 3-2.

Both games are airing on the Big 10 Network at 4 pm and 7 pm with Sunday’s Final at 2:30 pm.

INTERNATIONAL HOCKEY

The Kuwait Warriors won their first title in the KIHL (Kuwait Ice Hockey League) beating the Kuwait Stars in their short season four-team league. They finished nine points ahead of the Stars.

The league-leading scorer is a Serbian, Bodan Zidarevic. He is one of eight import players in the league the rest of teams rosters are Kuwait natives as they seek to grow the sport in the Arabian peninsula.

One of those other imports was the league’s second-leading scorer, Czech-born and former Danbury Whaler, Kamil Vavra, who is with the Kuwait Falcons. Vavra also is an assistant coach with the Kuwait National Team