The Quinnipiac Bobcats have won their first NCAA championship in program history after defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers 3-2 in overtime. The historical feat was won on the same site where former Bobcat and current Colorado Avalanche defenseman Devon Toews lifted the Stanley Cup less than a year ago: Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay. He became the first Quinnipiac alumnus to raise the Stanley Cup. As fate would have it, his final game in blue and gold happened to be a loss to North Dakota in the 2016 NCAA title game, 5-1…at Amalie Arena.
Now seven years later, it was Toews who offered perspective to the Bobcats following their double-overtime loss to Colgate in the ECAC Tournament Semifinals. Quinnipiac captain Zach Metsa, now a 24-year-old free agent who tallied three assists against Minnesota, reached out following their loss to Colgate. He and the other Bobcat captains spent 30 minutes on a call with Toews.
‘He told us to stay in the moment,’ Metsa said. ‘His advice was (to) make sure the guys understand: ‘You’ve proven (it) all year long by being a top-five team. That’s not easy to do. You’ve got to be a really special team to do that. You have to understand how talented you are — how good you are. Carry that confidence and swagger with you. Realize you don’t need to be perfect to beat everyone. You can play at 80, 90 percent and find a way to grind it out. You’re going to make mistakes, it’s going to happen. As long as you show up and give it everything, don’t have any regrets on effort and commitment five, 10 years down the road, you guys will be totally fine.’
-Joe Smith, from (from ‘What Avalanche’s Devon Toews told his alma mater, Quinnipiac, to inspire an NCAA title-game run,’ The Athletic, April 8, 2023)
Off the rip, the Bobcats looked tight and uncharacteristically sloppy at times. The Gophers were able to strike under six minutes into the opening frame when John Mittelstadt, brother of teammate Luke and Buffalo Sabres forward Casey, opened up the scoring. The Bobcats were outshot 7-4 in the first period.
The Gophers struck again early in the second period, less than five minutes in this time, to double their lead on a goal by Jaxon Nelson. Leading 2-0, they looked to be in control, if not for a quick response by Cristophe Tellier of the Bobcats. His goal came 3:17 after Nelson’s and gave the Bobcats some life heading into the third period trailing 2-1.
From the third period through the end of the game, it was all Bobcats. They caught up in the shot total in the second period but blew the doors down in the third, outshooting the Gophers 14-2. One of those shots? A Collin Graf shot, five-hole, to tie up the game with the goalie pulled at 17:13 of the third period.
And so, as if out of a storybook, a two-goal comeback sends the National Championship game to overtime. In movies, television, and books, the climax of a story usually doesn’t happen right when the scene, or chapter, begins. Well, the final chapter of this story only lasted 10 seconds.
A center ice faceoff won. A stretch pass into the offensive zone. A backhand sauce to Jacob Quillan for a backhand finish. And now, a program built over 29 years by head coach Rand Pecknold returns to Hamden, CT a champion.
Notable NHL Prospect Performances
There were many pictures of NHL franchises next to players’ names on the line chart ahead of this game. Most were playing for Minnesota, 14, while three for Quinnipiac. The big line for the Gophers of Matthew Knies (Toronto), Logan Cooley (Arizona), and Jimmy Snuggerud (St. Louis) was held off the scoresheet, save for Snuggerud & Cooley taking minor penalties. Brock Faber (Minnesota) tallied an assist on the Nelson goal to go with three blocked shots. Snuggerud tallied five shots, while Knies had one, and Cooley was held shotless. Rhett Pitlick (Montreal) caught my eye a few times as well for being strong on the forecheck.
Sam Lipkin (Arizona) and Skyler Brind’Amour (Edmonton), son of Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour, both had crucial performances during the game. Despite Brind’Amour taking a pair of minor penalties, he won 12-of-20 faceoffs (60%) and blocked a shot. Winning faceoffs down the stretch was key, and the Bobcats won the faceoff battle by 11. He was also a significant factor in the game-tying goal. He made himself a passing option while battling for position in front of the net, which caused Gophers goaltender Justen Close to cheat toward the pass, opening him up for Graf’s goal. Lipkin, who played under Pecknold on Team USA at the 2023 World Juniors, assisted on both Graf’s game-tying goal and the Quillan game-winner.
Other Notable Players
Minnesota’s Luke Mittelstadt is looking to hear his name called at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft after going undrafted in 2022. He’s coming off a strong first collegiate season where he tallied five goals and 21 points in 38 games on the blue line, though he didn’t register a point in the title game. 24-year-old goaltender Justen Close had another really strong year for the Gophers. He finished with 26 wins in 37 games with six shutouts, a 2.02 goals-against average (GAA), and a .927 save percentage (SV%).
Related: 2023 NHL Draft Guide
Bobcat captain Zach Metsa has improved every season he’s been a Bobcat, now posting back-to-back 37-point seasons, and finishing off this one with a three-assist game. Additionally, goaltender Yaniv Perets has been lights-out the past two seasons, and while he is eligible to return, could garner interest from NHL teams. The 23-year-old had 34 wins in 41 games, a 1.49 GAA, .931 SV%, and 10 shutouts. Aside from his win total, he’s regressed in every category from last season. I’m not joking; those numbers are what he regressed to.
Golden-goal hero Quillan is 21 years old and could have a few suitors after his 19-goal, 38-point season. Graf could also be catching some eyes following his 21-goal, 59-point year, which led the Bobcats in the three major scoring categories.
This Win Could Lead to Quinnipiac Landing Some Top-ranked Prospects in the Future
Quinnipiac is a mid-major school. Its name only recently began attracting major attention in the Division I realm. It’s an athletic department on the rise. Teams have not only begun contending but winning in tournament play. Women’s soccer, rugby and women’s basketball had several historic runs. This could open up Quinnipiac to new recruitment options. In the near future, maybe a top-ranked prospect could find himself wearing blue and gold, hitting the ice to the pep band’s rendition of the Quinnipiac Fight Song, sleeping in the shadows of the Sleeping Giant, and calling the M&T Bank Arena, calling Hamden, home.
I’d like to finish this off with another quote from Smith’s article because I found it both hilarious and perfectly fitting: “Once he found out the Bobcats were in the same visitor’s dressing room at Amalie Arena that the Avalanche were in when they celebrated their Cup, Toews had some more advice; Look for the marks/dents in the ceiling from their champagne popping.” I’d bet that teams visiting Amalie Arena will be seeing a few more dents in the ceiling next time they come around.
