Quinnipiac holds off Boston College, 3-2, advances to title game

By Neal Nachman
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Updated: April 8, 2016

In the last three minutes of the pressure cooker between Boston College and Quinnipiac, the Eagles certainly showed that there was plenty of fight left in them, spraying shot after shot on the Quinnipiac goal right up ’til the final buzzer.

But in the end it was the undersized Bobcats who showed they had a tad more determination left in them, surviving that heavy barrage to earn a 3-2 win, advancing them to Saturday’s national title game (8 p.m. ET, ESPN2) against North Dakota.

“It wasn’t pretty but that’s how we play,” Quinnipiac coach Rand Pecknold said. “I’d like us to be a little cleaner, but our compete level is so off the charts that there is a trade-off.”

In the final minute, Quinnipiac goalie Michael Garteig faced an avalanche of shots from every angle as the Eagles pulled their goalie for the extra attacker and the Quinnipiac defense couldn’t seem to clear its end of the ice despite a few chances. BC took 34 shots in the final period, with 15 of them needing to be saved by Garteig as he narrowly blocked shot after shot.

“I thought the kid made some unbelievable saves there at the end,” BC coach Jerry York said. “We got two really exceptional chances to score and then with four or five seconds left he made that terrific glove save that ended our season for us.”

Garteig made 34 saves, but the defenders in front of him played bigger than their listed height and weight, blocking 21 shots before they reached the crease.

“Gartsies is a winner. He’s got a great battle mode,” Pecknold said. “But he’s got some guys in front of him that don’t hesitate to go down and block a shot. They are willing to do anything to win. No fear.”

Offensively, Quinnipiac certainly came out as the team with more determination, controlling the pace and play in the early moments. Much of the action was confined to the BC end of the ice for seemingly the first 10 minutes of the game.

The Bobcats’ pressure paid off just 2:31 into the game as a weak BC pass behind the net was chipped by forward Scott Davidson onto the taped stick of Kevin McKernan in the slot, and he snapped a quick shot just past the left kick pad of goalie Thatcher Demko.

Nearly five minutes later, Travis St. Denis slid a sharp pass in front of the net where Andrew Taverner was quick to redirect it through the 5-hole past Demko for the second goal of the game.

“On a stage like this you’re not going to play a perfect game,” BC captain Teddy Doherty said. “We knew we were going to have some ups and downs and unfortunately the slow start wasn’t in our favor.”

Eagles defenseman Steve Santini added, “Two goals in the first 10 minutes just isn’t acceptable. That’s what lost the game for us.”

It wasn’t until the second period that the Eagles finally scored. Colin White redirected a shot from the point by Casey Fitzgerald, which Garteig blocked, but the rebound went right to Alex Tuch, who had an easy shot on an open net.

The resilient Bobcats countered by showing the strength of their power play, taking just nine seconds with their first man advantage to score again. Landon Smith knocked in a rebounded shot to give them a two-goal lead again with four minutes left in the second period.

BC finally capitalized on a power play situation of its own with 4:16 left in the game when Ian McCoshen’s shot from the point went off Garteig’s pad and Ryan Fitzgerald knocked the puck into a mostly open net to pull the Eagles back within one.

From that point on, BC was in hyper mode, sending shot after shot at the net, but with no success. Garteig & Co. matched the Eagles’ intensity and withstood the flurry to advance to Saturday’s title game.

“No regrets,” said York, who has won four national titles with Boston College and one when he was the head coach of Bowling Green. “We played hard and wore the jerseys proudly. My only regret is not playing for the national championship.”

The undersized Bobcats got by on grit and effort again and now find themselves 60 minutes away from their first national title.

“This team is resilient and has great character,” Pecknold said. “I’ve always said that if we play to our identity we’ll get rewarded with a win, and that’s what happened today.”