Much of the talk about Harvard entering the season revolved around it being the youngest team in Division 1 men’s college hockey.
The Crimson certainly had talent, but the seven NHL draft picks in its freshman and sophomore classes hadn’t played a college game because of the Ivy League canceling all sports last year. Joining them for the return were five of the 2019-20 team’s top-10 scorers.
How would it all come together? It was a reasonable question to ask of Harvard and its chief rivals. But, the answer has emerged.
Coach Ted Donato’s club came together when the games mattered most, winning four of five postseason games on the way to the program’s first ECAC Hockey championship since 2017. The Crimson captured the title by beating top-seeded Quinnipiac for the second time in exactly a month, 3-2, on freshman Matthew Coronato’s overtime goal.
“Even before this weekend, the resiliency of this group and the calmness under pressure (has been impressive),” said senior captain Casey Dornbach, who helped the Crimson clinch a national tournament berth for the fifth time in the last seven completed seasons. “When we go down a goal or something happens that isn't in our favor, we have to fight through.
“Whether it was the big (three-goal) third period (in Friday’s semifinal win) against Clarkson or (Quinnipiac) tying it up with six minutes left, it forces us to dig a little deeper. I think that will help us moving forward.”
Coronato has been the star down the stretch, scoring the winning goal after assisting on freshman defenseman Ian Moore’s (Concord, Mass.) go-ahead strike in the second period against Quinnipiac. With the two-point night, Coronato has continued a point-scoring streak that spanned the entire postseason and included a two-goal, two-assist semifinal round effort against Clarkson.
Through the challenges brought on by COVID-19 earlier in the season and losing the U.S. Olympic duo of sophomore Sean Farrell (Hopkinton, Mass.) and junior captain Nick Abruzzese, the Crimson has formed great depth that can prove to be crucial during a postseason run.
But, it was no surprise to see Coronato, the team’s leading scorer, step up at the most crucial time.
“He arrived with a great resume of being the top scorer on a (USHL) championship team in Chicago (last year) and also had the experience, although limited, of playing games in the World Juniors summer showcase and the start of the tournament,” Donato said. “His time off came because of COVID at the holidays, but as it so often happens, he was reenergized, took that next step and really drove play for us.”
The Whitelaw Cup likely wouldn’t have made the trip back to Cambridge if it weren’t for senior goaltender Mitchell Gibson, who had a career-high 47 saves.
The standout performance came with Quinnipiac’s Yanic Perets — who carries a whopping 0.96 goals against average and 11 shutouts into the national tournament — in the other net.
“He was certainly the best goaltender (on Saturday),” Donato said. “At this time of the year you need special efforts, whether that’s a goal scoring performance, a defenseman that has a game where he just manages the whole rink or a goalie that gives his team confidence, can withstand the push by the other team or kill a big penalty. … Our team certainly strengthened its backbone over the last few weeks and I think it certainly starts with Mitch.”
The Crimson has little time to sit on the title as it will play the first game of the NCAA tournament at noon Thursday in Albany, N.Y. The opponent, CCHA champ Minnesota State, is a unit that matches up similarly to Quinnipiac in terms of its stout defense and being backstopped by one of the nation’s top goaltenders in Dryden McKay.
But Donato’s club believes in what it can put out on the ice.
“I think the important part is … to really dial in that, ‘Hey, this is a great opportunity.’ We have a really talented team and we can get up and down the ice with anybody,” Donato said. “... We have full respect for Minnesota State, but we’re not going in thinking that we have to pull a rabbit out of our hat. We’re going to go in, put our best game forward and try to earn a victory.”
Buzzing to Allentown
American International made Atlantic Hockey history by winning its fourth consecutive regular-season title a few weeks ago, but this season’s trophy case won’t stop there.
The top-seeded Yellow Jackets became just the second team in league history to win three consecutive postseason championships, matching Air Force’s run from 2007-09 following Saturday’s dominant 7-0 win over Air Force in Utica, N.Y.
“We were picked preseason No. 1 and got off to a (4-9-1) start, but we’re 18-3-2 since we got back from break,” coach Eric Lang said following the title-clinching victory. “I’m just really proud of these guys. … If this were easy, everybody would do it. So, it’s a good day for AIC hockey.”
Lang’s team has had many good days in recent years. Now, it will have to repeat history — the time that it defeated No. 1 seed St. Cloud State in 2019 — to have a chance at advancing in the tournament. AIC will come up against Michigan to begin its latest NCAA regional run Friday in Allentown, Pa.
The Yellow Jackets won’t be sneaking up on anybody anymore, but the goals are even higher within the program.
“We’re not here just to win Atlantic Hockey championships. We want to take a swing at this thing,” Lang said. “Our team is mature enough, our team is playing its best hockey we’ve played all year. I’m really encouraged by what’s ahead.”
The team’s maturity begins with graduate forward Chris Dodero who led the AIC offense with two goals and two assists in the championship game.
“I’m one of the older guys on the team, so I wear that,” Dodero said. “I’ve been in these situations before; it’s my fourth time being (in a playoff environment). I’m going to use that to our team’s advantage. Guys trust me, and I just love being able to chip in any way I can.”
The contributors were numerous from there. Sophomore Julius Janhonen also scored twice in the title game, including netting the first-period game-winner.
Junior Blake Bennett scored his second hat trick of the playoff run during Friday’s 5-4 win over Mercyhurst and then took home the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player honor following a three-point Saturday. Bennett, who wasn’t on the team’s NCAA travel roster to Fargo, N.D., last season, scored seven goals in four postseason games to tie an Atlantic Hockey record.
Dodero, Bennett, Zak Galambos and Alec Calvaruso — who won the title with an 18-save shutout —were all named to the All-Tournament Team.
“This the best team I’ve ever been a part of,” Bennett said. “I wouldn’t say one person deserves that honor. We had many people that played well in the playoffs. I think it’s a team effort. … It’s amazing (to score seven goals and preserve the shutout). (Calvaruso) is going to be very confident going into the tournament, and that’s really good for us.”
The team’s recent run wouldn’t be possible without the aforementioned players and a large group of upperclassmen with multiple rings on their fingers. But, past culture builders are just as responsible for the success.
“We’ve got 10 or 11 guys that all they’ve done since the day they walked on campus is win hockey games and win regular-season championships and postseason championships,” Lang said. “I always rewind the tape back to guys like Bryant Christian and (Springfield native) Austin Orszulak who made this happen by etching out the footprints and how we wanted to change our program. I don’t ever want to take some of the guys we had prior to this for granted.”
New heights for UConn
Saturday night’s overtime heartbreak against UMass brought the season to an end for UConn, just one goal shy of its first-ever Hockey East championship.
They won 20 games for the first time since 1999. They earned a home playoff game. And they won a Hockey East playoff game for the first time. So the Huskies have reached a new level under ninth-year head coach Mike Cavanaugh.
“We’re not neophytes in this league anymore, but we’re still relatively young. The league is 37 years old and we’re eight years in,” Cavanaugh said. “... The last few years we’ve finished fourth. I think that says something about consistency and where your program is going. … You can’t put a price on the experience that our guys had this year.”
UConn checked off many boxes in its continued program building, winning 10 road games including two at Boston College and one at UMass, and posting their best-ever Hockey East mark at 14-10.
Junior Vladislav Firstov scored the opening goal in all three of the Huskies’ tournament games, helping them defeat Boston University in the quarters, 3-1, and top-seeded Northeastern in Friday’s semifinal, 4-1, at TD Garden. Sophomore defenseman John Spetz joined him on the Hockey East All-Tournament Team.
What’s ahead
There will be New England representation at all four NCAA regional sites this week in Worcester, Mass., Albany N.Y., Allentown Pa., and Loveland, Colo. Two of the four brackets will include a pair of local clubs.
Of course, all roads will lead to TD Garden in Boston for the Frozen Four on Apr. 7 and 9.
The regional semifinals are set for Thursday in Albany and Loveland, and Friday in Worcester and Allentown. Here is the schedule:
Albany: No. 1 Minnesota State vs. No. 4 Harvard (Thursday, noon ET)
Loveland: No. 1 Denver vs. No. 4 UMass Lowell (Thursday, 9 p.m. ET)
Worcester: No. 1 Western Michigan vs. No. 4 Northeastern (Friday, noon ET); No. 2 Minnesota vs. No. 3 Massachusetts (Fri., 6 p.m. ET)
Allentown: No. 1 Michigan vs. No. 4 American International (Friday., 3 p.m. ET); No. 2 Quinnipiac vs. No. 3 St. Cloud State (Fri., 8 p.m. ET)
