BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Quinnipiac ousted Merrimack and Ohio State at the Bridgeport Regional en route to its third trip to the Frozen Four in 11 years.
The Bobcats defeated Ohio State, 4-1, in Sunday’s regional final to punch their ticket to Tampa, the site of the program’s last Frozen Four appearance in 2016. Senior goaltender Yaniv Perets stopped 49 of 50 shots he faced to earn regional MVP honors.
“He’s a big-time goalie. You know, a (Mike) Richter finalist and Hobey Baker finalist, and he was excellent, as we expect him to be every night. I thought we did a nice job in front of him,” said Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold.
Quinnipiac easily dispatched of Merrimack, allowing just 15 shots and dominating territorially from start to finish. While Quinnipiac had some precarious moments and fell behind 1-0, the Bobcats were able to subdue an Ohio State team with multiple big-time players for most of the game. It was yet another shining example of Pecknold’s greatness as head coach.
