The first round, or as I like to call it, the “play-in” round is complete. We move onto the quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament. Here’s a quick recap of how Wednesday night’s trio of games went and also a look ahead at what’s to come Saturday.
Nazareth at Hamilton
Hamilton (20-5-2) defeated Nazareth (22-5-1) by the score of 3-1 to move on to the next round of the NCAA tournament. Hamilton controlled most of the game, but it was tight in the 1st period as the Continentals got on the board first with a goal by Sami Quackenbush at the 6:51 mark. Nazareth then responded, scoring their lone goal of the game at 15:28 of the 1st, the goal scored by Ivey Lyden. Hamilton would then add a pair in the 2nd period, coming within 6 minutes of each other at the 9:46 & 15:25 marks of the period. The score would remain the same from there on, with Hamilton getting the win. The Continentals led in shots 27-14 and the penalties were 5 for 10 minutes against the Golden Flyers, while the Continentals had 4 for 8 minutes.
Suffolk at Middlebury
The defending champions Middlebury (16-7-3) defeated Suffolk (18-7-2) 4-0 to advance to the next round. The 1st period was tight and hectic as both teams created a fair number of chances, but Middlebury scored the lone goal of the period in the last minute at 19:25. Middlebury would then add two goals in the 2nd, the first coming on the powerplay, and then another in the 3rd period to cap off the 4-0 win. Middlebury outshot Suffolk 45-22, but excellent goaltending play from Suffolk’s Lily O’Neil who had 41 saves on the night, kept them in this game. Three players in particular were busy in this game for Middlebury, Jenna Letterie recorded a goal and 3 assists, Avery McInerny had 2 goals and 1 assist, & Britt Nawrocki scored once and assisted twice. The game was relatively clean, only 4 penalties total, 2 for each team for a total of 8 minutes.
Norwich at Colby
Colby (17-7-0) defeated Norwich (19-7-2) 5-2 to advance to the next round. The game was ever really in question for most of it, Colby scored 5 unanswered including a trio of goals in the first period, the first coming a quick 48 seconds into the game. Norwich didn’t get any back until a pair of late goals in the 3rd period to cut the deficit to three, but by then it was way too late for them to mount a comeback. Colby committed 3 penalties for 6 minutes while Norwich committed 1 for 2. The shot totals were near even, Colby led 27-24 and got the win.
Quarterfinal Matchups: Saturday March 11, 2023 – 3:00pm EST
Amherst (24-3) hosts Colby (18-7-0):
This one will be interesting, these two split the season series as Amherst won the first game 3-2 in OT and Colby won game-two 5-4. Being familiar faces to one another, ranking doesn’t mean a ton here, nor does record due to them being very familiar with each other’s play styles/gameplans. Amherst has been strong at home with a 14-1-0 record, their only loss coming to Hamilton on opening weekend, while Colby has a 7-3-0 record on the road. If Amherst wins this game, assuming they meet the hosting requirements, will be given the home-ice advantage via the campus site format for the frozen four next weekend.
Plattsburgh (25-2-0) hosts Middlebury (17-7-3)
These two faced off earlier this season once, Plattsburgh winning 2-1 in OT on the road. There was opportunity for these two to face off twice, but UW-River Falls defeated Plattsburgh in the Cardinal/Panther Classic, so they didn’t get to meet for the title game. The game should be fun, a stat I think is unique is Middlebury (including playoffs) has only scored 4 or more goals in 9 of their 27 games, meanwhile Plattsburgh has done it 17 times in their 27 games. With a powerplay running at 31% for Plattsburgh (3rd nationally), it’ll be interesting to see how that comes into effect in the game as they’ve been able to score a lot of goals on a regular basis this season. Another stat to think about is this, Plattsburgh is 13-1-0 at home, while Middlebury is 6-3-2 on the road…
Adrian (26-3) hosts Hamilton (21-5-2)
I’m intrigued to see this matchup because it’s unique seeing the west/east crossover that we typically don’t see. It’ll be interesting to see how Hamilton adjusts and plays out west as Adrian gets home-ice. Adrian’s already had experience out east this season, winning two games at Oswego State and then defeating Norwich and falling to Plattsburgh in the Norwich Holiday Tournament. Adrian also hosted Suffolk for a two-game series at home and won both, so they’ve been exposed to more east than Hamilton has west. I’m not saying that’ll play a major role in this game, but I think it’s something to point out as it’s an interesting stat, plus Adrian played the most crossover games I believe this season in terms of east/west (6). Adrian is a perfect 18-0-0 at home this season while Hamilton is 8-2-2 on the road. Another stat to note, Adrian is averaging 5.14 GPG (goals-per-game), while Hamilton is averaging 2.68…Adrian also leads the country in team defense, allowing less than a goal per game at 0.79, Hamilton averages giving up 1.36.
Gustavus (24-3-0) hosts UW-River Falls (24-3-1)
Not third, but fourth times the charm? These teams have played a trio of games already this season, with UW-River Falls winning the series 2-1. It’ll be a fun matchup between these two teams who both have top statistical ratings in the country. *Stats via USCHO* Team offense: UWRF #1 & Gustavus #5, Team defense: Gustavus #2 & UWRF #10 and Powerplay: UWRF #1 (35%) & Gustavus #2 (32%). Being in Gustavus, obviously there’s a home edge, but interestingly enough during the regular season, both teams won a game on the road and UWRF took the final game on home-ice. This one will be fun as I’ve said, two of the best statistical teams in D3.
