TAMPA, Fla. — For the first time in program history, the Quinnipiac Bobcats have won an NCAA Division I Men’s National Championship, defeating the Minnesota Golden Gophers by a final score of 3-2 in overtime.
The No. 2 overall seed advanced to the national tournament after an unprecedented regular season that saw the Bobcats become the first team in more than 30 years to win 20 league contests. Though their run through the ECAC Hockey Men’s Tournament was cut short in the semifinals, a dominant regular season earned them an at-large bid to the national postseason — and since then, it’s been nothing but wins on the scoresheet, culminating in a program record 34-win season and the team’s first ever national title.
Today’s national championship meeting was the first between these two teams since the 2000-01 season, an occasion that saw Quinnipiac suffer an 11-2 defeat at the hands of the Golden Gophers (December 9, 2000).
The national title match opened with a goal by Minnesota’s John Mittelstadt just over five minutes into the contest’s opening frame. Another goal by Gopher forward Jaxon Nelson gave Minnesota a 2-0 advantage in the second period and forced a trailing Bobcats squad to adjust their game plan.
From there, it was all Quinnipiac all the way, with the Bobcats scoring three unanswered goals. Three minutes after Nelson’s tally, Quinnipiac was on the board after Christophe Tellier redirected the puck through the legs Minnesota goaltender Justen Close to cut the deficit to one.
Though the third period was mostly quiet, the Bobcats applied consistent pressure and broke through with the equalizer with just over two minutes remaining in regulation. Sophomore Collin Graf tapped one in back door to tie the game up at two and force overtime.
Just ten seconds from the moment the puck dropped on the first overtime, Zach Metsa passed the puck the length of the ice to rookie phenom Sam Lipkin, who executed a cross-crease pass to Jacob Quillan. Quillan, standing at the edge of the blue paint, tapped the puck behind Close and ended the game — and the 2022-23 hockey season — with a goal.
A record-breaking and history-making season for the Quinnipiac Bobcats came to a fitting close as the team hoisted the national championship trophy for the first time, guided by back-to-back-to-back Tim Taylor Coach of the Year Rand Pecknold.
At the conclusion of the game, the NCAA honored four Bobcats as 2023 Men’s Frozen Four All-Tournament Team selections.
Defender: Zach Metsa (Gr., Quinnipiac)
Forward: Jacob Quillan (So., Quinnipiac)
Forward: Collin Graf (So., Quinnipiac)
Goaltender: Yaniv Perets (So., Quinnipiac)
Jacob Quillan was honored as the 2023 Men’s Frozen Four Most Outstanding Player after scoring three points in the team’s defeat of Michigan (April 6) and his overtime game-winner tonight.