No. 1 Bobcats Advance to National Championship Game with 3-2 Win vs. No. 6 Boston College

Thursday, April 7

Amalie Arena // Tampa, Florida

5:00 PM

Quinnipiac University

32-3-7

Boston College

28-8-5

Boston College

Quinnipiac

No. 1 Bobcats Advance to National Championship Game with 3-2 Win vs. No. 6 Boston College

4/7/2016 8:01:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey

Box Score

Quinnipiac Advances to Second National Championship Game in Program History

By: QU Sports Information

TAMPA, Florida – The Quinnipiac men's ice hockey team advanced to the NCAA National Championship game for the second time in program history with a 3-2 win against Boston College in a NCAA Frozen Four semifinal match-up at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida. The Bobcats improved to 32-3-7 with the victory while the Eagles fell to 28-8-5.

Michael Garteig (Prince George, British Columbia) was electric in goal for the Bobcats, making 34 saves, including two big-glove saves late in the third period. The Bobcats goalie has been outstanding in the postseason, posting a 7-1-0 record with a 1.89 goals-against average and a .926 save percentage through the ECAC Hockey Tournament and three NCAA Tournament games. In those three games, Garteig is 3-0-0 with a 1.00 GAA and a .962 save percentage, highlighted by his 34-save performance against Boston College and a shutout against RIT in the tournament's first game.

Quinnipiac jumped out to an early lead on the strength of a pair of goals by Kevin McKernan (Millbury, Massachusetts) and Andrew Taverner (Edmonton, Alberta). Landon Smith (Greenwood Village, Colorado) also scored for the Bobcats while assistant captain Travis St. Denis (Trail, British Columbia) assisted on two of Quinnipiac's three goals.

McKernan's goal came just two-minutes and thirty-one seconds into regulation when Scott Davidson (Trail, British Columbia) tipped the puck away from a Boston College defenseman who was attempting to clear it out of the zone. Davidson managed to get a stick on the puck behind the Eagles net before it was deflected to McKernan between the two face-off circles. McKernan's wrister beat Boston College goalie Thatcher Demko glove-side, giving Quinnipiac a 1-0 lead.

Taverner made it 2-0 with his sixth goal of the season. Tanner MacMaster (Calgary, Alberta) won a battle behind the Boston College goal and chipped the puck to St. Denis, who collected the loose puck just below the goal line after it was tipped by a BC defender. Taverner crashed the net and received a pass from St. Denis on the crease for the one-timer to give the Bobcats a 2-0 lead.

BC's Alex Tuch cut the Bobcats' lead in half just 23 seconds into the second period. Casey Fitzgerald held the puck at the point before sending a bouncing shot through traffic. Colin White one-timed the loose puck, which caromed off of Michael Garteig's pads and deflected to his right where Tuch collected the puck and tipped it in to pull the Eagles within a goal, 2-1.

Four minutes later, Landon Smith pushed the Bobcats lead back to two goals with his 12^th of the season, and fourth of the postseason. St. Denis sent a shot on goal that was tipped by Tim Clifton (Matawan, New Jersey) in front of Demko. The puck bounced off of the Eagles' goalie's pads and straight up in the air where Clifton attempted to bat at it again. It landed and bounced in the crease where Smith poked it past Boston College's goalie to give Quinnipiac a 3-1 lead.

BC cut the Bobcats lead to 3-2 with 4:16 left in the third period. Alex Tuch blasted a shot from the point that was steered away by Garteig but Ryan Fitzgerald was right on the doorstep to slam home the rebound.

Quinnipiac will face the winner of the second semifinal game between North Dakota and Denver on Saturday, April 9, at 8 PM with the game airing on ESPN2.