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2 years ago

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11:00 PM ET

Quinnipiac won its first NCAA Division I men’s hockey national championship Saturday night, posting a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory in overtime over Minnesota at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Florida.

Sophomore forward Jacob Quillan scored 10 seconds into the extra session on a pass from forward Sam Lipkin to finish off the Bobcats’ rally.

Quillan won the faceoff to start overtime, defenseman Zach Metsa found Lipkin with a long pass into the zone and Quillan cut to the net on a set play, managing to stick handle around Minnesota goaltender Justen Close to score the winner.

“That’s a set play by us,” Lipkin said. “That was a hell of a play right there.”

Quillan, a 21-year-old native of Nova Scotia, said his team practiced that play “100 times this year.” It worked twice in the national championship game, including his overtime winner.

“It’s a dream come true,” Quillan said. “These guys worked so hard all year. We’re so close. We’re like a band of brothers.”

This was the third attempt by Quinnipiac to win the national title, having lost in 2013 and 2016.

“I’m just trying not to cry. Just proud. This is awesome,” Bobcats coach Rand Pecknold said. “Just an awesome group. Awesome culture. You can’t put a value on what we just did for Quinnipiac University. We got a natty.”

The Golden Gophers were the No. 1 team in the nation whose roster was filed with NHL-drafted players. They were seeking their first national title since 2003 and the sixth in program history. Minnesota was left shocked by the Quillan goal, some slamming their sticks in anger and others dropping to the ice, emotionally drained.

“We had it. That one’s gonna sting. That’s a crusher,” Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said.

The game was sent to overtime thanks to a late third-period goal by Quinnipiac, following one of the boldest coaching decisions of the tournament by Pecknold.

With Quinnipiac trailing 2-1, Minnesota star Logan Cooley was whistled for high-sticking with 4:52 left in regulation. The Bobcats pressured the Golden Gophers net but couldn’t convert. Pecknold called a timeout and opted to pull his goalie Yaniv Perets with 3:28 left in regulation to give the Bobcats a 6-on-4 power play.

Five seconds after the power play ended, Quinnipiac forward Collin Graf squeezed a shot from the left side through the pads of Close to tie the score, 2-2.

It was by far the tightest game the Gophers played in the tournament, having outscored their previous three opponents 19-5.

It looked like it might be another Gophers night just over five minutes into the game, when they took an early lead.

Minnesota took a 1-0 lead thanks to a blown outlet pass by Quinnipiac. Defenseman Jayden Lee whiffed on the puck from behind his own net. Freshman forward Connor Kurth intercepted the pass just outside the blue line and skated around the Bobcats’ net to draw Perets out of his crease. Kurth, a 2022 draft pick by the Tampa Bay Lightning (192nd overall), threw the puck back to the crease where forward John Mittelstadt tucked it into the net at 14:25 of the first period.

The Gophers added to their lead less than five minutes into the second period. Center Jaxon Nelson cleanly won a faceoff back to defenseman Brock Faber and then skated to the front of the Quinnipiac net. Faber fired the puck off the end boards. It rebounded to Nelson, who fought off a check from Quinnipiac forward Jacob Quillan and chopped it past Perets at 15:36.

The Bobcats finally responded at 12:19 of the second period to cut the Minnesota advantage in half. Sophomore forward Cristophe Tellier started the play by skating the puck into the Gophers zone. Defenseman Zach Metsa made a terrific play to keep the puck in the zone on a Minnesota clearing attempt, eventually skating down the wing to find Tellier driving to the net, tipping the puck past Close. It was Tellier’s third goal of the tournament.

The third period saw the Bobcats make a spirited push to tie the game, with a shot attempt advantage of 26-6 over Minnesota. They finally broke through thanks to a high-ticking penalty taken by Cooley with 4:52 left in regulation, which led to Graf’s goal to knot the game at 2-2.

Motzko defended his coaching tactics after the game, despite Quinnipiac having taken over the game in their rally for the title.

“We changed our neutral zone in the second period and it worked. We stopped their zone entry. They were making a push,” he said. “Tip your hat to Quinnipiac. They’re very difficult. But we were in the right spot. Turn the puck over for one (goal). The second one should have never went in. That was unfortunate situation right there.”

The title game was a matchup between a team built for tournament play in Quinnipiac and a team loaded with NHL prospects in Minnesota.

The Gophers’ dominant top line featured Cooley, a center drafted third overall last summer by the Arizona Coyotes; Matthew Knies, a left wing drafted 57th overall in 2021 by the Toronto Maple Leafs; and right wing Jimmy Snuggerud, drafted 23rd overall by the St. Louis Blues last summer. Faber was drafted by the Los Angeles Kings, who traded him to the Minnesota Wild last offseason. Defensemen Jackson LaCombe (Anaheim Ducks), Ryan Johnson (Buffalo Sabres) and Ryan Chesley (Washington Capitals) were also among the NHL draftees on the Gophers.

“I’m just crushed for them,” Motzko said. “When you’re in this profession, you get so close to your players. This group was special. We had no hiccups all year. Not one. You always have a little adversity, but I don’t think we had any. That doesn’t happen very often.”

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Sources: No. 2 ’25 QB Lewis decommits from USC

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3 hours ago

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November 17, 2024

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Sources: No. 2 '25 QB Lewis decommits from USC

  • Pete Thamel

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    Pete Thamel

    ESPN

      College Football Senior Writer for ESPN. Insider for College Gameday.

  • Eli Lederman

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    Eli Lederman

    ESPN Staff Writer

      Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.

Nov 17, 2024, 02:11 PM ET

Julian Lewis, the No. 2 player and quarterback in the 2025 class, decommitted from USC on Sunday, sources told ESPN, sealing a seismic development for one of the nation’s top prospects in the closing weeks of the recruiting cycle.

Lewis’ decommitment, which had been expected, comes the day after the 6-foot-1, 195-pound quarterback took an unofficial visit to Georgia for the game against Tennessee. He also visited Colorado on Oct. 26 and expressed interest in Indiana throughout his recruitment.

The plan remains for Lewis to commit in the upcoming weeks and enroll early in school, according to sources. He’s the top uncommitted player in the class of 2025 and his choice looms as one of the biggest stories of the early signing period with Colorado, Georgia and Indiana expected to contend for his signature before the signing period opens Dec. 4.

Sources also told ESPN on Sunday that four-star Texas A&M quarterback pledge Husan Longstreet, No. 47 in the 2025 ESPN 300, has flipped his pledge to USC in the wake of Lewis’ departure from the Trojans’ incoming class.

USC quarterbacks coach Luke Huard attended Longstreet’s playoff game at Corona Centennial High School in California on Friday night, and ESPN’s No. 4 pocket passer visited the Trojans during their game against Nebraska on Saturday.

Lewis had been verbally committed to the Trojans since Aug. 22, 2023. Yet questions had swirled over his recruitment from the summer into the fall and all the way through to his decommitment from USC on Sunday.

Lewis’ move marks the latest blow to a USC class that has now lost six commitments from the 2025 ESPN 300 in this cycle.

That list of high-profile departures from Lincoln Riley’s incoming class includes five-star defenders Justus Terry and Isaiah Gibson, and Lewis’ exit stands as USC’s third recruiting loss in the past seven days following the flips of defensive lineman Hayden Lowe (Miami) and cornerback Shamar Arnoux (Auburn).

The Trojans sat ninth in ESPN’s latest class rankings for the 2025 cycle prior to Lewis’ decommitment.

With the move, Lewis instantly regains status as the one of nation’s most sought-after uncommitted prospects. He first entered that realm in 2022 when he burst onto the national scene with 4,118 yards and 48 touchdowns while leading Carrollton to the Georgia 7A state title game in his freshman season.

That debut campaign earned Lewis a place as the No. 1 prospect in the 2026 class before he reclassified into the 2025 cycle earlier this year, several months after his commitment to USC last August.

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Irish up to No. 6 in AP Top 25; Dawgs surge to 8

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3 hours ago

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November 17, 2024

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Irish up to No. 6 in AP Top 25; Dawgs surge to 8

  • Associated Press

Nov 17, 2024, 02:29 PM ET

Oregon remained the unanimous No. 1 team in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday after its close call at Wisconsin, while Notre Dame and Alabama each jumped up two spots and Georgia returned to the top 10.

LSU is unranked for the first time in two years.

The unbeaten Ducks are atop the AP Top 25 for the fifth straight week, passing Texas as the No. 1 team for the most polls this season. They received all 62 first-place votes for the third week in a row after scoring their fewest points in 37 games in their 16-13 win over Wisconsin.

Oregon also holds the top spot in the College Football Playoff rankings and will attempt to complete its first perfect regular season since 2010 when it hosts Washington in two weeks.

The Ducks were followed in the AP poll by No. 2 Ohio State, No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Penn State and No. 5 Indiana for the second straight week. The top five could be due for a shakeup this week with Indiana visiting Ohio State for one of the most anticipated games of the season.

Notre Dame, Alabama, Georgia, Ole Miss and Tennessee rounded out the top 10. Georgia got a three-rung promotion to No. 8 with its 31-17 win over Tennessee.

Ole Miss, which was idle Saturday, rose one spot, and Tennessee dropped four but stayed in the top 10.

The Big Ten again held four of the top five spots, and the SEC had five of the top 10.

BYU‘s 17-13 home loss to Kansas dropped the Cougars from No. 7 to No. 14 and put them in a first-place tie with Deion Sanders’ Colorado in the Big 12. The Buffaloes are No. 16.

A season-high four Group of 5 teams are in the Top 25. No. 12 Boise State remains the highest ranked of those programs and first in line for the guaranteed playoff spot. No. 23 UNLV joins Boise State as Top 25 Mountain West teams. No. 18 Army and No. 20 Tulane give the American Athletic Conference two ranked teams as well.

LSU, which dropped to 6-4 following its 27-16 loss at Florida for its third straight defeat, is out of the Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 16, 2022. The Tigers were ranked in 36 straight polls.

POLL POINTS

Oregon’s win over Wisconsin was its third by three points or fewer this season. The Ducks’ 16 points were their fewest since a 49-3 loss to Georgia in their 2022 opener.

Tulane went from No. 25 to No. 20 for the week’s biggest promotion. The Green Wave’s 35-0 win at Navy marked their first shutout of a conference opponent since 1960 and set up a matchup with No. 18 Army in the AAC championship game Dec. 6.

No. 16 Colorado has its highest ranking since it was No. 11 on Dec. 4, 2016, and No. 19 South Carolina has its highest since it was No. 13 on Sept. 21, 2014.

WHO’S IN; WHO’S OUT

No. 21 Arizona State is in the Top 25 for the first time since Oct. 10, 2021. The Sun Devils (8-2), who are coming off a win at Kansas State, have their most victories since 2021.

No. 22 Iowa State, which beat Cincinnati after two straight losses, is back following a one-week absence.

No. 23 UNLV, which was ranked for one week after a 4-0 start, has won four of its past five.

No. 24 Illinois makes its eighth appearance in the Top 25 this season, its most since 2001.

Missouri, Kansas State and Louisville joined LSU as teams knocked out of the rankings following losses.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC: 7 (Nos. 3, 7, 8, 9, 10, 15, 19)
Big Ten: 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 24)
Big 12: 4 (Nos. 14, 16, 21, 22)
ACC: 3 (Nos. 11, 13, 17)
AAC: 2 (Nos. 18, 20)
Mountain West: 2 (Nos. 12, 23)
Pac-12: 1 (No. 25)
Independent: 1 (No. 6)

RANKED VS. RANKED

No. 5 Indiana at No. 2 Ohio State: The magnitude of this game has increased with each week as the Hoosiers have rolled through 10 straight unranked opponents. Just how good are the Hoosiers? Finally, we find out.

No. 14 BYU at No. 21 Arizona State: The Sun Devils suddenly control their destiny thanks to Kansas’ win over the previously unbeaten Cougars. A win here moves Arizona State into a tie with BYU for first or second place in the Big 12 and holding the tiebreaker for entry to the conference championship game.

No. 18 Army vs. No. 6 Notre Dame (at Yankee Stadium): This is the first time since 1958 that both teams are ranked entering their meeting. Notre Dame (9-1) has won 15 in a row in the series since Army (9-0) won that game in ’58.

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Kelly yells at LSU player, gets yelled at by other

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3 hours ago

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November 17, 2024

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Kelly yells at LSU player, gets yelled at by other

  • Associated Press

Nov 16, 2024, 10:14 PM ET

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — LSU coach Brian Kelly was caught on camera screaming at one player and getting yelled at by another.

The sideline scenes were clear signs of frustration for a program that was on its way to losing a third consecutive game, at unranked Florida on Saturday. Now, the Tigers (6-4, 3-3 SEC) will be the ones out of the polls following the 27-16 defeat.

And the LSU fan base might be out of patience with Kelly.

“This is a simple exercise of do you want to fight or not?” Kelly said after his team’s latest loss. “Do you want to fight and take responsibility as coaches and players that we’re not playing well and we’re struggling right now?

“There’s a rough spot here that we have to fight through, and we have to do it together.”

Kelly appeared to get into it with wide receiver Chris Hilton Jr. in the first half. Kelly got in Hilton’s face after a play, and online lip readers suggested Kelly eventually called Hilton “uncoachable.”

Late in the third quarter, cameras captured wideout Kyren Lacy yelling at Kelly on the sideline after an empty possession.

In the clip, Lacy could be seen apparently letting Kelly have it. The coach’s eyes widened as he seemingly realized what was happening. The ABC camera quickly cut away from the interaction.

LSU lost to Florida for the first time since 2018. This one came despite the Tigers running 92 plays and having the ball for more than 41 minutes.

“We’re going to put guys on the field that are going to fight and do everything they can do to correct where we are right now — and that is struggling with consistent execution,” Kelly said. “I think we’ve seen it enough to know we have to be better as coaches and players.”

Kelly’s streak of 10-win seasons will end at seven. Kelly won double-digit games in each of his last five seasons at Notre Dame and extended it with consecutive 10-win campaigns in Baton Rouge.

But losing three in a row, to Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida, makes it impossible to get past nine victories.

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