Quinnipiac wins in OT, secures first national title

Published

2 years ago

April 10, 2023

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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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Sawyer’s scoop-and-score leads OSU to CFP final

Published

8 hours ago

January 11, 2025

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Sawyer's scoop-and-score leads OSU to CFP final

ESPN News Services

Jan 10, 2025, 11:22 PM ET

ARLINGTON, Texas — Quinshon Judkins ran for two touchdowns before Jack Sawyer forced a fumble by his former roommate that he returned 83 yards for a clinching TD as Ohio State beat Texas 28-14 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday night to advance to a shot for their sixth national title.

Led by Judkins and Sawyer, the Buckeyes (13-2) posted the semifinal victory in the same stadium where 10 years ago they were champions in the debut of the College Football Playoff as a four-team format. Now they have the opportunity to be the winner again in the debut of the expanded 12-team field.

Ohio State plays Orange Bowl champion Notre Dame in Atlanta on Jan. 20. It could be quite a finish for the Buckeyes after they lost to rival Michigan on Nov. 30. Ohio State opened as a 9.5-point favorite over the Irish, per ESPN BET.

“About a month ago, a lot of people counted us out. And these guys went to work, this team, these leaders, the captains, the staff,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “Everybody in the building believed. And because of that, I believe we won the game in the fourth quarter.”

Sawyer got to Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers on a fourth-and-goal from the 8, knocking the ball loose and scooping it up before lumbering all the way to the other end. It was the longest fumble return in CFP history.

Ewers and Sawyer were roommates in Columbus, Ohio, for the one semester the quarterback was there before transferring home to Texas and helping lead the Longhorns (13-3) to consecutive CFP semifinals. But next season will be their 20th since winning their last national title with Vince Young in 2005.

Texas had gotten to the 1, helped by two pass-interference penalties in the end zone before Quintrevion Wisner was stopped for a 7-yard loss.

Judkins had a 1-yard touchdown for a 21-14 lead with 7:02 left. That score came four plays after quarterback Will Howard converted fourth-and-2 from the Texas 34 with a stumbling 18-yard run that was almost a score.

Howard was 24-of-33 passing for 289 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Ewers finished 23-of-39 for 283 yards with two TD passes to Jaydon Blue and an interception after getting the ball back one final time.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Sports

Buckeyes open as big favorites vs. Fighting Irish

Published

8 hours ago

January 11, 2025

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Buckeyes open as big favorites vs. Fighting Irish

Doug Greenberg, ESPNJan 11, 2025, 12:09 AM ET

Ohio State opened as a 9.5-point favorite over Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff National Championship Presented by AT&T, per ESPN BET odds.

If that line holds, it would be tied for the second-largest spread in a CFP national championship game and the fourth largest in the CFP/BCS era. Georgia was -13.5 against TCU in the 2022 national championship, while Alabama showed -9.5 against none other than Ohio State to decide the 2020 campaign. Both favorites covered the spread in blowout fashion, combining for a cover margin of 63.

Notre Dame is 12-3 against the spread this season, tied with Arizona State (12-2) and Marshall (12-1) for the most covers in the nation. The Irish are 7-0 ATS against ranked teams and 2-0 ATS as underdogs, with both covers going down as outright victories, including their win over Penn State (-1.5) in the CFP national semifinal.

However, Notre Dame was also on the losing end of the largest outright upset of the college football season when it fell as a 28.5-point favorite to Northern Illinois.

Ohio State is 9-6 against the spread and has been a favorite in every game it has played this season; it has covered the favorite spread in every CFP game thus far, including in its semifinal win against Texas when it covered -6 with overwhelming public support.

The Buckeyes also have been an extremely popular pick in the futures market all season. At BetMGM as of Friday morning, OSU had garnered a leading 28.2% of money and 16.8% of bets to win the national title, checking in as the sportsbook’s greatest liability.

Ohio State opened at +700 to win it all this season and is now -350 with just one game to play.

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Colorado coaching great McCartney dies at 84

Published

8 hours ago

January 11, 2025

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Colorado coaching great McCartney dies at 84

ESPN News Services

Jan 11, 2025, 12:10 AM ET

Bill McCartney, a three-time coach of the year in the Big Eight Conference who led the Colorado Buffaloes to their only national football title in 1990, has died. He was 84.

McCartney died Friday night “after a courageous journey with dementia,” according to a family statement.

“Coach Mac touched countless lives with his unwavering faith, boundless compassion, and enduring legacy as a leader, mentor and advocate for family, community and faith,” the family said in its statement. “As a trailblazer and visionary, his impact was felt both on and off the field, and his spirit will forever remain in the hearts of those he inspired.”

After playing college ball under Dan Devine at Missouri, McCartney started coaching high school football and basketball in Detroit. He then was hired onto the staff at Michigan, the only assistant ever plucked from the high school ranks by Bo Schembechler.

Schembechler chose wisely. As the Wolverines’ defensive coordinator during the 1980 season, McCartney earned Big Ten “Player” of the Week honors for the defensive scheme he devised to stop star Purdue quarterback Mark Herrmann.

“When I was 7 years old, I knew I was going to be a coach,” McCartney told The Gazette in 2013. “My friends, other kids at that age were going to be president, businessmen, attorneys, firemen. Ever since I was a little kid, I imitated my coaches, critiqued them, always followed and studied them.”

In 1982, McCartney took over a Colorado program that was coming off three straight losing seasons with a combined record of 7-26. After three more struggling seasons, McCartney turned things around to go to bowl games in nine out of 10 seasons starting in 1985, when he switched over to a wishbone offense.

His 1989 team was 11-0 when it headed to the Orange Bowl, where Notre Dame dashed Colorado’s hopes of a perfect season. McCartney and the Buffaloes, however, would get their revenge the following season.

After getting off to an uninspiring 1-1-1 start in 1990, Colorado won its next nine games to earn a No. 1 ranking and a rematch with the Fighting Irish. This time the Buffaloes prevailed, 10-9, and grabbed a share of the national title atop the AP poll (Georgia Tech was tops in the coaches’ poll).

McCartney won numerous coach of the year honors in 1989, and he was also Big Eight Coach of the Year in 1985 and 1990. His teams went a combined 58-11-4 in his last six seasons before retiring (1989-94).

The Buffaloes finished in the AP Top 20 in each of those seasons, including No. 3 in McCartney’s final year, when the team went 11-1 behind a roster that included Kordell Stewart, Michael Westbrook and the late Rashaan Salaam. That season featured the “Miracle in Michigan,” with Westbrook hauling in a 64-yard TD catch from Stewart on a Hail Mary as time expired in a win at Michigan. Salaam also rushed for 2,055 yards to earn the Heisman Trophy.

McCartney also groomed the next wave of coaches, mentoring assistants such as Gary Barnett, Jim Caldwell, Ron Dickerson, Gerry DiNardo, Karl Dorrell, Jon Embree, Les Miles, Rick Neuheisel, Bob Simmons, Lou Tepper, Ron Vanderlinden and John Wristen.

“I was fortunate to be able to say goodbye to Coach in person last week,” Colorado athletic director Rick George, who worked under McCartney and was a longtime friend of his, said in a statement. “Coach Mac was an incredible man who taught me about the importance of faith, family and being a good husband, father and grandfather. He instilled discipline and accountability to all of us who worked and played under his leadership.

“The mark that he left on CU football and our athletic department will be hard to replicate.”

McCartney remains the winningest coach in Colorado history. He retired at age 54 with an overall record of 93-55-5 (.602) in 13 seasons, all with Colorado.

He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2013. His family announced in 2016 that McCartney had been diagnosed with late-onset dementia and Alzheimer’s.

“Here’s what football does: It teaches a boy to be a man,” McCartney told USA Today in 2017. “You say, ‘How does it do that?’ Well, what if you line up across from a guy who’s bigger, stronger, faster and tougher than you are? What do you do? Do you stay and play? Or do you turn and run? That’s what football does. You’re always going to come up against somebody who’s better than you are.

“That’s what life is. Life is getting knocked down and getting back up and getting back in the game.”

In recent years, McCartney got to watch grandson Derek play defensive line at Colorado. Derek’s father, Shannon Clavelle, was a defensive lineman for Colorado from 1992-94 before playing a few seasons in the NFL. Derek’s brother, T.C. McCartney, was a quarterback at LSU and is the son of late Colorado quarterback Sal Aunese, who played for Bill McCartney in 1987 and ’88 before being diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1989 and dying six months later at 21.

Growing up, Derek McCartney used to go next door to his grandfather’s house to listen to his stories. He never tired of them.

When playing for Colorado, hardly a day would go by when someone wouldn’t ask Derek if he was somehow related to the coach.

“I like when that happens,” Derek said.

ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg and The Associated Press contributed to this report.