UMass returning to Frozen Four
BU bounced by St. Cloud St.
UMass was the first team from the field of 16 to punch its ticket to the Frozen Four.
The second-seeded Minutemen earned its place in Pittsburgh with a 4-0 victory over No. 4 Bemidji State in the Bridgeport (Conn.) Regional final on Saturday night at Webster Bank Arena.
The Minutemen (18-5-4) secured their second straight trip to the Frozen Four, which begins April 8 at PPG Paints Arena, and will face the winner of the Fargo (N.D.) Regional final between North Dakota and Minnesota-Duluth. UMass went to the title game in 2019 before falling 3-0 to UMD.
“I thought that was a very dominant game and thorough game by our group,” said UMass coach Greg Carvel. “We came out and set the tone and played a very strong defensive hockey game.”
Redshirt senior right-wing
Carson Gicewicz paced the attack with his first career hat trick while junior goaltender Filip Lindberg registered 18 saves for his 10th career shutout. Lindberg has allowed just four goals in five postseason games.
“To get one (hat trick) on a stage like this and for all of them to be pretty much be where I didn’t have to do much goes to show how solid of a team we have,” said Gicewicz, a first-year transfer from St. Lawrence.
Carvel was livid over the Minutemen’s six penalties in Friday’s 5-1 win over Lake Superior State. The message failed to reach the rank and file when Oliver Chau (hooking at 11:33) and Jake Gaudet (tripping at 12:34) were lugged 1:01 apart giving the Beavers a 5-on-3 power play for 59 seconds in the first period.
UMass not only killed both, but scored a shorthanded goal on a brilliant giveand-go play between Chau and Gicewicz at 14:24. Defenseman Aaron Bohlinger cleared the puck up the left boards and Gicewicz won a race with Bemidji defenseman Tyler Vold. Gicewicz fed Chau who returned the puck to his linemate at the left post for an easy redirect.
UMass went up 2-0 at 19:09 on Gicewicz’ second of the game. Defenseman Matthew Kessel launched a bomb from the right point that Gicewicz redirected by Zach Driscoll.
Gicewicz recorded the trick at 6:34 of the second period to take a 3-0 lead. Gaudet made a strong play along the left boards, circled deep toward the cage and found Gicewicz in front. Gicewicz took the pass and beat Driscoll with a flick of the wrist for his 17th of the season.
Chau scored an empty-netter with 3:04 to play in the game.
St. Cloud St. 6, BU 2 — The Boston on the Hudson showdown failed to materialize.
St. Cloud St. scored three goals in the third period to pull away from the Terriers in the Albany (N.Y.) Regional semifinal at the Times Union Center.
The Huskies (18-10-0) will face top-seeded Boston College (17-5-1) for a spot in the Frozen Four today (5:30 p.m.).
The Huskies broke open a close 3-2 game in the third while shorthanded, killing off a five-minute contact to the head major penalty that got sophomore left wing Chase Brand ejected. Center Jami Krannila got in clean on BU goalie Drew Commesso (32 saves) but was tripped by Logan Cockerill and awarded
a penalty shot at 4:17.
Krannila ripped a shot top shelf from the low slot.
St. Cloud St. tacked on a couple more insurance tallies with Easton Brodzinski netting his second goal of the game at 10:04 and a tip-in by Veeti Miettinen at 15:02.
Wilmer Skoog gave BU (105-1) a 1-0 lead eight seconds
into the second period.
St. Cloud St. scored twice 1:25 apart midway through the second before Jake Wise made it 2-2 with a power-play goal at 15:28.
St. Cloud St. took a 3-2 lead into the second intermission on Brodzinski’s first goal of the game at 16:00 from in the crease.