The top four seeds all held true heading into the ECACHL Final Four in Albany, N.Y., this weekend. The teams—Cornell, Harvard, Colgate and Vermont—all battled for the championship and an automatic bid into the national tournament.
The seeding also held true when the teams took to the ice; first No. 1 Cornell handily beat No. 4 Vermont in one semifinal, then No. 2 Harvard won a double-overtime thriller against No. 3 Colgate. The trend continued into the next day, as Colgate took the consolation, and Cornell won its 11th ECACHL title, defeating Harvard 3-1.
Cornell was firing on all cylinders against the Catamounts of Vermont. The Big Red rode Hobey Baker candidate David McKee and their trademark bruising defensive play to a 3-0 shutout victory. The Big Red got goals from Topher Scott, Matt Moulson, and Chris Abbott, and killed off all four Vermont power plays.
Harvard got a breakaway goal from sophomore Kevin Du in double overtime to beat the Colgate Raiders 4-3. With the game tied 1-1 and four minutes left, the teams exploded for four combined goals to end regulation knotted 3-3. The teams went back into their defensive shells, playing 36 more minutes before Du struck. He faked a backhand which baited goalie Steve Silverthorn, and Du deposited the puck handily into the net on his forehand.
Cornell and Harvard met for the third time in the past four years. Harvard captured the league title in 2002, but Cornell won in overtime in 2003. The Crimson showed no sign of fatigue in the first period, taking the lead on Dylan Reese’s screened point shot.
The size and strength of the Big Red began to wear Harvard down. The Crimson only managed two shots on goal in the second period. Cornell got goals from Paul Varteressian on a two-on-one and defenseman Charlie Cook from the point on the power play.
Cook scored again in the third and was named tournament MVP. “He deserves the accolades,” said Cornell head coach Mike Schafer of Cook. “He is the most detailed player I have ever coached.” Cook was also named to the all-tournament team, which also featured his teammates Moulson and Daniel Pegoraro at forward, and McKee in goal. Du, from the Crimson, and Colgate’s Joey Mormina rounded out the selections.
Harvard coach Ted Donato offered no excuses for the loss. “Give Cornell credit; I think we were outplayed,” he said. “They’re a great team.” Donato compiled a 21-9-3 record behind the Crimson bench this year, including a 15-5-2 mark in ECACHL games.
While Cornell and Harvard had locked up national tournament bids even before the semifinals began, the participants in the consolation game still had a lot to play for. If Colgate won or tied, they would secure a bid in the national tournament. If Vermont won, coupled with an Alaska-Fairbanks win and a Quinnipiac win in other conference play, the Cats would be in. The Raiders got a pair of power play goals and 34 saves by Silverthorn to lock up the bid, winning 2-1.
Cornell plays Ohio State in the West regional and Harvard takes on New Hampshire in the Northeast. Colgate snuck into the tourney, and its reward is to play the nation’s No. 2 team; the Colorado College Tigers. All regional semifinals are this weekend. The last ECACHL team to win an NCAA tournament game was Cornell in 2003, when the Big Red advanced to the Frozen Four, losing to New Hampshire.
The full bracket is as follows: In the East Regional, from Worcester, Mass., No. 1 Boston College plays No. 4 Mercyhurst , and No. 2 North Dakota plays No. 3 Boston University. In Amherst, Mass., No. 1 Denver takes on No. 4 Bemidji State and No. 2 New Hampshire plays No. 3 Harvard.
Heading out west, the No. 1 Minnesota Golden Gophers face off against the No. 4 Maine Black Bears in the West Regional, and No. 2 Cornell plays No. 3 Ohio State. Both games take place in Minneapolis, Minn. In the Midwest regional, in Grand Rapids, Mich., No. 1 Colorado College takes on No. 4 Colgate, and No. 2 Michigan plays No. 3 Wisconsin.
