Quinnipiac Tops Boston College to Reach NCAA Hockey Final

A Connecticut college hockey team will have a chance to win a national championship this weekend for the first time since the all-Nutmeg State final in 2013 that saw Yale win its first title in school history.

Led by goaltender Michael Garteig's 34 saves, number one overall seed Quinnipiac -- which fell short against Yale in 2013's title game -- held off Boston College three-to-two on Thursday night to reach the NCAA hockey championship game for the second time in four seasons.

Kevin McKernan and Andrew Taverner scored in the opening period and Landon Smith added a power-play goal that made it three-to-one in the second period, setting the stage for Garteig to shine when the Bobcats needed him.

Ryan Fitzgerald's power-play goal trimmed Boston College's deficit to three-two with 4:16 remaining. Garteig had four more saves, including a glove deflection on Ian McCoshen's shot from the high slot in the closing seconds.

The win is another step in what has been a remarkable season for the Bobcats, who opened the 2015-16 season with 12 consecutive wins, outscoring their opponents 54 to 20 in that span. The team's three regular-season losses marked the smallest total of any Division I team.

WNPR's Ray Hardman spoke with Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold in 2013 before the team's Frozen Four game against St. Cloud State, with Pecknold describing the program's rise from relative obscurity in Division II to competing with college hockey's elite.

Quinnipiac will try to win its first national championship Saturday night, when it will face number three-seed North Dakota.

This report includes information from The Associated Press.