Hartford, Conn. - The UConn men's hockey team fell to no.7 Quinnipiac in the Championship game of the CT Ice Tournament by a final of 4-3. This is the second straight year the Huskies have fallen to the Bobcats in the Championship game.
From the first puck drop, the Huskies were feeding off the energy of the near 7,000 fans in the XL center. UConn was pressuring Quinnipiac and forcing the Bobcats into turnovers earlier. The Huskies pressure paid off as six minutes into the first period, Harrison Rees fired a one timer past Vinny Duplessis to give UConn the 1-0 lead. UConn's defense and goaltender Ethan Haider finished the first period strong, blanking the Bobcats and giving UConn the lead heading into the second period.
Quinnipiac responded in the second period as senior goaltender Ethan Haider mismanaged the puck behind the net, and with the pressure, Quinnipiac was able to score to tie the game. Following a UConn penalty, Chase Bradley stole the puck on the ensuing faceoff and on the breakaway fired a shot bar-down to give the Huskies the 2-1 lead. UConn did not stop there as Tabor Heaslip intercepted a pass at center ice and was able to find Matthew Wood cross crease for the tip in goal, to give UConn the 3-1 lead. Two unanswered goals by Victor Czemeckianair and Travis Treloar helped Quinnipiac tie the game heading into the final frame.
With the momentum gained from the second period, Quinnipiac wasted no time taking the lead, as 28 seconds into the third period, Zach Tupker fired a shot past Haider to take the 4-3 lead. UConn looked to tie the game up and had multiple chances, but Vinny Duplessis of Quinnipiac blanked the Huskies in the third period to secure the win.
Junior Chase Bradley one goal, three assists, and senior Hudson Schandor, two goals were named to the CT Ice All-Tournament team.
Up Next
UConn will turn their attention back to conference play as they will welcome the Providence Friars to Storrs to kick off a home and home weekend series. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm February 2 and can be streamed live on ESPN+.
