NCAA

Quinnipiac Comes From Behind to Beat Minnesota for First Ever National Championship

The Bobcats dominated the second half of play to force overtime

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Three minutes was all Quinnipiac needed Saturday night.

The Bobcats pulled off a thrilling come-from-behind 3-2 win over Minnesota to secure the hockey program's first ever national championship.

The top-ranked Golden Gophers asserted themselves with a 2-0 lead early in the second period and looked poised to run away with their first title in 20 years.

Unfortunately for the Minnesota defense, they weren't prepared for Quinnipiac's offensive clinic. The Bobcats responded to the early deficit with a goal by Cristophe Tellier to cut the lead in half.

They outshot the Golden Gophers 25-8 throughout the final two quarters, but struggled to find the back of the net.

With less than three minutes remaining in the third period, the Bobcats found an answer from the man whose done it so many times before -- sophomore forward Collin Graf. Graf, who leads the team in points, delivered the equilizer off a powerplay and forced overtime.

Overtime was all Quinnipiac. After struggling to string together two goals in regulation, the Bobcats claimed their first lead of the night within 10 seconds of the puck drop.

Freshman Sam Lipkin and graudate student Zach Metsa once again teamed up to move the puck down the ice before crossing it to freshman Jacob Quillan, who found the back of the net. This was the second and third assist on the night for Lipkin and Metsa, respectively.

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