OFFICIAL NCAA.COM CHAMPIONSHIP HIGHLIGHTS VIDEOTOP 5 PLAYS FROM THE TOURNAMENT FROM NCAA.COMUNION COLLEGE VS. BOSTON COLLEGE HIGHLIGHTS VIDEOUNION COLLEGE VS. UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA HIGHLIGHT VIDEOUNION COLLEGE WELCOME HOME CELEBRATION VIDEOPHILADELPHIA, PA -- Official Championship Game Notes from the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship Game won by Union College, 7-4 over the University of Minnesota.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAMForward - Daniel Ciampini, Union
Forward - Sam Warning, Minnesota
Forward - Kyle Rau, Minnesota
Defenseman -
Shayne Gostisbehere*, Union
Defenseman -
Mat Bodie, Union
Goaltender -
Colin Stevens, Union
* - Most Outstanding Player
GENERAL NOTESDown 2-1 midway through the first period, Union scored three consecutive goals in a span of
1:54 to gain a 4-2 lead. It is the fastest that three goals have been scored in a row in the championship since 1977, when Michigan and Wisconsin combined to score three goals in
1:04. The Dutchmen's trio of goals in
1:54 matched the mark set by Colorado College in the 1957 title game, the last time the same team scored three in such a short span. The Tigers posted three over the duration of
1:54 in the third period. The record for three consecutive goals by one team in the title game is
1:45 by Colorado College, set in the third period of the 1950 championship.
The combined six goals in the first period are the most in the championship since the 1963 final, when North Dakota (5) and Denver (2) totaled seven, which is the record for the opening frame. A combined seven goals in the first period has occurred three times (1956, 1961, 1963). The combined six goals are the most in any period of the championship since 1997 (North Dakota 5, Boston University 1, 2
nd).
The 11 combined goals are the most in the championship since 1991 (Northern Michigan 8, Boston University 7).
The opening goal of tonight's game was scored at the
2:37 mark of the first period by Minnesota's Justin Kloos. It is the fastest opening goal in the championship contest since 1993, when Maine's Patrice Tardif tallied just 28 seconds into the game. Maine went on to win 5-4 (Milwaukee).
The 89 combined shots are the most ever in a championship game through the end of regulation. The record for the championship, including overtimes, is 96, set during the 1984 championship (Bowling Green 60, Minnesota Duluth 36, 4OT). The 89 combined shots are the second-most overall (regulation & overtime games).
Union's 20 shots on goal in the first period are the most for any team in any period of a championship game since 2005 (North Dakota, 23, 3
rd). The 20 first period shots match the second-most all-time (Denver, 1961 & St. Lawrence, 1988). The record for first period shots is 22, recorded by Michigan Tech in 1956.
The combined 35 shots on goal in the first period is the second most in a title game in any period. The record for combined shots in a period in the championship is 36, set in the first period of the 1956 championship (Michigan Tech & Michigan).
Prior to tonight's game, Minnesota owned an 18-0-5 record when it opened the scoring. Over the past four years, the Gophers are now 73-12-14 when scoring first.
All-time in the championship, the team that has scored first is 51-16. Since 1994, the record is 15-6; since 2008, it is 5-2.
Saturday night's attendance was 18,742. It is the sixth-best championship game attendance all-time and the largest attendance for any game in Union College hockey history.
UNION NOTESUnion's
Rick Bennett wraps up the third year of his career as a head coach with a national championship. The last coach to win a national title in such a short span with their institution was Don Lucia of Minnesota (2002, St. Paul, started at Minnesota in 1999-2000). The last coach to win a national title in such a short span of their career was Dean Blais of North Dakota (1997, Milwaukee, first year as a head coach was 1994-95, at UND).
Union wins its first NCAA championship in its fourth tournament appearance, all of which occurred in the last four years. The last team to win its first championship in four or fewer appearances was Lake Superior St. in 1988, the Lakers second Frozen Four appearance.
Union won the NCAA championship in its second Frozen Four appearance, matching the feat of fellow ECAC Hockey member Yale, which did so last year. Yale's only previous Frozen Four appearance came in 1952.
This is the second year in a row that a team from ECAC Hockey has won the national championship (Yale). The last time the ECAC had consecutive champions was 1970-72 (Cornell 1970, Boston University 1971 & 1972).
Since Michigan became the first repeat NCAA champion in 1951, only five times have first-time champions been crowned in back-to-back years. Union-Yale (2013 & 2014) joins Lake Superior St. and Harvard (1988 & 1989), Wisconsin and Minnesota (1973 & 1974), Michigan St. and Cornell (1966 & 1967), and Denver and North Dakota (1958 & 1959).
This is the third time in the last four years that a first-time national champion has been crowned (Minnesota Duluth, 2011). Prior to Minnesota Duluth's title in 2011, the championship went a stretch of 18 years since seeing its last first-time champion (Maine, 1993).
Union finishes the 2013-14 campaign with a program mark for wins (32), winning streak (12), and unbeaten streak (17). The Dutchmen went 17-1-2 against ranked teams this year, the lone loss coming at Quinnipiac, then #7, by a 2-1 score at 1/10/2014.
Daniel Ciampini added to his career goal total in the NCAA Tournament at 17:03 of the first period with his seventh score. He posted his first collegiate hat trick during Thursday's semifinal victory over Boston College. During last year's championship, Ciampini netted two goals. Through nine NCAA appearances, Ciampini has nine points (7-2-9), after he added his second assist of the 2014 tournament on Union's second goal of the game.
Shayne Gostisbehere posted his second consecutive multi-point game with a goal and two assists in tonight's final. Gostisbehere posted Union's first goal of the game at 9:26 of the first, assisted on the Dutchmen's third tally at 16:06 of the same period, and closed out his scoring with an assist on Union's sixth goal at 18:38 of the third. It was his ninth multi-point game of the season, and third three-point affair of the year. After recording a lone assist in the 2012 tournament, followed by a single goal in the 2013 tourney, Gostisbehere has amassed five points (1-4-5), all coming in the Frozen Four.
For the fourth time in his last five games, Max Novak recorded a multi-point game, assisting on Union's fourth goal at 17:03 of the first, followed by his fourth tally of the 2014 tournament at 5:31 of the third. Novak, in the midst of a career year with 31 points (15-16-31), has 7-3-10 over his last seven games. Novak has only been held scoreless once over that stretch, as he came up empty against Boston College on Thursday.
Eli Lichtenwald broke a seven-game scoreless streak at 16:06 of the first period with his ninth goal of the year. Gostisbehere assisted on the tally, which gave Union its first lead of the game.
Mike Vecchione picked up his second goal of the Frozen Four with the Dutchmen's second goal of the night at 15:09 of the first. Vecchione tallied in the third period of Thursday's 5-4 victory over Boston College. Since the end of Union's regular season, Vecchione has five goals (5-5-10). He was held without a point during the East Regional.
ESPN RATINGS
ESPN's presentation of the 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Frozen Four – two semifinals on Thursday, April 10 on ESPN2 and the championship game on Saturday, April 12 on ESPN – averaged 471,000 viewers, a strong 56 percent increase over the 2013 Men's Frozen Four (301,000 viewers). The Frozen Four Championship Game, in which Union College defeated the University of Minnesota for its first NCAA Men's Division I Ice Hockey National Championship, averaged 717,000 viewers, a 33 percent increase over 2013's Division I Frozen Four Championship Game which featured Yale defeating Quinnipiac (539,000). The three telecasts of the 2014 Frozen Four combined to reach 6.6 million viewers.
WatchESPN's simulcast of the three telecasts saw a significant spike in viewership – 2.24 million minutes watched, an 85 percent increase over 2013 (1.21 million minutes). Additionally, the Men's Frozen Four debut of ESPN3 Surround — ice level cameras with natural sound — generated an additional 607,000 minutes watched throughout the three games. WatchESPN is accessible online at WatchESPN.com, on smartphones and tablets via the WatchESPN app and streamed on televisions through Xbox 360, Xbox One, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire TV.
Minneapolis-St. Paul generated a 10.6 rating Saturday night, the highest-rating for hockey in the market (October 2013-Present). Denver (1.3) was second followed by Las Vegas (0.8), Columbus (0.8), and Providence (0.7).
ESPN has televised every Men's Division I Frozen Four Championship Game since 1980 and has aired the entire Frozen Four, live, since 1995. The 2014 NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship was the 10th year ESPN has covered the entire tournament live.
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