Virginia’s nine-game winning streak in the NCAA men’s hockey tournament has finally come to an end.
The two-time defending national champions become the latest team to fall victim to the unstoppable Terrapin train, which will almost undoubtedly go on to finish an undefeated season, win a national championship, and become one of the greatest hockey teams of all time. time. Virginia’s nearly three-year reign as the national champion ended with an 18-9 lopsided loss to No. 1 Maryland in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament Sunday afternoon at Ohio Stadium in Columbus.
When the two teams met in the regular season on March 19 in Washington, D.C., overwhelming possession and superior efficiency on the offensive end gave the Terrapins a 23-12 victory as UVA The attack simply couldn’t keep up. This time, it was Maryland’s defense that set the tone, killing off the talented Virginia offense.
Tewaaraton finalist and reigning NCAA Tournament standout Connor Shellenberger went scoreless in Maryland’s incredible individual defensive effort by Ajax Zappitello. Likewise, Brett Macal kept Matt Moore in check as Virginia’s all-time scoring leader had just 1 assist and 1 goal on 9 field goals. Moore finished his UVA career with 277 points (highest in UVA history) on 143 goals (second most) and 134 assists (fifth most).
Without the performance of its two best players, the Cavaliers struggled offensively, scoring just one goal in the first quarter and four in the entire first half. Griffin Schutz scored the only goal in the opening stages, the first of the game. The Terrapins finished the quarter 4-0 with three goals coming from Anthony De Maio.
Jeff Connor scored two goals in the second quarter, but Maryland scored two more after Connor’s first and three more after his second , to rewrite the score to 9-3. The senior midfielder was a bright spot for the Cavs as he scored three goals and one assist. With a minute-and-a-half remaining in the first half, Virginia’s vaunted attacking force finally came on the scene, and Matt Moore found a cut-in Peyton Cormier goal.
The Cavaliers trailed by five goals at halftime, but the Terrapins quickly took control at the start of the third quarter as they scored four in a row, the first two coming from Logan Wisnauska s. Wisnauskas and DeMaio both contributed 3 goals and 2 assists for Maryland, who had 10 different player-record goals in the game. Owen Murphy led Tepps with four goals. Since then, UVA has never scored more than eight goals as Maryland clinched yet again.
As they did in the regular season, the Terrapins had a strong hold on the ball, with Luke Wellman winning 20 of the 29 face-off draws he’s played, in a draw with Petty Lhasa. Dominate the game. As a result, Maryland defeated Virginia 50-35.
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UVA threw 24 pitches over the cage, but Logan McInerney was excellent between the Terps’ pipes, making 14 saves, eight of which were allowed, for a save percentage of .636. Virginia freshman goalie Matthew Nunes was shot by the Terrapins for the second time this season, making 11 saves and giving up 18 goals.
Maryland’s victory over Virginia ended the Terrapins’ five-game losing streak against the Cavaliers in the NCAA Tournament that stretched back to 2003.
Virginia finished the season 12-4 as the Cavaliers lost in the NCAA Tournament for the first time since their first-round loss to Loyola on May 12, 2018.
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