2017 NCAA hockey tournament scores and bracket: Harvard, Minnesota-Duluth advance to Frozen Four

We’d had 11 straight years with at least one No. 1 seed knocked out in the first round of the NCAA hockey tournament.

Make that 12.

Thanks to Notre Dame, Minnesota is headed home early. But that wasn’t the only notable game on the docket Saturday. Half the Frozen Four is set!

Let’s recap.

But first, the bracket:

Naturally, both teams that played into overtime on Friday played into overtime together on Saturday. The legs looked terribly weary on both sides, but it was one heck of a game.

Clayton Keller picked up where he left off Friday, staking the Terriers to an early 1-0 lead with a goal in the first period. Minnesota-Duluth tied it in the dying seconds of the frame with a goal from Alex Iafallo.

Joey Anderson assisted on that one, and he struck again with a goal of his own in the third. For a fleeting moment, it seemed Minnesota-Duluth would skate to the Frozen Four easily.

But BU didn’t go down without a fight: Patrick Harper ripped a laser over goalie Hunter Miska’s shoulder to send the game to overtime.

The extra frame didn’t last long, as Adam Johnson potted the game-winner just two minutes in to send the Bulldogs to the Frozen Four.

Like so many teams on Saturday, Harvard spent most of the game just trying to hang on to a dwindling lead.

Their three star forwards struck gold again: Alexander Kerfoot assisted on the opening goal, and Ryan Donato and Tyler Moy both scored in the second period to give Harvard a 3-0 lead. Then the Crimson just had to hold on.

Air Force scored twice before the second period ended: Brady Tomlak and Jordan Himley found the back of the net within about 15 seconds of each other.

But that was all the Falcons could muster, and Harvard advanced to play Minnesota-Duluth in the Frozen Four.

For the better half of the game, the Golden Gophers played like the No. 1 seed they were. Connor Reilly staked Minnesota to a 1-0 lead in the first period, and Vinni Lettieri added another just 30 seconds into the second period to extend the lead.

Notre Dame needed a spark. It got one.

Notre Dame’s Cal Petersen caught Minnesota on a shift change, setting Andrew Oglevie free with an odd-man rush that he capitalized on. Less than a minute later, Anders Bjork tied the game.

Bjork struck again in the third, and that was all she wrote. Notre Dame scored the first big upset of the tournament and a date with UMass Lowell on Sunday.

So. Not much to recap here.

Though it should be noted: Penn State’s shot totals weren’t ridiculous. They only put 33 shots on net and still scored on 10 of them. A remarkable opening tourney game in a remarkable year for the Nittany Lions.

No. 1 Denver 5, No. 4 Michigan Tech 2

The score makes this contest look closer than it actually was.

Tech was chasing the whole game after letting the Pioneers score five unanswered goals in the opening 27 minutes. Colin Staub scored two of those, and Michael Davies dished in two assists.

Two of Denver’s top NHL draftees got into the action as well: Will Butcher (Avalanche) scored, and Henrik Borgstrom (Panthers) assisted on the fifth goal.

Gavin Gould and Jake Lucchini scored to keep it somewhat close in the second, but Tech never could mount a sustained attack. Denver advances to play Penn State.

Not much of a contest here. UMass-Lowell controlled play with its patented brand of grinding hockey, capitalizing on scoring chances where Cornell could not.

Ryan Lohn had two goals in the win, and Ryan Collins added two assists. UMass-Lowell plays Notre Dame on Sunday.