RIT's Micha Holland, left, moves the puck as Quinnipiac's Devon Toews defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessRIT's Micha Holland, left, moves the puck as Quinnipiac's Devon Toews defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times
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RIT's Alex Perron-Fontaine, right, passes the puck as Quinnipiac's Chase Priskie defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessRIT's Alex Perron-Fontaine, right, passes the puck as Quinnipiac's Chase Priskie defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy
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RIT's Abbott Girduckis, left, and Quinnipiac's Kevin McKernan battle for a loose puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessRIT's Abbott Girduckis, left, and Quinnipiac's Kevin McKernan battle for a loose puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz
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Quinnipiac's Travis St. Denis, left, controls the puck as RIT's Garr McMullen defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessQuinnipiac's Travis St. Denis, left, controls the puck as RIT's Garr McMullen defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz
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RIT's Matt ABT, left, and Quinnipiac's Tann MacMaster, center, collide and fall away during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessRIT's Matt ABT, left, and Quinnipiac's Tann MacMaster, center, collide and fall away during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz /
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Quinnipiac's Landon Smith, center, controls the puck as RIT's Caleb Cameron, left, and Alex Perron-Fontaine defend during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessQuinnipiac's Landon Smith, center, controls the puck as RIT's Caleb Cameron, left, and Alex Perron-Fontaine defend during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in
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RIT's Liam Kerins, left, and Devon Toews battle for a loose puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
RIT's Liam Kerins, left, and Devon Toews battle for a loose puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
Photo: Cindy Schultz
RIT's student section shows support for their team after they loose 4-0 to Quinnipiac in their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessRIT's student section shows support for their team after they loose 4-0 to Quinnipiac in their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz /
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Lowell's Adam Chapie, right, moves the puck as Yale's Ryan Obuchowski, left, and JM Piotrowski defend during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessLowell's Adam Chapie, right, moves the puck as Yale's Ryan Obuchowski, left, and JM Piotrowski defend during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y.
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Lowell's Jake Kamrass, left, moves the puck as Yale's JM Piotrowski defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessLowell's Jake Kamrass, left, moves the puck as Yale's JM Piotrowski defends during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times
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Lowell's Adam Chapie, right, battles Yale's goaltender Alex Lyon for the puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
lessLowell's Adam Chapie, right, battles Yale's goaltender Alex Lyon for the puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times
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Yale's Joe Snively, left, and Lowell's Tommy Panico vie for the puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
Yale's Joe Snively, left, and Lowell's Tommy Panico vie for the puck during their NCAA first round hockey game on Saturday, March 26, 2016, at Times Union Center in Albany, N.Y. (Cindy Schultz / Times Union)
Photo: Cindy Schultz
Quinnipiac, Lowell remain alive
Albany
Michael Gerteig has played more minutes this season than any college hockey goaltender in the country, has as many victories (30) as anyone, and is tied for third all-time in career shutouts.
Yet he enters Sunday night's NCAA Hockey East Region final at Times Union Center as the less-decorated of the starting goalies.
Gerteig posted his eighth shutout this season and 18th of his career as top-seeded Quinnipiac eliminated Rochester Institute of Technology 4-0 Saturday in the first of two semifinals.
He and the Bobcats will face Kevin Boyle and Massachusetts-Lowell, which beat Yale 3-2 in overtime.
Boyle was Hockey East co-Player of the Year. Gerteig was third-team all-ECAC, behind Yale's Alex Lyon and RPI's Jason Kasdorf.
"In the NCAA, no matter who you're going to play, they're not going to have a bad goalie," Gerteig said. "You've got to elevate your play in the NCAA Tournament, and every goalie's up for that challenge."
A senior from Prince George, British Columbia, Gerteig has played all but 31 minutes of the Bobcats' outstanding season, which gave them the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament. He is 30-3-7, same as Quinnipiac, with a 1.85 goals-against average and .926 save percentage.
More Information
NCAA Hockey East Regional
(Times Union Center, Albany)
Championship game: 1-Quinnipiac (30-3-7) vs. 2-Massachusetts-Lowell (25-9-5), 7:32 p.m., ESPNU
Tickets: $45 (adult); $35 (student/senior); $25 (child, 2-12)
QUINNiPIAC 4, RIT 0
RIT 0 0 0 — 0
Quinnipiac 1 0 3 — 4
First period—1, Quinnipiac, St. Denis 21 (Anas, Toews), 14:55 (pp). Penalties—McKernan, Qui (hitting from behind), 3:04; Kuqali, RIT (hitting from behind), 8:27; Anas, Qui (hitting after whistle), 8:58; Rotolo, RIT (roughing; served by Kerins), 8:58; Cameron, RIT (interference), 14:32; Jonzzon, Qui (cross-checking), 19:16.
Second period—No scoring. Penalties—Skirving, RIT (cross-checking), 10:27.
Third period—2, Quinnipiac, Davidson 8 (T. Clifton, Toews), 2:27. 3, Quinnipiac, Jonzzon 9 (C. Clifton, T. Clifton), 12:18. 4, Quinnipiac, Jonzzon 10 (Toews), 17:10 (en). Penalties—Taverner, Qui (holding), 9:51.
Shots on goal—RIT 10-9-8—27. Quinnipiac 12-9-9—30.
Power-play opportunities—RIT 0 of 3; Quinnipiac 1 of 3.
Goalies—RIT, Rotolo 8-8-2 (29 shots-26 saves). Quinnipiac, Garteig 30-3-7 (27-27). T—2:38. A—NA.
LOWELL 3, YALE 2 (OT)
Yale 1 1 0 0 — 2
Lowell 1 0 1 1 — 3
First period—1, Lowell, Fallon 14 (Louria, White), 4:27. 2. Yale, DiChiara 6 (Learned), 15:19. Penalties—Hayden, Yal (boarding), 5:54; Obuchowski, Yal (high-sticking), 6:49; Smith, Low (holding), 11:02; Doherty, Yal (high-sticking), 16:56.
Second period—3, Yale, Hitchcock 8, (Hart), 12:18. Penalties—None.
Third period—4, Lowell, Gambardella 9 (Smith), 6:12. Penalties—None.
Overtime—5, Lowell, Gambardella 10 (Edwardh, Forney), 1:37. Penalties—None.
Shots on goal—Yale 9-11-16-1—37; Lowell 8-12-10-1—31.
Power-play opportunities—Yale 0 of 1; Lowell 0 of 3.
Goalies — Yale, Lyon 19-8-4 (31 shots-28 saves). Lowell, Boyle 24-9-5 (37-35). T—2:51. A—5,326.
RIT (18-15-6), considered to be the bottom seed in the 16-team tournament, proved to be a worthy opponent. The Tigers had never lost a first-round NCAA game, and they trailed only 1-0 through two periods.
Had the Tigers been able to beat Gerteig in a second-period assault, the momentum may have shifted into their favor.
"He's a great goalie," RIT goalie Mike Rotolo said. "We had some really good looks tonight, and he slowed the game down. He did a phenomenal job for them. It's tough and you want to score goals, but that's what happens when you run into a hot goalie sometimes."
Boyle, like Gerteig a senior, has some solid credentials. He was 24-9-5 with a 1.77 GAA, third-best in the nation, and .936 save percentage, tied for the top in college hockey.
"We are excited for it, to have the opportunity to get to the Frozen Four in one game," Boyle said. "We're excited for it, but we know it's going to be tough."
Yale, led by all-ECAC goalie Lyon, and Lowell came into their meeting as the top two defensive teams in the country.
Lowell was able to beat Lyon three times, including a game-tying goal with 12:38 remaining in regulation and the winner 1:37 into overtime, both by Joe Gambardella.
"There are a lot of good goalies in this bracket," Lowell coach Norm Bazin said. "When you talk about Gerteig and Alex Lyon, they're two of the better goalies in the country.
"It gives us confidence. We knew how tough Yale was going to be, and they proved everything and more. Scoring goals, as long as you get one more than the opponent, you should be all set."
Quinnipiac, which won an opening-round game for only the second time in five tries, is trying to get back to the Frozen Four for the first time since 2013.
The Bobcats won the ECAC regular-season and tournament championships, the only team among the six Division I conference to do so.
"When I watch B.C. and Michigan and North Dakota, some of the first-round draft picks that are playing in those games, those guys can just take over games by themselves," RIT coach Wayne Wilson said. "They (Bobcats) are so well-coached, their identity is more the whole team concept. They play within their system very well.
"They have a lot of good players in their own right, but different types of teams than some of the ones I saw (Friday watching other NCAA games). They've been first from start to finish. They've earned everything. They didn't do it with any trickery at the end or got hot at the end of the season or got off to a good start and stumbled. Everyone knew who they were. They got everyone's best along the way, and they've been able to survive that."
pdougherty@timesunion.com • 518-454-5416 • @Pete_Dougherty
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