Sunday FTB: Three chances for an NCAA conference championship, one win

Last night, three NCAA teams with Maple Leafs prospects entered with a chance to win their conference championship. Knies and Koster on Minnesota, Miller on Harvard, and Miettinen on St. Cloud. All three were the higher ranked teams.

So, naturally, only one of them wound up winning.

Minnesota fell 4-3 in a very close and entertaining game. Knies had an assist and played well in the game.

#LeafsForever prospect Matthew Knies with the good stick to deflect a pass away, and that springs Cooley and Snuggerud to tie the game 2-2.

Knies draws a penalty right after, when he pantsed Luke Hughes and almost set up a goal. Great back and forth gamepic.twitter.com/zn0VmVWBsg
— More like Nikita GREATbyonkin (@brigstew86) March 19, 2023

Sadly, Knies had two bad luck bounces that led to two Michigan goals — including the game winner.

Joe Miller and Harvard also lost a close game in a 3-2 loss. Like Knies, he had one assist and played pretty well as a freshman in a big game.

Pucks on net 🥅

Thrun cuts the deficit in half.
📺ESPN+ #GoCrimson | #OneCrimson pic.twitter.com/pdKTsgF1sT
— Harvard Men's Hockey (@HarvardMHockey) March 19, 2023

Less dramatically, Veeti Miettinen and St. Cloud won a less close game 3-0. Miettinen had no points like the other Leafs prospects. But he was the only one to win his conference championship, so I’m sure he doesn’t mind!

With the conference playoffs done, next weekend the top 16 teams will be moving to the NCAA tournament:

#LeafsForever prospects in the NCAA tournament:

#1 Minnesota (Knies, Koster)
#6 St. Cloud (Miettinen)
#7 Harvard (Miller)
#10 Michigan Tech (O'Connell)
#12 Western Michigan (Schingoethe) https://t.co/6J6Y7DOYgj
— Kyle Cushman (@Kyle_Cush) March 19, 2023