Day two of the 2021 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship had a similar start as day one in that Boston College advanced after a “no contest” decision against Notre Dame as the Irish experienced a positive Covid -19 test within its Tier I testing group earlier this week, according to the Notre Dame team’s website.

    The day, or the beginning of the next day, ended with an historic contest.

     On the ice, the day began with St. Cloud State upending Boston University 6-2 in the Albany Regional.

The Huskies will face off against Boston College for the regional championship on Sunday.

     Nolan Walker led St. Cloud in scoring with a trio of assists, while Easton Brodzinski scored two goals and Jami Krannil added a goal and a helper.

      St.  Cloud goaltender David Hrenak stopped 34 shots of the 36 he faced for a .944 save percentage. Hrenak has 2596 career saves and 64 wins.

      In the first regional final of the day, Carson Gicewicz’s hat trick after two periods of play led University of Massachusetts Minutemen to a 4-0 victory over Bemidji State University. The Minutemen’s victory earned them their second consecutive trip to the semi-finals/Frozen Four.

     The hat trick was the first of Gicewicz’s, a senior, college career and his first goal of the hat trick was shorthanded---also a first in his Massachusetts career.

    An overtime affair opened play in the Loveland Regional after the Minnesota State University Mavericks rallied from a 3-1 deficit against Quinnipiac to tie the match at three goals each with 1:02 remaining in the third period.

    Ryan Sandelin provided the Mavericks their first ever NCAA ice hockey tournament victory netting the game winning goal (4-3) 11:13 into overtime. Toledo native Brendan Furry earned an assist on the Sandelin game winner.

    Cade Borchardt tallied the game-tying goal after Jake Livingstone skated end-to-end prior to sending the puck to Borchardt for the score.

     Sandelin’s father, Scott, was unable to watch the game…he is the head coach at Minnesota-Duluth and his Bulldogs were playing North Dakota in the Fargo Regional Final.

      There has been at least one first round overtime game in 17 consecutive NCAA ice hockey tournaments.

     The University of Minnesota defeated Omaha in the second game of the Loveland Regional, 7-2 advancing the Gophers to the regional championship game against Minnesota State University.

     After two scoreless periods, a combined four goals in the third period, an overturned goal in the first overtime, and four additional overtime periods the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs defeated the nation’s top-ranked University of North Dakota in the Fargo Regional 3-2.

     The game lasted 142:13 minutes and set the record for the longest game in tournament history.

     The previous longest game between St. Lawrence University and Boston University occurred in 2000 and lasted 123:53. St. Lawrence won that contest 3-2.

     A combined 119 of shots were taken during the marathon event.

     The victory sends the Bulldogs to the semifinals/Frozen Four for the fourth year in a row with the chance to win their third consecutive NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship.

--- Follow Jim Smith on twitter @BlueLineNotes