Top Games of the Year Bracket

Last week, we introduced the 2017-18 Top Games of the Year tournament. We asked for nominations and received some great ones. Today, we release the bracket of 16 games!

Rather than rank the games ourselves, we paired games off by league/tournament. Below you’ll find more information about each game involved, a link to recap or a post about the game. Voting will be daily on Twitter, so make sure you’re following us (@TheIceGarden)!

Winner

CWHL: 3/19 - Inferno vs Kunlun triple overtime

The winner of our first Top Games of the Year was the epic triple overtime game between the Calgary Inferno and Kunlun Red Stars in game three of their Clarkson Cup semifinal.

Finals

CWHL: 3/19 - Inferno vs Kunlun triple overtime vs
NCAA: 2/13 - BC v BU (Beanpot final)

This was the game that never ends, it went on and on my friends... just kidding, it ended after three overtimes. After 114 minutes of hockey, in Game Three of the Clarkson Cup semifinals, Kunlun topped the Inferno.

The Beanpot final had everything: a trophy on the line, back and forth action, lots of yelling, and an overtime game winning goal. BC won it on a Toni Ann Miano goal, to give them their third Beanpot in three years.

Frozen Four

CWHL: 3/19 - Inferno vs Kunlun triple overtime vs
NWHL: 3/25 - Beauts v Riveters (Isobel Cup Final)

This was the game that never ends, it went on and on my friends... just kidding, it ended after three overtimes. After 114 minutes of hockey, in Game Three of the Clarkson Cup semifinals, Kunlun topped the Inferno.

The Isobel Cup Final between the Beauts and Riveters only had one goal, and it was scored early in the first period by Alexa Gruschow. The Riveters became the third team in the NWHL to win the Isobel.

NCAA: 2/13 - BC v BU (Beanpot final) vs
3/18 - Clarkson v Colgate (National Championship game)

The Beanpot final had everything: a trophy on the line, back and forth action, lots of yelling, and an overtime game winning goal. BC won it on a Toni Ann Miano goal, to give them their third Beanpot in three years.

Second Round

SDHL: 4/2 - Luleå v Linköping (Championship Game) vs
CWHL: 3/19 - Inferno vs Kunlun triple overtime

Luleå topped Linköping in a best-of-three series, two games to one, to win their second championship in three season. As an added bonus, they win gold helmets for championships in the SDHL.

This was the game that never ends, it went on and on my friends... just kidding, it ended after three overtimes. After 114 minutes of hockey, in Game Three of the Clarkson Cup semifinals, Kunlun topped the Inferno.

NWHL: 3/25 - Beauts v Riveters (Isobel Cup Final) vs
INT: 2/10 - Switzerland v Korea

The Isobel Cup Final between the Beauts and Riveters only had one goal, and it was scored early in the first period by Alexa Gruschow. The Riveters became the third team in the NWHL to win the Isobel.

The opening game of the Olympics between Switzerland and Unified Korea may not seem like it has a spot on here. Switzerland topped the home country, 8-0. But, 19-year-old Alina Müller, opened her second Olympics with a natural first-period hat trick then proceeded to back it up with another tally early in the second period to make her only the second woman in tournament history to score four goals in a single game.

INT: 1/16 - U18 Russia v Canada vs
NCAA: 2/13 - BC v BU (Beanpot final)

In the U18 Worlds, Team Russia defended home ice with upset win over Canada, the first time in tournament history a North American team has been defeated by a European squad.

The Beanpot final had everything: a trophy on the line, back and forth action, lots of yelling, and an overtime game winning goal. BC won it on a Toni Ann Miano goal, to give them their third Beanpot in three years.

NCAA: 2/2 - SCSU v Minnesota vs
3/18 - Clarkson v Colgate (National Championship game)

St. Cloud State beat Minnesota in a shootout after scoring two goals with just over two minutes left to play. It was the first time in 37 games, SCSU had beat Minnesota.

First Round

AWIHL: 2/10 - Melbourne Ice v Sydney Sirens vs
SDHL: 4/2 - Luleå v Linköping (Championship Game)

A game in February turned historic in the AWIHL when Melbourne Ice shutout the Sydney Sirens, ending the Siren’s winning streak of over 12 months.

Luleå topped Linköping in a best-of-three series, two games to one, to win their second championship in three season. As an added bonus, they win gold helmets for championships in the SDHL.

CWHL: 3/19 - Inferno vs Kunlun triple overtime vs
3/25 - Markham v Kunlun (Clarkson Cup)

This was the game that never ends, it went on and on my friends... just kidding, it ended after three overtimes. After 114 minutes of hockey, in Game Three of the Clarkson Cup semifinals, Kunlun topped the Inferno.

The Clarkson Cup Final was a nail-biter that went into one overtime to decide a winner. Markham’s Laura Stacey scored the game winner.

NWHL: 3/25 - Beauts v Riveters (Isobel Cup Final) vs
1/27 - Pride v Beauts in a 10 round shootout

The Isobel Cup Final between the Beauts and Riveters only had one goal, and it was scored early in the first period by Alexa Gruschow. The Riveters became the third team in the NWHL to win the Isobel.

It took 10 rounds of a shootout to determine a winner in a January regular season NWHL game. Ten rounds. The Beauts eventually were victorious over the Pride.

INT: 2/22 - USA v Canada (Olympic gold medal game) vs
2/10 - Switzerland v Korea

Do we need to even talk about the gold medal game?

The opening game of the Olympics between Switzerland and Unified Korea may not seem like it has a spot on here. Switzerland topped the home country, 8-0. But, 19-year-old Alina Müller, opened her second Olympics with a natural first-period hat trick then proceeded to back it up with another tally early in the second period to make her only the second woman in tournament history to score four goals in a single game.

INT: 1/16 - U18 Russia v Canada vs
2/10 - Unified Korea’s first game

In the U18 Worlds, Team Russia defended home ice with upset win over Canada, the first time in tournament history a North American team has been defeated by a European squad.

Okay so this game was in the other matchup, but this time it is here for a different reason. Though it was a rough game for Unified Korea, it was their first game and a historic game at that.

NCAA: 2/13 - BC v BU (Beanpot final) vs
2/25 BU v Maine (Game 3 of the Hockey East Quarterfinals)

The Beanpot final had everything: a trophy on the line, back and forth action, lots of yelling, and an overtime game winning goal. BC won it on a Toni Ann Miano goal, to give them their third Beanpot in three years.

In game three in the best-of-three games series of the Hockey East Quarterfinals, Maine scored four straight to best BU. Down 3-0 with just over half of the third period left, Maine’s Brooke Stacey scored a natural hat trick (her first career hat trick) to force overtime, then had the assist Tereza Vanišová’s game-winning goal.

NCAA: 2/2 - SCSU v Minnesota vs
3/3 - Colgate v Cornell (ECAC Semifinals)

St. Cloud State beat Minnesota in a shootout after scoring two goals with just over two minutes left to play. It was the first time in 37 games, SCSU had beat Minnesota.

Colgate fired off four unanswered goals in the first and second period to take a commanding 4-1 lead heading into the third before Cornell scored three straight to tie it. The game looked to go to overtime until literally the final second (the official score sheet reads 19:59) when Colgate’s Jessie Eldridge scored the game winning goal.

NCAA: 3/16 - Colgate v Wisconsin (Frozen Four Quarterfinals) vs
3/18 - Clarkson v Colgate (National Championship game)