March 19, 2023
Goaltender Returned this Year and it Paid Off With Championship
by Joshua Seguin/Staff Writer (@JoshSeguin24)
(photo: Connor Coar/QU Chronicle)
LAKE PLACID, N.Y. Last season, Carter Gylander saw his season end prematurely with an injury. Ultimately, he watched Mitch Benson take over the Colgate net. That Raiders team defeated Cornell in the ECAC quarters and made it to the ECAC Final Four, only to fall to Quinnipiac in the ECAC semifinals.
Fast forward a year, Benson transferred to Boston College, and Gylander was locked and loaded for the ECAC tournament. It was his shot and he took the bull by the horns.
Saturday night, Gylander made 34 saves and led Colgate to a 3-2 win over Harvard team in the ECAC Championship game. He was named the Most Outstanding Player of the tournament and made 74 saves on the weekend.
“He had a really good summer, first of all,” Colgate coach Don Vaughan said. “Carter got hurt last year and MItch Benson came in for us; we rode him all the way to Lake Placid. So Carter didn’t get that opportunity. He is a pretty level-headed guy, he understood it and he was happy for Mitch. He put a lot of effort in this summer and has been really good every game. When he plays like he did tonight, it gives us a chance to win any game.”
But again, Gylander had to battle through something in the harrowing final seven minutes, whether it was a minor pull or a cramp, which kicked in on Harvard’s second goal. Gylander had to hold his teammates at bay during the raucous postgame celebration.
It was clear from the get-go on Saturday night that Gylander and Colgate were ready for whatever Harvard threw at them. They were aggressive and drew a penalty 30 seconds into the game, and Colton Young scored to give the Raiders a 1-0 lead. That goal set the stage for the game, and injected life into a team that was tired after a double overtime win Friday against Quinnipiac.
“That was huge for us, just confidence wise,” Colton Young said. “After scoring early last night and having to play another hard team, I think coming out like we wanted the first goal was important. After that, we were able to play our game plan and execute it.”
They also were ready to block shots. Colgate blocked 35 and got into every lane.
“The hunger of this team was high,” Colton Young said. “We knew in our heads that this was our season to do this and this was the game that was ultimately…
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