The first day of the 2025 NCAA Tournament certainly had its fair share of drama. From overtime victories to big upsets, here is a recap from the first day of the tournament:

Cornell Takes Down Michigan State

A game that will be remembered for years to come, Cornell took down the number two seed Michigan State 4-3 after taking the lead with 10 seconds remaining on the clock. 

Going up against a Spartans team that entered the tournament as a heavy favourite, it was expected that the Big Red would be in for a difficult matchup. Through the first seven minutes of the game, both teams exchanged a number of chances but it was the Spartans who drew first blood with a goal off the stick of Gavin O'Connell.

Although one may have expected that the Spartans would gain the upper hand in momentum, the Big Red came out over the ensuing minutes and made a push of their own to try and tie it, with the team eventually doing so thanks to Ryan Walsh.

A penalty late in the period by Dalton Bancroft allowed the Spartans to retake the lead off a goal from Daniel Russell. 

The second period saw the Spartans once again lead in shots by a wide margin (17-4) but Cornell goaltender Ian Shane stood tall to keep his team in the game. With just over three minutes to go in the second, the Big Red were able to tie it again thanks to Charlie Major but the euphoria was short lived as the Spartans re-took the lead 17 seconds later. 

With their season on the line and down 3-2, Cornell entered the third and looked like a team trying to survive. Generating more shots than the Spartans in the final frame paid off, with the team tying it up on Walsh's second of the game with a little over seven minutes remaining. 

As the game wound down, a moment that will go down as a momentous occasion in Cornell men's hockey history took place. The Big Red have the puck in the offensive zone late, looking to make a push in the final minute. With the puck on Charlie Major's stick, he found Sullivan Mack with a beautiful cross-seam pass to send the team into pure jubilation, cementing their advancement to the next round.

The Big Red will take on Boston University on Saturday. 

Western Michigan Takes Down Minnesota State In Double OT

Although less eventful than the Cornell vs. Michigan State game, the matchup between the Broncos and Mavericks was still a fun one to watch. 

In a tight checking game from both teams, chances were hard to come by in the first period. Although the Broncos lead in the shot department by an 11-7 margin, both teams were unable to find the back of the net and entered the intermission still knotted up at zero. 

Thanks to a Mavericks penalty late in the first, the Broncos were able to crack the board early in the second with the game's first marker coming off the stick of Liam Valente. Getting a kick from the goal, Western Michigan made a big push over the ensuing ten minutes but Alex Tracy stood tall. 

In large part to their goaltender, Minnesota State were able to find their footing again and held the Broncos to one shot in the final eight minutes of the frame while creating their own chances but still entered the intermission down one.

Similar to how the Broncos came out in the second, the Mavericks were able to tie the game at one off a goal from Kaden Bohlsen. 

From that moment on, over the ensuing almost two and a half periods, both teams traded chances but the game reverted back to how it was in the first: locked in stalemate. It wasn't until a scramble in front with just under 13 minutes to go in the second OT period that Broncos forward Grant Slukynsky was able to deposit the puck in the net and send his team to the next round.

The Broncos take on the Minutemen on Saturday. 

 UMass Takes Down Minnesota

The  have defeated the  in another close match between two strong schools. 

Opening up the game, both teams had their separate opportunities to score but neither could solve the opposing goaltender close to 15 minutes into the game. That changed though when Minnesota star forward and St. Louis Blues prospect Jimmy Snuggerud marked the first goal of the game. The momentum swing did not lost long as the Minutemen drew even 20 seconds later, off a goal by Larry Keenan. 

What looked like it would be a tie entering the first intermission changed again when Brody Lamb scored with over a minute left to put the Gophers up 2-1. 

The second frame saw each team exchange an even nine shots on goal but not much changed on the scoresheet until later on in the frame when Connor Kurth put the Gophers up two. UMass made a late push but Minnesota went into the second intermsssion up 3-1. 

The third is where the tide changed though, with the Minutemen finding another gear to storm back and scored three unanswered goals (scored by Aydar Suniev, Daniel Jencko and Francesco Dell'Elce). In what looked like potential upset, the Gophers were able to mitigate the swing and tie the game with 3:36 remaining off Snuggerud's second of the game. 

In the overtime that ensued, Minnesota came out and registered the first chance but it was the Minutemen from then on, creating four of the next five shooting attempts before Aydar Suniev scored the game winner.