North Vancouver native Desi Burgart missed time from January 27th to March 10th.  He returned to the lineup as an extra skater in the ECAC tournament and was inserted as a regular forward on Sunday’s NCAA Bridgeport Regional Final victory.

The graduate has been battling injuries the entire season. This is a player that a season ago scored a double-overtime goal to complete a comeback sending Quinnipiac to Lake Placid in the ECAC tournament and followed it up by scoring against Michigan in the 2022 NCAA Regional Final putting the team within a goal of completing a comeback. 

Without Burgart, the lineup is incomplete and the Sherbrooke boys must split up. The bottom six must rotate CJ McGee to split shifts as a forward and defenseman. 

It’s not to say these players are lost without a concrete lineup. They are Division 1 athletes but to succeed in the post-season and to advance to the Frozen Four and beyond you need chemistry and identity. 

The twenty-four year-old’s numbers are a clear drop off from the 33 points in 71 games he recorded in the span of 2020 to 2022. This season he only has six points in 25 games. 

The team has played 39 games in which Burgart has missed time and for a handful of games has been the extra skater. 

His brand and style are far more important than the scoreboard for the Bobcats. He finishes checks, is an aggressive forechecker, and has a large 6’1 frame and wingspan. His physical specimen and style of play are what a hockey team needs to have post-season actualization. Who’s running through the wall? No matter the cost? Beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Senior Skylar “Big Game” Brind’Armour admired the return of Burgart on his line Sunday evening. “We got Des he’s a great player, a warrior, battling through some injuries. He was great tonight; it was nice to get one and help the team win.” 

Rand Pecknold also elaborated on how important it is to have twenty-seven in the lineup. “Desi’s a warrior, he fits well in that line. Fillion has done a great job on that line, but I like Filly and Telly together.”

Looking ahead to the Frozen Four, Burgart will be a major asset in the fray against the Michigan Wolverines. Constant shifts for the left winger will equal the cardinal play of “The York Hill Boys” Line and the lockdown defense from Zach Metsa and Jake Johnson.

A National championship is on the line on Thursday for the Burgart who has done whatever it takes to win in his half-decade in Hamden.