CANTLON: UCONN Power play Overwhelms Colgate 4-2
VERSUS 
BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Two late powerplay goals gave the UCONN Huskies (8-11-2 overall, 5-7-1 HEA) the lead and allowed them to pull away from the from the Colgate Raiders (8-6-4 overall, 4-1-1 ECACHL) and get a 4-2 win in a non-conference matchup in their last game before the Christmas break.
“That was a great way to finish our first half this year,” remarked head coach Mike Cavanaugh. “We had 21 games in the first half. That was the most I have ever been a part of with any team. The team has played extremely well in this stretch and tonight was indicative of how we have been playing,”
The Huskies used 1:21 of a five-on-three power play perfectly with Johnny Austin at the top of the umbrella formation. He took Evan Wiscoky’s well-threaded pass and drilled a 55-footer past Colgate goaltender, Colton Point who was screened out by Jesse Schwartz at 13:51. It was his third goal of the season and his second in as many games. It also proved to be the game-winning tally.
“I saw him there (Schwartz) and I went right up to him after the goal and said, ‘I know you didn’t get an assist, but that’s an assist in my book,’” Austin said speaking of his game-winning goal in the first game he has ever played against his brother Nick, a defenseman on Colgate.
While the brothers didn’t wager against each other there still was something at stake, “Just bragging rights at Christmas,” Austin said with a smile.
The practices devoted to extra man situations paid off. “We work on (power play) a lot. That’s a key for us. Finding space and getting pucks to the net,” Austin stated.
The cool-hand stickwork and the pass by Wisocky made Austin’s job easier.
“He’s really good. As a freshman, he has that much confidence to step up and play the way he does on the first powerplay. I give him credit, that’s a tough thing to do. For more than half of the power play he was on puck retrieval. I got the goal today, but that’s not my hard work getting it to me’. It’s me getting a hard shot off,” Austin said of his UCONN squad that clawed back from a 3-10-2 record to now being just three games under .500 by the Christmas break.
With one second left in the powerplay, UCONN struck again to get a two-goal edge.
Sasha Payusov came out of the left-wing corner in the offensive zone and hit Wisocky with a perfect pass. Wisocky wasted no time firing off a wrist shot. Point made the initial save, but the rebound went right to a wide open Maxim Letunov at the right of the net and he buried his fifth goal of the season at 15:28. The scoring sequence was all a reaction play and movement no hesitation in passing or shooting.
“That’s what we talked about before the game, to play the game without thinking. I used the image and metaphor of little kids chasing the ice cream truck. There is no inhibition, they go chase that thing to get there. Tell a kid who’s there going in a race, they get tensed up and now there is no expectation just go out and play, we’re playing our best. We didn’t care about the score we went out and played hockey.”
Cavanaugh gave out ice cream cones in the post-game.
Cavanaugh was not only happy with the two goals, but the play afterward.
“The next three shifts we were in their zone. We didn’t let up or play back on our heels hoping to win. We were playing to win,” said Cavanaugh.
The team’s confidence with and without the puck has grown. It’s very apparent.
The Huskies awoke from their offensive slumber in the second period with two goals within a 1:50 span to take command of the game.
Schwartz was left alone in the center slot and took Ben Freeman’s quick turnaround pass from the right wing half-wall and fired his shot over the Point’s glove hand.
UCONN grabbed the lead as Joseph Masonius took a drop pass from Payusov and moved in closer and with Payusov in front of the net, buried his first of the season at 4:50.
Huskies’ netminder, Adam Huska continued to bedevil the Raiders attempt to get the equalizer, but they eventually knotted things at two in the final minute of regulation.
Colgate broke into the Huskies’ zone and went to work. Huska stopped the first two shots from John Snodgrass from the left wing and then Bobby McMann, but the Adam Dauda, the line’s centerman, was cruising in front of the net, snared the rebound and deftly put the puck in the net while skating away with 36.6 seconds left.
The Raiders captured the game’s first goal as their entire third line had a hand in the play.
Senior captain Evan Peterson started the Colgate breakout and hit freshman Tyler Jeanson in the neutral zone. Johnson broke into the UCONN zone and left a drop pass for junior Hunter Racine on the left wing side. Racine ripped a 40-foot-shot past Huska for his first goal.
Both teams had eight shots, but Huska clearly faced the more difficult chances.
Huska was sharp early stopping Snodgrass twice. The first came on a shorthanded bid as Snodgrass cut in from the right-wing and again at 6:32 on a Raiders’ powerplay. Huska stacked the pads while sliding over to repel the wide open Snodgrass.
The game had a long video review. A Colgate attempt by Jared Cockrell appeared to be another sharp pad save by Huska and after seven minutes of review, the play stood no goal.
NOTES:
Colgate’s Nick Austin and the Huskies Johnny are the first brothers to play against one another in UConn hockey’s modern history.
Colgate’s Hunter Racine is the nephew of former Northeastern product from the 1980’s goalie, Bruce Racine. Racine had a long minor league career in the AHL and old IHL playing with St. John’s Maple Leafs in the AHL and the San Antonio Dragons in the IHL.
The Huskies next game is December 30th, a Hockey East matchup with Boston College at the Conte Forum. The next home game is January 2nd against Quinnipiac University one of their two remaining non-conference meetings of the season.
Colgate had three CT connections, two from players and the other from a coach. Junior defenseman Ken Citron is from Cos Cob. Assistant coach Mike Harder played on the 2000 Hartford Wolf Pack AHL Calder Cup championship team while senior goalie Zac Hamilton played at Westminster (Simsbury) Prep.
The US World Junior team of 28 players was announced for its training camp to be held in Columbus, OH on December 15-19. Hockey East is, once again, well represented.
The roster consists of:
Goalies – Jake Oettinger, BU (Dallas), Jeremy Swayman, Maine (Boston) and Joseph Woll, BC (Toronto).
Forwards – Include a returnee from last year’s gold medal team, Pat Harper BU (New Canaan/Avon Old Farms/Nashville), Logan Brown (Ottawa/son of Whaler Jeff Brown), Max Jones (Anaheim/son of Nighthawk Brad Jones) and Brady Tkachuk BU (2018 draft eligible/son of NHL HHOF Keith Tkachuk and brother of Calgary’s Matt Tkachuk) both his Dad and brother played in the WJC.
The final roster of 23 will play at the WJC in Buffalo.
Canada also named its 32 player camp to be held in St. Catharines, Ontario from December 11-15.
Among those on their roster are: Dante Fabbro BU (Nashville), Cale Makar (Colorado) and Mario Ferraro, UMASS-Amherst and goalie Colton Point Colgate (Dallas).
Former Wolf Pack and Sound Tiger Joel Bouchard is a member of the management team. Their goalie consultant is Wolf Pack goalie coach Eric Raymond.
Colgate is like RIT with a big slice of Canada in its lineup with 11 Canadians.
Leave a Reply