CANTLON: BATTLE OF HUSKIES GOES NORTHEASTERN’S WAY

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The UCONN Huskies had their first major Hockey East test and it came against the 12th ranked Northeastern Huskies who blew past their hosts 5-2 at the XL Center on Saturday.

Northeastern ups their record to 12-5-2 overall (7-4-1 HEA). UCONN’s record slips to 7-8-4 overall (4-5-2 HEA).

UCONN takes the ice again on Tuesday night against the Merrimack Warriors.

“I haven’t been this disappointed like this since the BC weekend. We had stuck together and played a good stretch of hockey there for eleven games. It started right from the beginning. We came out late to the ice for the game. I think we weren’t into the game right from the get go, and spotted them three goals. We didn’t make a real push till it was 5-0. We played a strong third period, but it was too little, too late,” a dejected UCONN head coach, Mike Cavanaugh, said.

To be into a Hockey East conference game, with a truncated college schedule the way it works out, turns points into gold so a team can make the playoffs.

A game like this could comeback could come back to haunt the Huskies in March. But the question needs to be answered in how a team could be late in it’s own building?

Cavanaugh didn’t exclude himself or his coaching staff from criticism on this woeful night of hockey.

“Our team just didn’t have it tonight. We have to coach better, play better, our special teams have to be better. It’s just a complete poor effort from the entire UCONN hockey program. It needed to be better tonight.”

UCONN had a late game chance to sweep away their earlier poor play when they were granted a five-on-three power play for the final 4:23. They were unable to score a goal despite spending the entire man-advantage in the Northeastern end of the ice.

On the UCONN side of the ice, a goalie interference call was made on Northeastern’s Aidan McDonough on the UConn side of the ice. Meanwhile, down at the other end, Michael Kesselring was assessed a major penalty for a blatant crosscheck to UConn’s Ruslan Iskharov in front of his own net.

Kesselring was also assessed a game misconduct which makes it reviewable for a potential suspension by Hockey East.

The UCONN team got seven of their 14 shots for the period, but were too deliberate. At one point UCONN had three players at the blue line when they should have had them in front of the net.

In the seven shots they took, none of them were serious threats to score.

In the second period, Northeastern maintained the pressure they had in the first period aided by solid forechecking and bodychecking coupled with UCONN’s poor puck management.

Northeastern scored a beautifully executed power play goal on the back-end of a five-on-three power play.

McDonough was on the right-wing and fired a cross-ice pass through the box to Tyler Madden brilliantly put the puck in front to Zach Solow who beautifully redirected the puck into the net at 11:46.

Northeastern made it 5-0 when Neil Shea was able to freely skate down the left-wing and get off a shot that was stopped by UCONN netminder, Tomas Vomacka, but he left a rebound that Matt Demelis put behind him with both d-men, Yan Kuznetsov and Adam Kraschik, out of the picture. It was Demelis’ his fourth goal of the season.

UCONN broke the shutout when Carter Turnbull grabbed  a loose puck and made a quick cross ice thought the crease pass to Vladimir Firstov. He pulled the puck back, off the tape-to-tape pass and flipped his sixth of the season into the net with 1:04 left in the period.

After the goal, Northeastern pressed and had a two-on-one with defenseman Ryan Shea stopped twice on the right-wing by Vomacka. Then two more bids by Madden and Julian Kislin before the period ended.

For the first three minutes of the game, UCONN dug themselves a hole.

Northeastern scored on the game’s first shot when Matt Filipe motored past Karaschik (Ridgefield) and swept in on Vomacka slipping a backhander into the net for his fourth goal.

Jachym Kondelik then took a penalty 57 seconds later that the Huskies would have to kill.

The Huskies clipped Jayden Struble, a Montreal Canadiens draft pick, on the left wing side of the neutral zone, It looked like it could have been a minor for kneeing, but after a video review by the referees, no penalty was called. It would be the only break the Huskies would get.

Northeastern had an effective forecheck the entire game. Filip crunched UCONN’s Harrison Rees in the right-wing corner. Then, at the blue line, Jake Flynn handed the puck right to Solow, who zipped lined down the left wing side on a solo dash and put his seventh of the season past Vomacka at 10:40.

“I’m not sure it was their forwards so much as us,” Cavanaugh said. “We turned over two pucks we had full possession of, and we weren’t under any pressure. The first goal, we turned it over a bit high (in the zone). The second goal we had full control of it and passed it right to their guy. I think it was more us, being lackadaisical, we weren’t ready to play a hockey game.”

Northeastern’s  coach, Jim Madigan, was very happy with the start.

“We did a real job on the forecheck and we pressured their defense and got the turnovers and scored early and that was a key to our play in the first two periods.”

On Northeastern’s third goal, Madden put on a puck control clinic fifteen feet from the net.

Madden got the puck off a pass from Biagio Lerario. The right-handed center slipped the puck through the legs of Iskharov, then past Kuznetsoc and fought off Turnbull’s backcheck and put a forehand past Vomacka at 15:57.

That was an NHL play.

“He is one of those guys you say, ‘Uh-oh,’ wow. He’s that type of player. People don’t realize how well he handles the puck and he has more room to grow and get there (the NHL). We’ll have him ready for the NHL in four years.”

The shots at the end of the period were only 7-3 with Northeastern holding the edge, but it felt like far more since UCONN had so little offensive zone time.

NOTES:

Northeastern has played just two games since winning the Friendship Tourney in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

Northeastern had a slew of sons of former players.

Tyler Spott’s father, Steve Spott, is the assistant coach for the San Jose Sharks. Tyler Madden is the son of former NHL’er John Madden.

Kasselring is the son of former Merrimack star from the 1990’s Casey Kasselring, and Brendan Van Riemsdyk is the youngest of the Van Riemsdyk’s. Brother James is back in Philly and Trevor is in Carolina.