BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
BRIDGEPORT, CT – The Huskies despite a nearly two to one-shot advantage were clipped by the Yale Bulldogs 3-2 in the consolation game of the first-ever SNY CT Ice Festival.
UCONN overall record slips to (9-12-4) and Yale overall mark (9-10-0). It was the second consecutive one-goal loss, but it was not a blowout.
The game within the game despite their two to one-shot advantage the Huskies are clearly struggling as they prepare for the final quarter pole dash.
The usually loquacious Cavanaugh took some time to comment on the game disappointment was showing all over his face.
“I don’t know what to say. It’s happening a lot (lately) to us we dominate the play. The effort was there, I’m really happy with that we come out to play, were just not getting the results,”
With the effort clearly there 18 shots in the third (44 to 24) for the game yet the execution at key times was missing which has dogged UCONN at various times for most of the season has resurfaced this weekend.
“To say this is (the two losses) difficult is an understatement, The only thing we can do is bring forth that type of effort,” said a genuinely discouraged Cavanaugh as he folded up his tie looking at the patterns, hoping for an answer to this perplexing development with just nine games left in their season.
In the third period, a revived Yale team held off an early UCONN surge and got a two-goal lead midway through the second period.
Justin Pearson 15 feet out snapped a shot for his sixth of the season at 9:59 that came out a scramble in front for a 3-1 lead.
It wasn’t looking good for UCONN despite the nearly two to one-shot advantage time was slipping by.
Cavanaugh had to switch his lines because he was down two men as Ruslan Iskhakov (upper body) and the teams best faceoff man Ben Freeman (stitches) got the scoring he was looking for from the right guy, red hot Carter Turnbull.
With Jonny Evans winning the draw the puck came to Jake Flynn who dished it off to Adam Karaschik and he went down the left-wing boards and chipped a backhand pass out front.
In the middle of the slot was red hot Carter Turnbull and he didn’t miss at the net burying his ninth goal at 13:57 shrinking the deficit to 3-2.
“Adam was great for us today he was physical. He was rolling down the wall I got into a good position he made a great pass, all I had to do was shoot it.”
For Cavanaugh, it was not his first choice to make line switches, but it did give UCONN some hope.
“We do that by necessity because Ruslan was knocked out of the game Ben Freeman had to leave in the third period to get stitches and Carter is playing dynamic hockey right now.”.
Is this current power outage is it mental or physical?
“Certainly, not physically we’re dominating in games could it be mental…maybe. We just have to keep going at it,” remarked Cavanaugh hedging his answer.
Evans, Newpower and Kale Howarth had chances, but the red light for the tying goal never happened.
Turnbull despite his strong uptick in play thinks their issues are just more mental.
“We got to get out of our own heads were trying to overthink the game and were just not bearing down on our shots. We just need a couple of bounces to go our way,”
The best chance in the third for UCONN didn’t count as Yan Kuznetsov’s left point rocket hit the post at 2:21 and Jonny Evans on the rebound was denied as he fell to the ice hard.
Over the first four minutes of the second period, UCONN kept the pressure going with a four to one-shot spread with Ruslan Iskhakov on one right-wing with Harrison Rees on the rebound getting stopped by Kaczperslki.
It seemed like we might have a scoreless game on our hands and then the two teams traded two goals in a two-minute span.
First UCONN’s Wyatt Newpower sent Jachym Kondelik on a break up the left-wing side and as he crossed into Yale territory he put a perfect lead pass for Marc Gatcomb to redirect his sixth goal past Yale netminder Corbin Kaczperski at 9:40.
The Bulldogs bounced right back at 11:22 Curtis Hall a Bruins draft puck got a short pass from Jeremy Welsh and on the left-wing down low moved to the front of the net and slipped his 13th goal of the season past Vomacka.
Then Yale was beneficiary of the cheap 21st-century penalty protocol as Gatcomb was hit a with a faceoff violation call and the Bulldogs grabbed the lead at 2-1.
This time Luke Stevens, son of the former NHL’er Kevin coming off the right-wing took a pass from Kevin O’ Neill at 16:01 wristing it past Vomacka.
It was Steven’s seventh of the season.
Both plays were started by Flyers draft pick Jack St. Ivany. Yale dormant through four periods of hockey in the CT Ice Festival got some life and outshot UCONN in second.
The Huskies held a strong shot advantage in the first half of the first period because of a powerplay at 9-2.
UCONN had an early break in chance by Jachym Kondelik stopped by Yale goalie at 1:25. Then on their first powerplay, he turned aside.
The Huskies had a distinct advantage in shots at 17-4.
NOTES:
-This UCONN’s just second meeting against Yale last year it was New Year’s Eve meeting a 3-1 UCONN.
Then junior Adam Huska had 39 saves including his memorable spectacular two one skate save on now Bulldogs senior Mitchell Smith.
-UCONN returns to their Hockey East schedule for their last nine games of the regular season with a home and home affair.
Friday night they’re in New Hampshire and return to the XL Center for a 4 pm faceoff on Saturday with the Wildcats, a NESN broadcast game.
