CANTLON: (SAT) HUSKIES WIN THE HOME OPENER IN A SHOOTOUT 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

STORRS, CT – Sometimes, it’s not how you start that matters most, but how you finish.

In dramatic fashion, the UCONN Huskies overcame a two-goal, third-period deficit and scored late to tie the game before going on to win in a shootout, the first time ever in conference history. UCONN defeated UMASS-Amherst 3-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Freitas Ice Forum.

“It was a gutsy third period. When Carter (Turnbull) got that first goal, it got us going. Credit UMASS. They killed the five-on-three. I like how we executed, how we battled, (our) goalie made big saves,” said UCONN Head Coach, Mike Cavanaugh.

Kale Howarth, who was the late-game hero in their last home game last season, did so once again.

In the shootout, Howarth came in off the left-wing side and zipped a shot over the stick-side blocker of Minuteman goalie, Filip Lundberg. Howarth was immediately mobbed by his teammates.

The shootout session almost never came to pass. UMASS scored what seemed to be at the time, a game-winning goal at 3:37 in OT. Colin Felix followed up a rebound of a Cal Kiefiuk shot and put it past UCONN netminder Tomas Vomacka.

However, Cavanaugh believed he saw Felix cross into the offensive zone early during the three-on-three. The referees confirmed his challenge, giving his team extra life.

Credit the coach with the primary assist.

The reason the game went to OT was the result of some amazing hand-stick coordination by winger, Brian Rigali, and a strong power move by a UCONN freshman playing in just his second varsity game who set up the game-tying goal with exactly two minutes remaining in the game.

Hudson Schandor, another new face in the Huskies lineup, was hit with a late boarding call and it seemed if the Huskies attempt to claw-out-of-the-hole comeback would be for naught, but the team rallied after a poor performance in Amherst the previous night.

Center, Cassidy Bowes, was up near the Huskies blue line and maintained perfect body position on the puck coming around the boards. He chipped it past UMASS defenseman, Zac Jones, and he and Rigali took off on a two-on-one break.

Bowes went right to the net on the right-wing side and took the shot.

“I really liked how he got body position to start the two-on-one, and I was happy that he didn’t try to pass off the puck. He shot it and we got the rebound. A lot of times it’s shot, rebound, score. It was a great play,” remarked the ebullient head coach.

Rigali did not peel off after the shot was taken as some wingers are want to do on a break. Instead, he headed right to the net. Then showed some nimble dexterity in a tight space and time.

The shot came off of Lundberg right to him. His normal instinct was to palm the puck with his glove, which, had it gone in, the goal would have been disallowed.

Rigali got his stick on it and put it past Lundberg to tie the game. The UMASS bench was in shock.

“The defenseman had really taken away the pass. I was focusing on the goalie’s pads. It came off kinda hot and it was a pretty high shot, usually, it’s a low pad (rebound), a higher rebound than you normally get. I think he blockered it. My first instinct was to glove it. I knew it wouldn’t count, so I was able to get a stick on it,” a jubilant Rigali stated. “You gotta drive hard to the net you never know what can happen.”

The referees reviewed the goal and declared it a good goal and the Huskies flair for late game excitement continues.

A timeout aided UCONN giving the club the chance to settle down. Cavanaugh imparted some important thoughts to his troops.

“Don’t get down about the five-on-three. Nothing says you can’t score on a penalty kill (shorthanded) goal.”

UCONN has almost tied the game on an unusual late five-on-three powerplay after two tripping calls were made on the same play.

With 5:12 left, freshmen, Artem Schlaine, saw the upper right corner open and launched a shot that hit where the post and crossbar meet.

UMASS nearly ended at 15:44 just before the power play when speedster, Bobby Trivigno, had a clean breakaway. Vomacka, as he has done over the last two-and-a-half years, kept the red light off.

“That was huge (for us). Tomas was very good all night long for us,” Cavanaugh said of his top netminder and his 34 saves.

The Huskies’ comeback efforts were started by Turnbull, who continues his developing a niche for scoring goals at key times of the game.

A strong cycle in the UMASS zone found Vladislav Firstov dishing the puck off to Turnbull, who zig-zagged in on Lindberg and waited for him to make the butterfly move before backhanding the Huskies first home goal over him at 9:57 to narrow the lead at 2-1.

In the second UCONN finally got some quality time in the UMASS end of the ice.

“We finally started to skate and win puck battles. They have a good forecheck and you have to make plays quickly. If you don’t, they’re gonna be on you. We started to counterattack better and we got into their zone and got some riding time.”

UMASS also lost two defensemen and spent the final 35 minutes rotating four guys. After playing in an international length surface (200′ x 100′) UCONN was able to use the shorter surface at Freitas to their advantage.

UMASS picked up right where they left off last night gaining a 2-0 lead in the first period.

UMASS tallied early on the powerplay. Matt Kessel was in the left wing circle and sent the puck to Oliver Chau who was behind the goal line. he found Trivigno behind the net.

Trivigno caught the pass which skipped out toward the right side of the net. He sent the pass back to a wide open Kessel who wired his first of the season at 3:25.

UMASS Philip Lagunov was in front of the neet and won the one-on-one battle and converted the rebound of Garret Wait’s shot at 12:57 to build a 2-0 lead.

The play began with Jones, a NY Rangers draftee, making a strong play in the zone opening space and hit Wait, who was 40-feet out, for a shot.

The two-man UMASS forecheck bottled up and disrupted UCONN’s ability to get any transition game going.

“I thought they came out and punched us in the mouth last night and did it again in the first period tonight,” Cavanaugh said. “They were completely outplaying us. We played too slow last night; we were processing the game not using our instincts. We’re good hockey players, just make the good play, just don’t throw the puck away.”

The Huskies are next scheduled to host Maine in a two-game series with the Black Bears.

NOTES:

Cavanaugh switched his lines up for the game starting Sclaine with Howarth and Jonny Evans, keeping under-classmen with upperclassmen theme. The same for the team defense.

Kinal, who missed all of last season due to injury, made his debt.

Massachusetts becomes just the third Hockey East team to play at Freitas. UMASS-Lowell and Northeastern were the other two.

Defenseman Carter Berger scratched again for the Huskies with a non-COVID related illness.

UCONN was dreadful on the draw. They were 46-24 in the circle.

The Huskies gained its third commit for next season. They will have right-handed shooting defenseman, Ryan Tverberg (Richmond Hill, ON), who was a top player in the OJHL with the Toronto Jr. Canadians. He was voted to the All-Star team and is slated to play for the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL) this year.

Forward Nate Hanley and goalie Logan Terness are the other two to give verbal commits

LINES:

Artem Schlaine-Kale Howarth-Jonny Evans

Brian Rigali-Hudson Schandor-Nick Capone

Jachym Kondelik-Vladislav Firstov-Carter Turnbull

Zac Robbins-Cassidy Bowes-Eric Linell

Marc Gatcomb

Yan Kuznetsov-Harrison Rees

Ryan Wheeler-Adam Karachik

Roman Kinal-Jacob Flynn