CANTLON: IT TAKES BOSTON COLLEGE OT TO DEFEAT UCONN 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

CHESTNUT HILL, MA – The nationally second-ranked Boston College (BC) Eagles remained undefeated (5-0-0) after a 4-3 overtime victory over the UCONN Huskies in a well-played hockey game Friday night.

The OT game-winner came at 3:13 when Marc McLaughlin came in on the left-wing on a two-on-one. He took a shot that UCONN goalie, Tomas Vomacka, made the save on, but he couldn’t control the rebound. BC defenseman, Marshall Warren, raced down the length of the ice and got to a rolling loose puck. Warren, with a golf whack, chipped it past Vomacka for the game-winning score of the three-on-three overtime period.

“I was happy with our play, but it’s three-on-three. We’re new to this. We had a great chance before the goal, but the goalie poke-checked it, and they went on a two-on-one. They made the play, and we didn’t,” UCONN head coach Mike Cavanaugh stated.

Under the new rules and overtime format adopted into Hockey East this season, with their loss in OT, the Huskies will get one standings point, while BC picked up two points with the win.

The Huskies remain winless (0-2-1). The two teams have a rematch at 3:30 PM at Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs on Saturday.

The Huskies had a great chance before the game-winning goal. Jonny Evans was playing strong on the puck and outworked Warren in the right-wing corner and went to the net. BC goalie, Henry Wilder, poke-checked Evans’ backhand attempt out to the slot that started the rush that led to the Warren goal for the Eagles.

For Warren, the goal was a personal vindication as he was one of the last cuts for the finals election camp to be invited to the Team USA WJC squad back in November.

The game went to overtime after another strong two-goal third-period rally by UCONN that was fueled offensively by Kale Howarth, Evans, and Carter Turnbull.

“I prefer we not be in these situations, but I like that we (came back) and stuck with our game plan and didn’t let the score dictate our play.”

The Huskies trailed 3-1 as Evans was denied on a quick wrister from the left-wing circle by Wilder. He was able to work off two Eagles, but Turnbull was able to get to the loose puck and made a simple short pass over to Evans to keep the puck in the zone.

Evans had the puck with good use of his body protected the puck and made a drop pass to freshmen defenseman, John Spetz at the left point. Spetz was 50 feet out when he launched a shot on net. Howarth used his 6’4 frame to take the eyes away from Wilder as Spetz saw his first collegiate goal sail behind the BC goaltender into the net at 2:02.

“I was very happy with the way Jonny played. He’s been good all year long, even in practice.”

UCONN was maintaining puck possession at 9:52 with the help of another important, but small play, that allowed the Huskies to tie the game at three midway through the third.

Freshmen, Hudson Schandor, was solid on the forecheck putting pressure on Eagles defenseman Eamon Powell. He forced him to give up the puck behind the net.

Schandor corralled the loose biscuit and put it out to Howarth, who showed a shooter’s poise in tight, and went backhand-to-forehand and swept in his first goal of the season around Wilder, sending the Huskies jumping for joy.

“I was happy with the way he played on the penalty kill, power play, five-on-five. He has a lot of versatility. We’re going to need him to play like that to be successful this season.” Cavanaugh said.

Throughout the remaining regulation time, both teams were pushing each other hard.

On a break-in at 11:43, Patrick Giles, a 6’5 freshman, snapped one off the inside of the far post on the right-wing.

The Huskies got a glorious break with six minutes remaining as Evans hit Jachym Kondelilk, but one-pass-too-many back to Evans gave Wilder a chance to get a piece of it.

BC had a late PP on what looked to be a very weak call on Nick Capone. Voamcka’s flexibility was on full display as he extended himself on a butterfly save off a Giles chance from the left-wing with 3:27 remaining.

The night-long BC offensive duo of Jack MacBain, and Nikita Nesterenko, almost ended it with 1:37 left, but Vomacka’s stupendous save with the right pad kept the game tied at three.

After being dominated in the first period, UCONN returned the favor outshooting BC 17-6 in the second, but the Eagles skill level allowed them to score twice and gain a two-goal lead.

The Eagles Logan Hutsko drove to the net and took a backhand flip pass from linemate Nikita Nesterenko. Vomacka got some of the puck, but not enough of it, as it skittered between his legs at 3:06 to give BC a two-goal lead.

The Eagles had a shorthanded breakaway by Mike Hardman at 12:10 that was denied by Vomacka to keep it a one goal game at that point.

UCONN finally mounted some effective offensive zone time and put pressure on Wilder as they peppered him with shots.

Turnbull redirected a Roman Kinal left point drive but that was knocked down. Then on a power-play, Turnbull came off the left-wing but was denied at 8:51.

At 14:28, Eagles winger, Brian Rigali, made a blind backhanded pass from the back of the Huskies net to McBain. He quickly darted to the right side of the net, saw Nestetrenko, who quickly sent it back to Hutsko coming in via the backdoor, and opened his blade with a redirect for his of the season at 14:28 for a two-goal lead for BC.

UCONN fought their way back into the game.

Marc Gatcomb’s bid was stopped with 4:15 remaining. With 1:49 to go, Evans found freshmen, Artem Schlaine, on the left side. He put a shot that looked destined to be his first goal toward Wilder, but he made a right pad save. The next shift, Turnbull was turned away with a blocker save

With just 40.3 seconds left, Turnbull’s first shot from off the left side was stopped, and Kondelik was in front but did not have much room but got to the rebound, but was unable to lift it past Wilder.

“We were unfortunate to be down 3-1 after the second. I thought we had a good period but couldn’t get any pucks past Wilder,” said Cavanaugh.

Vomacka was outstanding in the first period keeping the Huskies in the game as BC had the ice heavily tilted in their favor.

“They really came out and jumped us early, and it showed. We hadn’t played a game in three weeks. We were really lucky to get out of that period 1-1.”

Vomacka made 21 saves, mostly top-quality, Grade-A chances off the sticks of the Eagles, who had four players off at World Junior try-out camps (3 for Team USA, and I for Team Canada), but it wasn’t noticeably different, based upon their play on the ice.

“We could have been down two or three nothing, or least 3-1. Anytime on the road when they jump you like that, and your goaltender does that, and plays that well, it gives your team a lift.”

At the 2:20 mark, Hutsko was denied by Vomacka as he stretched across the lower end of the net after going right-to-left and kept the red light off.

Jack McBain, the son of the former NHL’er and New Haven Senator Andrew McBain, was stopped on four chances, including a pair at 5:49 on a backhanded attempt off the rebound of his own shot, and the right-wing doorstep at 11:44.

On their 13th shot, the Eagles found the back of the net.

A bad defensive zone turnover by defenseman Ryan Wheeler allowed Colby Ambrosio, who was in the left-wing circle to quickly corral the loose puck. The right-handed shooter zipped his fourth of the season, past Vomacka.

The Huskies had two power-plays that came up empty.

Then Jachym Konedelil of the HUskies used his 6’6 frame to his advantage on a forecheck, got behind the BC net, and lifted Warren’s stick.

Kondelik then sent a backhanded pass to the onrushing Marc Gatcomb in the left-wing faceoff circle. He zipped it past Wilder (Hotchkiss Prep), who was making his collegiate debut in goal and the was tied at 17:09 at one.

The same Huskies combination nearly gave UCONN a lead with 25 seconds left in the period. Kondelik crossed the blue line and put a soft pass on the stick of Gatcomb. He went to the net, but Wilder denied him as he tumbled over him and sailed past the BC net.