BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
CHESTNUT HILL, MA – David damaged Goliath on Friday night.
The UCONN Huskies (5-5-2) seemed headed for a two-goal loss, but their determination not to leave Boston College (8-2-1) quietly or empty-handed paid off.
UCONN scored two goals late in regulation over a 3:01 span to tie the game at three, allowing them to gain points against the number one team in the nation. They would go on to win in a shootout, 4-3.
The two teams will battle again on Saturday afternoon at 4 PM at the Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs, CT.
Vladislav Firstov scored the first shootout tally, but the game-winner came from the deft stick-handling of Jonny Evans as he went in off the left-wing and got Connecticut-native, Spencer Knight to commit before elevating his shot to the short, upper right side of the net.
BC’s Mike Hardman had a chance to extend the extra time but went off the crossbar sealing the win for the visiting Huskies.
UCONN almost won it during the three-on-three OT session. Firstov was on the left-wing-side and sent a hard pass to Hudson Schandor, but as he was going for the one-timer, his stick broke in half.
UCONN’s play kept their original OT trio for BC on the ice for nearly ninety seconds. Jack St. Ivany had a strong night for BC and brought the puck out. He fed Logan Hutsko who had a scoring chance that went off of netminder, Tomas Vomacka’s blocker, and wide.
This win for UCONN was a huge, emotional performance.
“To be one of the top four teams in this league, you need to repeat the next night that same type of effort and performance. It’s what good teams do,” UCONN Head Coach, Mike Cavanaugh said.
The game-tying goal was a solid hockey play.
Firstov’s value was on full display as he circled with the puck off the right side a zipped cross-ice pass to Evans for a one-time slapper to the short side of the Eagles’ net at 19:01. It was his seventh goal of the season and erupted the UCONN bench.
“That was a pro goal and a pro pass by Vlad, and Jonny’s finish was fantastic. We just stuck with it,” Cavanaugh said with a big post-game smile.
At 16:59, Carter Berger wheeled into the BC zone on the right-wing. He turned and fired a shot on net. Knight made the initial save on but left a rebound right there for Marc Gatcomb to put into the net for his fourth goal of the year.
Early in the third period, another of the UCONN World Junior Championship performers, Yan Kuznetsov, put a smile on his coach’s face. Cavanaugh wants him to shoot more, and he did, drilling one from 55 feet out with Zac Robbins screening Knight up high.
“We did a good job getting traffic to the net on Yan’s goal. (Knight) didn’t see that. On Catacomb’s goal, we threw the puck at the net, and he got the rebound and Knight didn’t have any chance with that.”
The Huskies’ “fourth line” played a strong role all night creating chances while the team’s top line of Evans-Kondelik-Firstov was being kept in check by the BC checking line.
Cavanaugh would not distinguish lines.
“I don’t think we have a fourth line. Everybody played equal time. I wasn’t double shifting. We were rolling four (lines) and that’s what helps you win,” Cavanaugh said.
BC sprung back to a two-goal lead as Casey Carreau intercepted a bad clearing pass by Berger and sent a one-time wrister from 35-feet out to make it 3-1 at 5:38. It was Carreau’s second goal in three games.
In the second period, BC’s got some puck luck for its second goal.
The BC fourth line was buzzing around the net at 12:37. Harrison Roy was in front of the net. Danny Weight was behind it. Roy slipped a pass out front that went off Gatcomb’s skate right to Roy. The right-handed shot flipped the puck past Vomacka for his first goal of the season.
The period was punctuated by penalties. UCONN had the advantage in the first 10 minutes of the period, but Knight’s play denied them every time.
Knight stoned Nick Capone on a pair of shots. On the first bid, while exhibiting great fluidity for a big man, Knight slid over and blocked the rebound shot by the East Haven native.”
“I told the kids the story is not going to be that UCONN played fantastic, and Spencer Knight stood on his head. We have to will pucks into the net, and we did. The kids went into the third period with that mindset,” remarked Cavanaugh.
Ryan Tverberg had a sweet chance at the left side of the net. Knight dove for a loose puck, but Tverberg got to it first and took a shot that went over the crossbar. Knight’s dive came just before the returning Kale Howarth had his first shot turned aside.
Carter Turnbull had a serious chance with traffic in front, but though without his stick, Knight managed to make a glove save that kept UCONN off the scoreboard.
UCONN tossed 17 shots at the BC net but came up with a goose egg. BC had the last 13 shots of the 17 in the period.
Vomacka did his best in net stopping the Eagles Logan Hutsko twice late in the second with 1:21 remaining with the crossbar getting in the way of Mike McLaughlin’s attempt.
The Huskies saw the Eagles score the game’s first goal just as a penalty expired. Jake Flynn could not get back into the play to equalize the Huskies’ on-ice presence.
Marshall Warren was at the left point. He received a short pass and then zipped a low wrister. Mark McLaughlin was there with a perfect tip over Vomacka’s right shoulder and his sixth of the season.
The Huskies had chances near the end of the first period, but those chances were repelled by Knight (Darien/Avon Old Farms).
BC has tallied more shorthanded than powerplay goals.
