BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Boston University’s Jay O’Brien cashed in the game-winner just eight seconds into the overtime session. Off the opening draw, O’Brien carried the puck uncontested all way to the net and beat Darion Hanson with his fifth of the season to give the Terriers the extra point in a 2-1 win.
Boston University is undefeated over their last seven games (6-0-1). The Terriers own a record of 10-6-3 overall, 6-5-3 HEA.
“Fans got their money’s worth. It was a great game between two good hockey teams. Back and forth, good chances for both sides. I thought both goalies played excellent games. It’s a shame in overtime the puck went under Carter’s stick,” UConn Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh said afterward.
The resulting eight seconds were not in UCONN’s (9-9-0 overall, 6-5-0 HEA) favor from the opening draw.
“John Spetz bailed out because he thought Carter (Turnbull) was gonna pass the puck to him and backed off (that created the space and opening for O’Brien).”
OFFENSIVE OUTPUT IS A PROBLEM
Some games’ anemic regulation offensive output is problematic, not that it has been raised to a five-bell alarm fire status.
“It’s a concern that we haven’t scored a lot in the last few games, but we did have chances tonight. We gotta start bearing down on chances. It was a good shot by O’Brien that beat Hanson far side. Overall, I was pretty happy with the effort,” Cavanaugh said of the game-winner.
UCONN had some chances in the last few minutes of regulation, but Drew Commesso showed why he is Olympic bound. He stopped Carter Turnbull with 4:12 remaining while Vladislav Firstov had several chances stopped.
“He’s a good goalie, been around college hockey for some time.”
BU WAS ON THE ATTACK
BU hit four posts in the game as they sought to bust the game wide open from the usual UCONN-BU nail biters.
UCONN stayed even with the Terriers throughout the contest.
“Against AIC, we lost battles in the third period and didn’t deserve to win. That wasn’t the case (here). We went toe-to-toe with them; it just didn’t go our way (tonight). We played well enough to win,” remarked Cavanaugh.
UCONN finally solved the Commesso riddle (25 saves) with precisely seven minutes to go in the game.
BRADLEY SCORES
Chase Bradley was the goal scorer as Jachym Kondelik took full advantage of his height, extending his stick full length on a forecheck, lifting the stick, and creating a turnover.
Bradley, who had just fallen, popped right back up and put in his third of the season past Commesso.
“We forced the turnover as Nick Capone found Jachym. The effort of (goal scorer) Chase Bradley was incredible. He was knocked down when he shot, but he was able to quickly get himself back up. Jachym was able to get him to make a turnover and Chase buried it.”
HANSON STRONG BETWEEN THE PIPES
Hanson (26 saves) also turned in an Olympic-like performance. The grad transfer stretched out with his right leg on one play, making a last-second save on the goal line on Kade Webber’s scoring chance with 3:36 remaining in the second period. The save left Webber muttering to himself.
“It was crazy. I was right on the sight line. I was sure that puck was going in. For him to get his pad on that was an incredible effort,” Cavanaugh said.
Jay O’ Brien then took a perfect stretch pass from senior Dominick Fensore from the BU end of the ice and cruised in at top speed.
Hanson shut the five-hole door and kept UCONN down by just one goal with 15 seconds left before heading into the second intermission.
WHAT A SAVE
“That save was huge for us better to be down 1-0 than 2-0. I liked the way we played five-on-five. It feel like a loss because it’s a skills competition (in overtime). I told the players to remember in the playoffs it’s five-on-five, but give full credit to BU. They played well.”
BU played a solid road game at XL, making UCONN’s life quite difficult in the first period.
They held the Huskies to two shots on goal in the first ten minutes and shut them down on the first power play.
The game’s first goal came from Matt Brown, who snatched the puck away from Ryan Wheeler in a one-on-one puck battle in the right-wing circle. He lifted a backhander at 17:10 and put it beautifully over Hanson’s glove and bar down in the process.
NOTES
BU has junior Jamie Armstrong from Avon Old Farms. He is the son of Arizona Coyotes GM Bill Armstrong.
Former UCONN Husky Karl El-Mir signs a PTO With the Ontario (CA) Reign (AHL), the top farm team of the LA Kings.
LINES
Firstov-Kondelik-O’Neil
Gatcomb-Evans-Turnbull
Teleguine-Schandor-Tverberg
Bradley-Schlaine-Capone
Wheeler-Rees
Berger-Spets
Kinal-Gorley
Flynn
