CANTLON: (2/26) BU KNOCKS OFF UCONN IN OT 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

STORRS, CT – Alex Tuch’s goal 44 seconds into overtime gave the Boston University Terriers a 3-2 win Saturday at the Freitas Ice Forum and allowed the visitors to complete a late two-goal comeback in a well-played Hockey East contest.

The previously scheduled meeting between the two schools in December was canceled as a result of COVID-19 protocols. Friday’s game was unexpectedly postponed because they had just one active goalie and played Saturday’s game with only one goalie.

UCONN had a strong early rush in OT. Jonny Evans and Jachym Kondelik made the play with Evans on the right-wing. He tried a toe-drag shot that just missed to the far side.

The Terriers’ Luke Tuch then went up the right-wing boards with the puck.

Tuch put the puck on Logan Cockerill’s stick as he entered the UCONN zone and then shifted to the ice’s middle. Evans hustled back on the three-on-three. He swung his stick and knocked the puck off Cockerill’s stick, but it went right back to Tuch’s.

Tuch moved to the middle of the ice and snapped a wrister over UCONN netminder Tomas Vomacka’s right shoulder under the crossbar, giving BU the win.

REACTION

“We battled pretty hard tonight. They’re a good hockey team. We’re a good hockey team; shots were pretty even. Our penalty kill was very good. I’m still feeling good about the club.

“It was a good hockey game, and we were going toe-to-toe with them. They were missing some guys. We were missing some guys. Overall, it was a good effort,” UCONN Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh said.

UCONN lost their third straight contest and saw their record drop to 8-9-2. They remain in fourth place with a HEPI rating of 52.13. BU increases its conference record to 9-0-2. They stay put in the rankings with a rating of 58.44. It was the fourth straight OT game between the two schools.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw them again in the playoffs. I would hope to. They’re a pretty good team, and it would mean we would be playing them in the semifinals. It was a good game, two teams that were physical, up and down, a good game for the fans to watch,” Cavanaugh commented.

GOALIE SHOW

Vomacka and BU’s Vincent Duplessis had quite the goaltending battle in the third period.

“I thought they both made some pretty good saves at different times. That’s what you’re going to get in this league.”

Cockerill outworked two Huskies, Kondelik and Jake Flynn, to keep the puck in. Cade Webber was at the left point for BU and reached back to snare a John Spetz clear up the wall and kept it in the UCONN end.

Cockerill was in the lower left-wing corner and sent a pass to Max Kaufman, who was down on one knee between the circles and one-timed a shot just under Vomacka’s left pad at 13:59 for his first of the season.

The action continued as UCONN pressed to get the game-winner.

The second period while scoreless, was not devoid of action.

Very early, the Huskies had to handle adversity.

MORE GREAT GOALTENDING

At 2:34, BU’s Nick Zabaneh was alone in the right-wing circle and took a Jamie Armstrong pass, then circled the net, and came out on the right side, but Vomacka made a tremendous save and kept the Terriers off the scoreboard.

Kale Howarth put the Huskies down a man when at 6’4, he hit and crushed Zabaneh, a smaller 5’10 BU forward. He knocked off his helmet, and his head hit the ice on the play.

For the second time this season, Howarth was hit with a major for roughing and game misconduct.

UCONN had a five-minute major penalty to kill off.

BU’s Jay O’Brien was stopped on the doorstep. Mastrosimone’s shot was tipped by Zabaneh, still in the game, followed by a pair of bang-bang saves on Tuch right on Vomacka’s front step.

Despite the major to Howarth, UCONN did not shy away from physical play. Spetz has two big hits, and Nick Capone delivered a bone-crunching hit in front of the penalty box area.

The Huskies came out of the chute quickly and scored the game’s first goal early.

BERGER PUTS THE MEAT ON THE BUN

Defenseman Carter Berger, who’s been close to scoring goals in the past few games, cut the blue line to get away from a checker and then launched his shot on the net. It was deflected off the stick of teammate Carter Turnbull for his ninth goal at 1:28.

Duplessis is the only goalie for the Terriers because Drew Commesso (COVID-19 protocols) and Ashton Abel (who fell of ice on ice on campus) were out injured.

Evans, the Huskies leading scorer, with 5:12 left, was denied on a scoring opportunity, but the home team could take advantage of some puck luck on their second goal.

On a delayed penalty Brian Rigali in the BU zone skated from the left side to the right and let a shot go that went off the back of Terriers 6’7 defenseman Webber’s right skate. Then it caromed off Duplessis extended right skate at 15:32 for the 2-0 UCONN lead.

The Terriers scored in the last minute of regulation when Kaufman, a University of Vermont transfer, found O’Brien alone coming down the middle of the ice. The Flyers first-round draft pick made a deke on his forehand and then slipped a backhander under the crossbar of a wide-open net at 19:09, shrinking the UCONN lead to 2-1.

NOTES:

BU had several CT connections, Kaufman (Kent School), Jamie Armstrong (Avon Old Farms/son of Arizona NHL GM Bill), and Jack DeBoer (Salisbury School/ and the son of Vegas Golden Knights head coach, Peter DeBoer).

Plus, several other NHL connections; Alex Vlasic is the cousin of NHL’er, Marc-Édouard Vlasic, of the San Jose Sharks. Luke Tuck is the younger brother of NHL’er Alex Tuck of the Vegas Golden Knights, and the last one is injured Ty Amonte, is the son of former NHL’er and one time NY Ranger, Tony Amonte.

BU’s unique goalie situation forced Friday’s game to be canceled, but Hockey East and  BU school administrators allowed a waiver for the teams to play Saturday.

“Thanks to Hockey East and the administrators for allowing us to play the one game,” BU coach Albie O’Connell commented after the game.

LINES:

Carter Turnbull-Jachym Kondelik-Jonny Evans
Kale Howarth-Cassidy Bowes- Nick Capone
Marc Gatcomb-Artem Shlaine- Ryan Tverberg
Zac Robbins-Brian Rigali-Eric Linnell

Yan Kuznetsov-Adam Karashik
Carter Berger-John Spetz
Ryan Wheeler-Jake Flynn
Harrison Rees

INJURED:

D Roman Kinal (knee)
Vladislav Firstov (lower-body injury)
Hudson Schandor (concussion)

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