UConn men’s hockey returned after a two-week hiatus when the Huskies got back on the ice to play against No. 2 ranked Boston College this weekend.
On Friday, UConn (1-2-1, 1-1-0 Hockey East) traveled to BC’s (5-1-0, 1-1-0 Hockey East) Kelley Rink to kick off the series where they fell 4-3 in overtime. Early on in the first period, the Huskies were awarded a power play after BC’s Mike Hardman was given a penalty for hooking. Unfortunately, UConn weren’t able to make much of the advantage aside from a shot by Hudson Schandor, which ended up being saved by Boston College’s keeper, Henry Wilder. There were some good attempts from both sides, but it would ultimately be right before the 10th minute that the Eagles would net their first goal of the match. Colby Ambrosio managed to get a look puck in a dangerous area for UConn. Without hesitation, Ambrosio took his shot and gave the Eagles the lead. The lead wouldn’t last for too long, as before the end of the first period UConn scored the equalizer. Winning the puck from behind BC’s goal, Jachym Kondelik found Marc Gatcomb wide open, and wasting no time on the play, Gatcomb slapped the puck into the back of the net.
The second period saw the Huskies’ chance of winning slip away due to a pair scored by BC’s Logan Hutsko. His first came in the third minute after Nikita Nesterenko carried the puck down the rink and made a vital pass to Hutsko for a clinical shot. A bit over 10 minutes later, the duo struck once more.
However, while all hope appeared lost, UConn ended up making a comeback in the final period. In the opening minutes, Hutsko was sent off the ice for tripping, and this would ultimately lead to UConn scoring. While the power play was almost over, Jonny Evans had possession of the puck and made a backwards pass to freshman John Spetz. Taking his chance from distance, Spetz close the goal deficit by one. By the midway point, a BC turnover saw Hudson Schandor make a pass to Kale Howarth, who then made his shot right by the post.
While the Huskies entered their second overtime of the season, BC ended up finishing the game at the 3:13 mark. After a good attempt by Evans, the Eagles went on the counterattack. While Marc McLaughlin took the first shot on Tomas Vomacka in the play, Marshall Warren was right behind to secure the win.
While UConn faced a rough defeat on the road, they would make up for it in their 3-1 win at Freitas. Even though the first period was scoreless, the Huskies netted all three of their goals in the second. Evans scored the first in the fourth minute after a build-up play by Atrem Shlaine. Gatcomb scored once more in the BC series, this time just a few minutes after UConn took the lead. Firing a shot from the right side, BC’s Wilder made an effort to grab the loose puck. Unfortunately for him, Gatcomb was able to find the puck again and send the Huskies on a two-goal deficit. Shortly after, freshman Nick Capone would score UConn’s third goal of the match. Roman Kinal took his shot on Wilder who saved the puck from going in … or so he thought. Off the rebound, Capone took his chance from a short distance and scored. The Eagles wouldn’t leave the match without a goal, however, as in the third period, Boston College got their shot in the 13th minute by Trevor Kuntar.
“We wanted to pick up right where we left off on [Friday] night and put together three periods of hockey like we played in the second and third periods last night,” UConn head coach Mike Cavanaugh said in a post-game interview. “We had not done that all year long, and I thought we accomplished that. I thought we came out right from the get-go, played a hard physical game, 0-0 after one [period], and then pucks started going in for us.”
