MINUTEMEN WIN IN OT SHOCKER, 4-3
‘CATS REBOUND BEHIND BUTLER, 4-2
The Wildcats had some mixed emotions and some mixed results this past weekend when they took on UMass at the Mullins Center, Amherst, MA. On Friday night the ‘Cats played one of their better all around games of the season, only to see the Minutemen tie it with 11 seconds left, then win in overtime, 4-3. The ‘Cats apparently shook off any ill effects of that sudden defeat the next night when, led by Bobby Butler’s two goals, they came away with a solid 4-2 victory, their first in three weeks.
Friday night UNH came out flat and found themselves down 2-0 at the end of the first period. Before a crowd that was noisy and engaged from the opening whistle, UMass took control early. After two failed power plays (the only penalties on UNH the entire night) Michael Lecomte scored at 16:28 when he banged home the rebound of a Will Ortiz shot from the slot. Justin Braun then made it 2-0 at 18:39, when he got an edge on a UNH defender and beat Brian Foster blocker side.
If the Wildcats didn’t match UMass’ intensity in the first period, they sure made up for it in the second when they dominated the Minutemen in every facet of the game, outshot them 18-7, and tied the game. Stevie Moses got UNH on the board at 10:27 when he beat Paul Dainton from in front after taking a feed from Kevin McCarey. Peter LeBlanc tied the game when he banged home the rebound of a Brett Kostolansky’s shot from the right point at 17:52.
Butler gave the Wildcats the lead just 1:19 into the third period slipping the puck past Dainton after collecting a pass from Paul Thompson. From there the ‘Cats seemed to gain confidence and appeared to have the victory in hand, even when Dainton was pulled for an extra skater with less than a minute to go. Play was in the UNH end when the puck came around to Danny Hobbs at the right point. Hobbs closed, but partially whiffed on a slapshot, and fell to the ice. As the puck squirted out from under his body, Hobbs swiped at it, “passing” the puck over to Casey Wellman, who banged it home as he stood uncovered to the right of the crease.
Despite the shock of the tying goal, UNH began the overtime by pinning UMass back in their zone. But on the Minutemen’s first breakout David Marcou found David Boehm streaking down the left wing. Boehm collected the pass and, using a UNH defender as a screen, fired a wrist shot past Foster at 2:05 for the improbable come-from-behind victory.
On Saturday UNH apparently overcame any ill effects from the previous night’s excruciating loss in a hurry. Led by Butler’s two goals and a 33-save performance by Foster, the ‘Cats put in a solid two-way effort throughout the game on their way to 4-2 victory.
LeBlanc set the tone early on, forcing Dainton to make a spectacular glove save in the first minute of play. Taking advantage of some sloppiness by the Minutemen, UNH took the play to UMass. They were finally able to strike at 16:39 when Butler converted on a backhander after Phil DeSimone forced a turnover inside the blue line.
UNH was back on their heels for most of the second when they were outshot by the Minutemen 20-4. But despite the disparity in shots, the Wildcats were able to hold their ground, scoring two goals to maintain the lead. After some pretty loose play by both teams to start the period, UMass tied the game on a Will Ortiz wrist shot at 4:37. LeBlanc got that one back at 5:21 after he stole the puck deep in the zone, walked in front and beat Dainton with a backhander. Butler then gave UNH a two goal lead when he took the rebound of Mike Beck’s blast from the point and backhanded it past Dainton at 13:47.
Despite UNH’s two goal lead, it was UMass which dominated most of the period when they forced Foster to make 18 saves. After the teams were whistled for penalties 26 seconds apart, UMass finally hit pay dirt, with defenseman Martin Nolet’s slapper from the slot beat Foster cleanly at 18:24.
Early in the third UMass had chances to tie it up, with the best one coming six minutes in when Brett Watson was denied in front by Foster. After some spirited action at both ends of the ice, UNH finally got the cushion they needed at 11:59. Streaking into the zone on the left wing, LeBlanc fed a pass to Mike Sislo, who crashed the net and knocked the puck past Dainton for a lead that, this night, the Wildcats would not relinquish.
COMMENTS FROM THE COACH
“We played very well on Friday, played very hard. It was a disappointing loss because I thought in the second we came out and played a solid period and tied it, then came back and played a real strong third and got the go-ahead goal. It was just unfortunate that there was a crazy bounce of the puck and they tied it up. We block a shot, the kid falls on the ice, makes a blind pass and it goes right on Wellman’s stick for a goal. (There were) a couple of bad coverage plays when they scored, but the fact is the guys stayed with it and we played a solid hockey game. It was a tough one to lose because we played hard and had nothing to show for it.
“I thought we bounced back really well on Saturday. (Butler’s) goal that we got right away was key, to bounce right back like that says something. They had us running around a little bit in the second, but Foster made a couple of good saves and we made some good decisions with the puck. LeBlanc’s (third period) goal was huge for us. Ending the game with a one goal lead could have been tough, so having that two-goal margin was key for us.”
“These guys have played as hard as any team I’ve had in the last couple of years. I’m pleased with the way they have competed. They came back (on Saturday) and played hard. They never quit. We’ve had some good character games already and that was one of them. I told the team that I was proud of how hard they played all weekend. We played good, solid two-way hockey all weekend.
“I like the way the team is playing. We’re playing better defensively. (Brett) Kostolansky and (Connor) Hardowa are starting to get it, getting better in their own end. We’ll need them to continue to improve since we won’t have (Nick) Krates (high ankle sprain) for a couple of more weeks.
“Putting Butler and LeBlanc on different lines has got both of them going. Bobby is playing extremely well for us right now. Thompson and DeSimone have started to pick it up and Sislo’s starting to get it going. He had a nice goal on Saturday. We’re battling out there, we’ve lost a couple of guys (Greg) Burke (separated shoulder) and (Dalton) Speelman (bruised shoulder infected), so the rest of the guys have to step it up.
“Right now I’d say we’re improving every week. This past weekend was better than the week before. Not just because we won, but because we competed better and were more consistent. We’re getting there. Another tough week coming up (two games vs. BU) but I think we’ll be ready.
Halloween weekend at the University of Wisconsin? Well the overriding theme for most is the anticipation of Freak Night, when thousands of students and assorted hangers-on, attired in all manner of costume, descend on downtown Madison to celebrate All Hallows Eve. Unfortunately for UNH, this year’s festivities included a two-day celebration at the Kohl Center, where the Badgers humbled their visitors, 4-1 and 5-1 on consecutive nights.