Here's the wining from Foster's Daily Democrat of Saturday: What a crock !!
'Cats shut down in 3rd
Black Bears score a 4-3 win
By CHRIS MARCUCCI
Foster's Daily Democrat Staff Sports Writer
LOWELL, Mass. - Just when another comeback
seemed imminent, the University of New
Hampshire hockey team couldn't overcome the
one obstacle that has been a key weakness
this season.
The Wildcats, after bouncing back with two
goals to tie Maine late in the second period,
couldn't come up with another answer in the
third, falling to the Black Bears 4-3 in
Friday's opening-round game of the Governor's
Cup tournament at UMass-Lowell's Tsongas
Arena.
Maine's Marcus Gustafsson scored with 3:55
gone in the third period to break a 3-3 tie
and vault the Black Bears into today's
tournament final against the winner of
Friday's nightcap between Vermont and
UMass-Lowell. UNH (7-2-1, 4-1-1 Hockey East)
will take on the other team in the
consolation game today at 4 p.m.
"The third period was a real battle," UNH
head coach Dick Umile said. "They played a
very good defensive game. We had our chances
to win the game, but we didn't get it done."
That's because, as has been the case
throughout the season, the Wildcats lost
their scoring touch in the third period.
Wildcats Jason Krog and Darren Haydar each
had golden opportunities to bury the puck in
the third - a period in which UNH has scored
only six times this season - but missed
half-empty nets both times. UNH outshot Maine
by a 30-21 margin, but Black Bears goalie
Alfie Michaud made the key stops when it
counted.
"I didn't think we'd have that many chances,"
said Krog, who tallied a goal and an assist.
"We didn't capitalize on them like we
capitalized on our earlier opportunities."
Gustafsson lifted Maine to victory when he
came out of the corner with a loose puck,
curled in at the top of the left circle and
backhanded a shot that somehow found its way
through the five hole of UNH goaltender Sean
Matile.
The goal followed a wild second period in
which the two teams combined for four goals -
three on the power play.
The Wildcats were called for four straight
penalties in the opening 13 minutes of the
second period, and Maine's Steve Kariya made
them pay for two of them. The speedy right
wing netted his first power-play goal on a
wrist shot from the right face-off dot that
beat Matile on the far side, snapping UNH's
successful penalty-killing streak at 37.
"He's slippery," UNH defenseman Steve O'Brien
said. "You have to keep an eye on him when
he's coming down on you."
Maine went on the power play five times in
the second period. When asked to comment on
the officiating, Umile simply said, "They
know what they did. I don't need to tell
them."
Kariya made it 3-1 with 6:51 left in the
frame, using his speed to circle around
defenseman Eric Lind, swooping in from the
left side and flipping it past Matile.
"We really had some great shots (on the power
play), but the setup chances we had, Matile
stopped," Maine head coach Sean Walsh said.
"That's what's crazy about it. We wanted to
get it to (center Cory) Larose, because we
knew they'd overplay Kariya, and twice in
that first period, he was wide open and he
walked in, and Matile got his shoulder on the
second."
"I think our team is very balanced as a
team," Walsh added, "and the more I can play
four lines, two power-play units and not burn
out (Kariya and defenseman David Cullen), the
better we're going to be."
The Wildcats quickly answered with a pair of
goals in the final 6:23 of the period, both
set up by O'Brien, who assisted on all three
of UNH's goals. Just 28 seconds after
Kariya's second goal, Souza - with his back
to the net - found the rebound of an O'Brien
slapper between Michaud's leg pads and
swatted it in. With nine seconds left in the
period and the Wildcats on a 4-on-3
advantage, O'Brien slid a cross-ice pass to
Krog, who one-timed a laser from the left
point that ricocheted in off the left post.
The Wildcats controlled play for most of the
first period, outshooting the Black Bears,
12-4. Junior defenseman Jayme Filipowicz put
UNH ahead with a power-play goal 8:45 into
the game, with the help of a great lead-in
pass from O'Brien down the left boards.
Filipowicz cruised in behind Maine's
backpedaling blueliners and slipped the puck
underneath Michaud to make it 1-0.
Maine returned fire 6:25 later, when Dan
Kerluke took a centering pass from Gustafsson
and knocked it in between Matile and the left
post.
"I thought we played hard," said O'Brien.
"The bounces just didn't go our way."
Dan Doucette
*** Isn't it fitting someone named Garth Snow is playing ***
*** for a hockey team in Canada ??? ***
|
