UMass and BU split 2 games this weekend, with UMass winning an OT thriller at home on Friday night, 5-4, and BU rebounding to win at Walter Brown Arena on Saturday, 3-1.

I was at the Friday night game at the Mullins Center - one of the most exciting hockey games I've attended in a long time.  BU got off to a quick start, scoring on their first 3 shots in the first period on freshman UMass goalie Gabe Winer (who's been solid for UMass all year).  A Freddy Meyer goal for BU in the 2nd period made the score 4-1, BU, despite UMass having carried the play for much of the first half of the game.

UMass continued to dominate play for much of the second and third periods, and finally saw some results on the scoreboard.  UMass's Mike Warner cut the deficit back to 2 goals with a score midway through the second period.  UMass then added 2 more in the first 10 minutes of the third period (PPGs by Mauldin and Degon, both after unnecessary BU penalties).

Nice goaltending down the stretch on both sides (Sean Fields for BU and a much more steady Winer for UMass) kept the score knotted at 4 and sent the game into overtime.

In the OT, it was BU with all of the good early chances, with UMass suddenly seeming to be playing back on their heels.  But following a BU turnover, freshman Chris Capraro grabbed the puck at the BU blueline and went in on a semi-breakaway, putting the puck between the pads of Fields with 0:40 left in the OT to give UMass the win, sending the crowd of almost 4000 into delirium.

It was only the 3rd win in 34 games for UMass versus BU, and was quickly deemed "the most significant win in UMass hockey history" in the recap in the Saturday Boston Herald.  In the two years since I moved to Amherst, it was - BY FAR - the loudest and most involved crowd I've ever been a part of at the Mullins Center.

BU rebounded with a win the next night in Boston.  From the Fox NE broadcast, both sides seemed relatively flat, and BU dominated play most of the night, getting 2 3rd period goals to win, 3-1.

Still, on balance, getting 2 of 4 points from a weekend series with BU was a good result for UMass, and they likely won themselves plenty of new fans with their scintillating comeback on Friday night.

Dan McMurrer