University of Massachusets Athletics
LIVE GAME BLOG: UMass Hockey vs. Connecticut
December 05, 2008 | Hockey
Dec. 5, 2008
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Good evening everyone and welcome to tonight's live blog coming from high atop the Mullins Center at Press Row. Hope you all had a great work week coming back from Thanksgiving! We kick off a big weekend for UMass Athletics tonight with the hockey team hosting non-conference foe Connecticut in the Mullins Center at 7 PM.
This is UMass' fourth straight home game and the Minutemen are looking to snap a two-game losing streak. The Minutemen will host AIC next Friday to finish up the five-game home stand before a two-week Christmas break.
The UMass Media Relations Department welcomes home one of its own tonight as well as Betsy Devine '08 has been working at UConn this year as one of the Sports Information Directors for the Huskies. It's going to be good to have her back in our press box tonight even if she is working for the opponent!
Have to finish setting things up for tonight, but will be back in an hour or so with the starting line-ups.
6:40pm -- OK gang, this is guest-blogger Jared Sharpe manning the "b"-less keyboard this chilly December evening, and in a sec we'll look at the starters and season highlights for each team.
OK, UMass fans, let's take a look at the Minutemen starters. Coach Cahoon will be sending out his fourth line of forwards for the opening draw, with JR Brett Watson (12 GP, 0g-3a-3p) at center, SO Matt Concannon (4 GP, 1-1-2) at LW and SR Scott Crowder (9GP, 1-2-3) at RW. Top pair of FR Matt Irwin (5GP, 1-1-2) and JR Justin Braun (13GP, 2-4-6) make up the starting D partnership.
In goal, making his sixth start of the season, is SO Paul Dainton. Dainton takes the crease with a 4-3-0 record and a very fine 1.95 GAA and a .927 SV%.
For UConn, coach Bruce Marshall sends out all of his top guys. SO Justin Hernandez (13GP, 2-1-3) at center, SO Andrew Olson (13GP, 7-3-10) at LW and SO Jeff Sapieha (7GP, 0-3-3) at RW make up the forward line for the opening draw, and SO Brian Reagan (13GP, 0-3-3) and SR Sean Erickson (14GP, 2-4-6) are the Huskies' starting blueliners. JR Beau Erickson (12GS, 3.74 GA, .887 SV%) starts in goal.
6:57pm -- HEEEEERRRRRRRRE COOOOOMMMMMMMMEE THE MINUTEMEN!!!!!
Not particularly strong numbers for the Huskies' starting goalie. Gotta say if this game comes down to the netminders, the Minutemen will certainly have the advantage on paper. Oops, anthem time.
Lovely harmonic rendition of the national anthem by some upstanding gentlemen there. Now it's time to drop the puck!
20:00 on the game clock -- GAME ON!
18:30 -- Heavy pressure by UMass early on, and Erickson is already giving up some juicy rebounds into the slot off bad angle shots.
16:00 -- You really get the sense it's just a matter of time 'til UMass buries one. The Huskie D is really soft so far, collapsing into the crease area and letting the Minutemen skate around with impunity.
14:57 -- GOOOOOOAAAAALLLLLL UMASS!!!!!!!
Well, I look like a prophet now. Freshman T.J. Syner picks up the goal, assists go to Chris Davis and Casey Wellman. This could get ugly quick.
14:23 -- PENALTY UConn; PP UMASS Boarding on Brendan Olinyk
12:20 -- Back to even strength, thanks to a quick whistle in front of the UConn goal while the puck was loose with the Minutemen swarming. UConn dodges a bullet there, folks.
10:52 -- PENALTY UMass; PP UConn Chase Langeraap gets called for holding. His punishment? Two minutes, in the box...
9:18 -- Maybe this PP is just what UConn needed to wake up. They're playing well a man up.
8:47 -- UCONN PP Chris Davis called on the hook. Toot probably isn't happy seeing his club's early momentum short-circuited by back-to-back penalties called on his guys.
6:47 -- GOOOOALLLLL UMASS!!! Alex Berry nets his sixth goal of the season on a short-handed breakaway right before the penalty expired. Cory Quirk linked him up with the Hail-Mary-pass to spring him at the UConn blueline.
3:16 -- And the Minutemen regain dominance of this game and move back in to their residence in front of the UConn goal. Coach Marshall should be charging them rent...
2:30 -- Really good save there by Dainton off a quick back-handed spin-around shot by UConn's Coppola. Greeat reaction that kid has.
2:02 -- PENALTY UMASS; UCONN PP Casey Wellman called on the hit-from-behind.
1:10 -- GOAL UCONN! Chris Ochoa scores on a one-timer from in-front off a feed from Matt Pedemonti.
END OF 1ST PD
Wow, talk about this game being all about creating your own luck and making the most of your opportunities! Really this game could easily be 4-0 right now, but UMass penalties really derailed their chances to blow this one out early. Then right before the horn UConn pots a PP goal as Wellman sits in the box for his HFB.
So here we stand 2-1 after one, and the Minutemen will have to play muchmore disciplined hockey to prevent UConn from staying in this. And I don't think Coach Cahoon wants to drop below .500 overall on the season because of a loss to UConn.
New sheet of ice ready now, and expect the Minutemen to come out shortly with fire under their skates.
HEEEERRRRRREE COOOOOOMMMMME THE MINUTEMEN!!!!!!!
Shots after one were 14-5, UMass, by the way...
START SECOND PERIOD
18:28 -- PENALTY UMASS; PP UCONN -- James Macrcou gets the hook for high-sticking/ contact to head. Fourth penalty in a row for the Minutemen... Oofah...
16:20 -- Another strong save by Dainton, getting across to his left to smother a reound attempt by UConn'sHernandez, who battled through the check all the way through the slot.
Even strength, penalty killed by UMass...
14:00 -- Strong forecheck by the Huskies, really suffocating the Minutemen's attempts to clear their defensive zone... They think the can do something here tonight...
13:40 -- PP UMASS; UCONN Penalty -- Hernandez called for the trip, guess he was a little over-zealous on that forecheck I just mentioned...
11:40 -- UConn kills off the pen, back to even-strength hockey
9:45 -- Man, he might do it ugly, but Erickson's getting it done in net for UConn. He's all over the place but getting in the way of some really tough UMass shots, stopping a flurry in front...
8:53 -- PENALTIES --Matching penalties to Chris Davis and Jason Krispel for a fracas in front of Erickson. 4-on-4 for the next 2 mins.
7:50 -- UConn pings the iron for the second time this period as Hernandez hits the post.
5:57 -- UMASS POWERPLAY -- PENALTY UCONN -- Behler called for a high-stick. Sloppy stick work, really, he had forced the man behind the net and just slapped him in the mask with his blade unneccesarily.
3:28 -- UMASS POWERPLAY / UCONN PENALTY -- Ochoa called on the hook about 30 secs. after they kill off the Behler penalty. Tough way to try to close out the period for UConn, let's see if UMass can capitalize...
1:28 -- Nope, PP's over....
END OF PERIOD 2
Shots after two periods are UMass 25, UConn 14
Well, you can certainly say the Minutemen are consistent... consistently inconsistent. This is a team I last saw dominate the #1 team in the country (BU), and has since beaten #4 BC and dropped an OT heart-breaker to #13 Vermont. But they've also been shutout at Mullins by UMass-Lowell and beaten 4-3 by sub-.500 St. Lawrence. This is a team that could easily be top-10 in the country if it could just win the games they're supposed to win. Now we're seeing them let UConn hang around when the Huskies should have been wondering about the post-game meal halfway through the first period. That's not to take anything away from the Huskies, but if you could see this game you'd agree there's no way it should be 2-1.
HEEERRREEEE COOOOMMMMME THE MINUTEMEN!!!!!!!!
START OF THE THIRD PERIOD
16:58 -- Good pressure so far by UMass, but no real strong chances so far as they always seem to be two feet from getting to a loose puck right in front...
16:14 -- UMASS PENALTY / UCONN POWERPLAY -- Jordan Virtue takes the obligatory interference call, sent to the bin for holding.
14:14 -- UMass kills the PP; back to even-strength...
12:47 -- Another post by UConn! Sapieka clangs the iron on Dainton's glove sider on a screened shot that snuck through...
11:37 -- PENALTY UMASS; POWERPLAY UCONN; James Marcou gets 2 mins for an unknown penalty... more when it gets announced...
TIMEOUT UCONN
10:14 -- Boarding seems to be the call on Marcou... oh, and a little skirmish to Dainton's left will lead to coincidental minors to Hernandez & Quirk for hitting after the whistle...
9:37 -- UMass kills the PP, back to 5-on-5...
7:00 -- GOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLL UUUUMAAAAAASSSSSSSS!!!!!!! Cory Quirk slots home a nice wrister off a feed from linemate James Marcou to give the Minutemen some insurance in the late stages of the game!
UMass really earned that, not directly through the immediate lead-up but more generally, simply by wearing down the D with their presence in the zone. They haven't had aton of shots this period, but they've really maintained possession and the goal was a long time coming.
3:02 -- GOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLL UUUUUUMMMAAAAAAAAASSSSSSSS!!!!!!!! 4-1 UMass Casey Wellman battles through a D man right in front of the UConn goal to bully in a rebound off of a Davis shot. Wessbecker gets the secondary assist.
2:44 -- UMASS POWERPLAY; PENALTY UCONN Ranallo goes off for the hook, and UConn appears to be toast...
Yeah, Erickson's proclivity for giving up the easy rebounds bit him on that goal, as his D man wasn't able to contain Wellman on his doorstep...
00:23 -- GOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLL UUUUUUUUMMMMMMAAAAAAAAAASSSSSSS!!!!!! 5-1 UMASS Davis nets the coffin-sealer, set up by Wellman and Syner.
END OF GAME -- UMASS 5 - UCONN 1, FINAL
Congratulations to Coach Cahoon, who racks up win #300 tonight!!!!
Boy, that really blew up quickly, and it's good to see the Minutemen convert on a few chances at the end there. To quote the great Ron Burgundy "Well that one really escalated quickly... I think Brick killed a guy with a trident."
Seriously, the whole game the Minutemen seemed snake-bit, and to have pulled out a win without getting any "lucky bounces" would've been good, but it's great to see them just open up the can o' whoop at the end there and put their stamp on the game. Sure it could've/ should've been 5-1 a lot earlier, but a W is a W and this was certainly a well-earned W.
Shots ended 43-21 UMass, and saves were 20 for Dainton, 38 for Erickson.
Now UMass gets another lengthy rest before they face another nearby Atlantic Hockey foe, American International, next Friday 12/12. Have a great weekend, folks and we'll see you next Friday!
GO UMASS!!!!!