BACK-2-BACK!! MASSACHUSETTS REPEATS AS HOCKEY EAST CHAMPIONS

BOSTON – Sophomore Aaron Bohlinger fired home the game winner from the high slot 3:06 into overtime to give No. 11/12 Massachusetts its second-straight Hockey East Tournament Championship with a 2-1 victory over UConn at the TD Garden on Saturday night. With the win, the Minutemen earn the league's automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament with a record of 22-12-2, while the Huskies end the year at 20-16-0.

"The first period wasn't great but the second half of the game I thought we were outstanding, said UMass head coach Greg Carvel. "It was kind of like last year against Duluth in overtime, it just felt like it was a matter of time before we're going to score to win. I'm so proud of our kids. Last year where you know we had three home games at the Mullins Center to be champions. This was a little more exciting this year, but it feels equally just as awesome. I'm so happy for our program, our kids – they deserved it. You know we didn't win the league championship – and we didn't deserve to – and I'm glad we didn't back into it. We earned a playoff championship, and I'm very proud of our group."

Following a scoreless first, UConn opened the second with the game's first goal. Vladislav Firstov redirected a puck at the post past goaltender Matt Murray from a shot from the right point by John Spetz at 2:25 with Carter Berger collecting the secondary helper.

With the period winding down, senior Colin Felix sprung classmate Bobby Trivigno on a partial breakaway and Trivigno wristed his second of the weekend past Darion Hanson at the 16:06 mark.

After the teams remained deadlocked at 1-1 through the third, Bohlinger buried the game winner in OT off a feed from Trivigno and senior Anthony Del Gaizo for his second of the season.

UMass finished with a 33-20 advantage in shots and both teams were 0-for-1 on the power play.

Murray made 19 saves to pick up his 21^st win of the season, breaking the program record for single-season victories for a second time in his career. Trivigno's two-point night moved him into a tie with James Marcou for the program's Hockey East Era scoring record, now with 130 career points.

Murray, Trivigno, Felix and senior Garrett Wait were named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team, while Trivigno earned Tournament MVP honors for a second straight year, just the second player in league history to do so.

The Minutemen will learn their NCAA Regionals destination tomorrow, March 20, as the NCAA Selection Show will be broadcast live on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m.

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