DURHAM, N.H. – In past years, this might have been a home-and-home series with first place in Hockey East on the line.
Instead, with both New Hampshire and No. 17 Boston College below .500 in conference play, this weekend presented a chance to recover after sluggish starts.
And yet neither could make up much ground in the opener, as the Eagles came back from a third-period deficit to tie the game in the final five minutes of regulation, leading to a 2-2 draw in front of 6,253 at the Whittemore Center Arena on Friday night.
“Needless to say, points are hard to come by,” lamented Wildcats’ coach Dick Umile. “We had an opportunity to win it.”
Tyler Kelleher was mere inches away from doing just that, clanging a one-timer off the crossbar in the final two minutes with UNH buzzing the BC net.
“I thought it went in,” Kelleher said afterwards. “I knew it hit the goalie first, I talked with [Thatcher Demko] after and he said he got a piece of it, then it hit the bar.”
Though the puck luck was lacking on Kelleher’s late game shot, In the second period, Kelleher was on the favorable side of the crossbar with a wrist shot in transition that nicked off the iron and in for his team-high fifth goal of the season, tying the game at 1-1 9:01 into the period.
The Wildcats got another favorable bounce to take the lead, with a centering pass from Matt Willows that glanced off BC forward Adam Gilmour and in to give UNH a 2-1 lead in the final four minutes of the second period.
That’s not to imply UNH was undeserving of the lead – the Wildcats outshot the Eagles 39-28 on the night, forcing Demko to make 37 saves, many of which required combination stops.
The Eagles converted Demko’s work into momentum late, turning in a strong, possession-heavy third period that included the tying goal – a slick wrist shot from Austin Cangelosi, top shelf on Adam Clark (26 saves), who was partially screened.
It was Cangelosi’s first goal of the year, much to his own relief and that of his coach.
“He’s been pressing and pressing and pressing, not having that first goal,” Eagles’ coach Jerry York remarked. “Now he’s going to feel a lot more relieved, his stick won’t be as heavy, his hands won’t be as tight.”
Kelleher’s crossbar near the end of regulation and a couple of impressive saves from both Clark and Demko in overtime perhaps made the end result appropriate for two teams still trying to find their footing after some early season woes.
“I thought we had a little more emotional involvement and physical involvement, from my perspective,” York noted. “I don’t think either team is in a position we feel comfortable with. We both want to be better teams.”
The series shifts back to Boston tomorrow, where the Eagles will try to hold serve, having lost three of their last four home games.
“We’re scratching our way back,” Umile said. “We’ll take the point, go down there and see if we can get some more.”
