For the first 40 minutes, the University of Connecticut played the consummate road game, surrendering few chances, taking only one penalty, and even dominating play at times against No. 7 Boston University.
The third period was another story entirely, but that’s life in a dog-beat-dog world.
The Terriers came out strong in the final frame, scoring three goals, including two on four power plays, for a 4-2 win over the Huskies in the first Hockey East game of the season for both teams. Freshman Jackob Forsbacka Karlsson scored the go-ahead goal and an assist, while senior Danny O’Regan added three assists for BU. Impressive freshman Max Letunov scored both goals for UConn.
“I thought we played a really strong game for 40 minutes,” Connecticut coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “Right where we wanted to be, a 1-1 game on the road against a top 10 ranked team, and I thought we played toe to toe with them.
“A lot of people are going to look at the third period and say that special teams were the difference, and they were; their special teams were better than ours, but I think it was more than that. I think they owned the first four shifts of the third period. That’s what set the tone for the period … They outplayed us, and that was the essence of the difference.”
In contrast, BU coach David Quinn was relieved to see his team finally fire on all cylinders after seeing his team struggle with “incredibly sloppy” puck management for much of the night.
“Well, it’s a good way to start the regular season in Hockey East,” Quinn said. “Obviously, the first two periods we didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing, but I think a lot of that had to do with the way UConn was playing. We weren’t ready early on for the pace; I know that. In the third period, we really simplified it.”
The 4,199 fans at Agganis Arena had to be a little startled when UConn came out of the gate strong, nearly scoring in the first 15 seconds when right wing Evan Richardson raced in and clanged a shot off the crossbar.
That set the tone for the first 10 minutes, as BU really didn’t get much going until a power play that resulted in right wing Ahti Oksanen hitting the post twice and then getting robbed a third time on a great save by Huskies goalie Rob Nichols.
BU went ahead late in the period when freshman Ryan Cloonan flipped the puck into the net after Matt Lane took an initial shot and Forsbacka Karlsson took a first crack at the rebound.
After starting the year on the fourth line, Cloonan started tonight on the second line and ended up on the top line with O’Regan and Oksanen before the game was over
“We knew we were getting a good player,” Quinn said. “He’s an older kid, which we don’t have a lot of. He’s a 20-year-old freshman, so that certainly allows him some experience that maybe our other freshmen don’t have. He’s gotten better in the three weeks that he’s been here. He’s a lot more conscientious away from the puck; there’s more purpose to his game without the puck.
“You can see his puck skills. He’s got deception to his game; he can shoot it, so there’s a lot to like in his game.”
UConn tied it up early in the second period when Kyle Huson and Tage Thompson pounced on a BU turnover in the neutral zone before finding Letunov down low all alone with BU goalie Sean Maguire. Letunov roofed the backhander to tie it.
At the six-minute mark, Oksanen hit a post for the third time in the game.
“If there were a category for hit posts, he’d lead the country,” Quinn said. “He must have about eight in our three games.”
BU got off to a great start in the final frame.
“I think we all just kind of woke up,” O’Regan said. The Terriers held UConn shotless until the final 32 seconds of the game.
On the first power play of the period, O’Regan set up Forsbacka Karlsoon (aka “JFK”) in the slot for the first goal. Then, after UConn’s Spencer Naas was called for a five-minute major for kneeing Bobo Carpenter, BU made it 3-1 with a lot of pressure in tight. The passes went from O’Regan to Oksanen to Brandon Fortunato for the goal.
UConn made it a 3-2 game on an extra-attacker goal by Letunov with 23.6 seconds left, but Brandon Hickey sealed it seconds later with an empty-net goal that was quite impressive. From his own left faceoff circle, Hickey banked the puck high off the glass in the BU end, and it went all the way down the ice and into the net.
UConn (2-2-0, 0-1-0 Hockey East) hosts Notre Dame for a pair of games next Saturday and Sunday, while BU (2-1-0, 1-0-0) travels to Merrimack Friday before hosting Denver Saturday afternoon.
