For the first time in three years, the University of New Hampshire is headed to Boston for playoff hockey.<\/p>\n
With a 4-3 see-saw win over Vermont, the second-seeded Wildcats swept the best of three Hockey East quarterfinals, advancing to the semis held at the TD Garden next Friday.<\/p>\n
The series sweep came after the Wildcats, despite being the higher seed three times in a row, fell in the quarterfinals every season dating back to 2008.<\/p>\n
“We’re excited to be going to Boston,” UNH coach Dick Umile said. “I guess you have to go through adversity to get there. And we did.”<\/p>\n
Mike Sislo netted the game-winning wrister from the slot 34 seconds after Vermont recorded the equalizer.<\/p>\n
Nick Bruneteau put home a rebound at the doorstep to tie it at 3-3 with 3:34 to go before unleashing a Captain Morgan pose toward the UNH fans.<\/p>\n
The move fired up Sislo, UNH’s captain, who skated to the red line to give his version of the Captain Morgan pose.<\/p>\n
“I kind of take it as an insult when other teams come in and try to do a fancy celebration,” Sislo said. “I wanted to try to give it back to them a bit.”<\/p>\n
Vermont nearly had a chance to respond with another equalizer and another celebration late.<\/p>\n
After two Catamounts went to the box, giving UNH a five-on-three for the final 1:29, Vermont turned it up a gear, pulling its goalie and putting a couple chances on net.<\/p>\n
Jack Downing beat a UNH defender to the outside and had a good look at what would have been an emotional equalizer.<\/p>\n
However, Matt Di Girolamo (25 saves) was there and stopped Downing’s bid with the blocker.<\/p>\n
“He’s a big game player,” UNH forward Paul Thompson said. “He showed that at Waterloo and he’s showed it here.”<\/p>\n
Thompson lit the lamp midway through the third to give UNH a 3-2 lead with a wrist shot that beat Madore stick side.<\/p>\n
Vermont answered again when Tobias Nilsson-Roos recorded a hat trick goal with 7:29 to go in the third.<\/p>\n
“When they tied it 3-3, it wasn’t a good situation,” Umile said. “I’m just disappointed at the end of game the way we handled the five-on-three.”<\/p>\n
The Wildcats appeared to take a 3-2 lead a minute before Thompson’s tally when Sislo roped a one-timer from the slot. But, after a review, the referees ruled that Damon Kipp used a hand pass to get the puck to Sislo.<\/p>\n
“Kipp said he passed it with his stick,” Sislo said. “But the camera must’ve showed something else. That would have been a big goal.”<\/p>\n
Vermont held the lead for nearly 15 minutes through the better part of the second after Ben Albertson tipped in a one-timer at the doorstep.<\/p>\n
However, momentum-swinging goals at the end of the period within a minute of each other powered UNH.<\/p>\n
Austin Block struck first with a wrist shot that snuck over Rob Madore’s (35 saves) leg pad.<\/p>\n
Just 41 seconds later, Stevie Moses deflected a low Brett Kostolansky shot from the point up and over Madore’s shoulder, which gave the Wildcats their first lead of the night.<\/p>\n
“Austin Block hit a nice shot,” Vermont mentor Kevin Sneddon said. “Then, they had a good shift right after that and instead of going in 1-1, it’s 2-1. That hurt.”<\/p>\n
Vermont finishes its season at 8-20-8 and graduates six seniors. The Wildcats, meanwhile, head to Boston for a quarterfinal matchup with either No. 13 Boston University or No. 9 Merrimack, depending on the result of Sunday’s BU-Northeastern game.<\/p>\n
“I’m going to relax and watch BU play tomorrow. I don’t care who wins,” Umile said. “I’m just happy to get back to Boston.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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