Boston College men’s hockey and Connecticut were tied at one apiece heading into the third period of their Hockey East matchup on Thursday. All either team needed was one goal to take the advantage, and in the second minute of the period, UConn did just that off a Hudson Schandor shot.
In the 17th minute, UConn scored again. And again. And again. Suddenly, the Huskies were up 5–1 with a minute and a half to play, and the scoreboard told an entirely different story than it had heading into the period.
Behind a four-goal third period, the No. 10 Huskies (7–1–1, 4–1–0 Hockey East) defeated the Eagles 5–1 to end a three-game win streak for BC (2–2–1, 2–1–0).
Though neither team scored in the opening period, there was plenty of action. The Huskies went on the power play just 1:47 into the game, but BC goaltender Mitch Benson and the Eagles’ defense shut down UConn’s potent power-play unit to kill the penalty.
The Eagles committed two more penalties in the period but went a perfect 3-for-3 as a penalty-kill unit—an improvement for BC, which entered with a 70 percent penalty kill rate.
Shorthanded for much of the period, the Eagles struggled to generate much offense, but they created some grade-A chances in the final minute of the period. Nikita Nesterenko found the puck on the doorstep, but UConn goaltender Logan Terness got a piece of the one-timer.
Nesterenko found himself all alone on a breakaway on the same shift, but Terness denied him again to keep the game scoreless.
Like the first, the second period was chock-full of power plays. This time, however, it was the Eagles who had the man advantage. BC wasted no time, converting on its first power-play opportunity. From the left wing, Lukas Gustafsson completed a cross-ice pass to Colby Ambrosio, who wristed a shot past Terness and into the roof of the goal.
The power plays kept coming for the Eagles, but UConn’s penalty kill took over. The Eagles failed to capitalize again, despite having a minute of 5-on-3 play.
As the Eagles’ third power play came to an end, the puck found Harrison Rees as he made his way out of the penalty box all alone with no BC defenders in front of him. On the breakaway, Rees poked a shot off Benson’s blocker and into the back of the net to level the game at 1–1.
UConn took the lead just over a minute into the third period. Tom Messineo passed to Schandor, who fired a one-timer from the left faceoff circle high and over the shoulder of Benson to make it 2–1.
Despite falling behind, the Eagles’ offense continued to pressure the Huskies’ defense but to no reward.
UConn’s 2–1 lead remained until the Huskies took off with things in the final five minutes of the game. UConn doubled its lead on a loose puck that deflected off Benson, and Ryan Tverberg scored on an empty-netter.
Adam Dawe scored the Huskies’ fifth and final goal with Benson back in the net, and despite it being a close game for 55 minutes, UConn walked away with a 5–1 win.
