UNH Men’s Ice Hockey began its home slate of games this weekend, drawing matchups with the Long Island University Sharks and the No. 6 Quinnipiac Bobcats.
The weekend began with a thrilling 3-2 overtime win for the Wildcats over LIU on Friday night.
Junior forward Nick Ring was a prominent offensive play driver all night long on Friday. He played a vital role in the opening goal for the Wildcats, working a give-and-go with linemate Cy LeClerc, leading to a rebound goal for freshman Ryan Philbrick; the first of his young collegiate career.
“It was a special moment,” said Philbrick, who added an assist later in the game. “A lot of family and friends in the crowd.”
Sixty seconds after Philbrick opened the scoring, the visiting Sharks responded, with LIU forward Dylan Kinch beating Wildcats goaltender Kyle Chauvette on an odd-man rush. The goal was a product of veteran defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald aggressively working his way into the offensive zone to create a scoring chance, and UNH being slow to react in transition after an extended attacking shift.
With the period winding down, the Wildcats again went on the attack looking to strike before the first intermission.
A makeshift forward line of freshmen Jacob Newcombe and Félix Gagnon, and grad student Jack Cronin, successfully broke down LIU with quick puck movement, creating a rebound goal off the far pad for Gagnon.
Newcombe and Gagnon have both joined the team after long tenures in Quebec, courtesy of a recent NCAA rule change allowing Canadian Major Junior players the ability to play in the collegiate ranks.
“There’s so many things that are different,” said head coach Mike Souza when speaking to the challenges those players face in coming over from Canada. “From just being at school to the amount of practices we have… the intensity of practice… I think that’s been the biggest adjustment for our guys.”
In the second period, as the Wildcats held onto a one goal lead, LIU’s Kinch again snuck behind the UNH defense, in this case Brendan Fitzgerald and Oscar Plandowski, and beat Chauvette for his second goal of the game on the ensuing breakaway.
It was the second odd man rush goal of the game for the visiting Sharks, and it tied the game at two. The teams headed to the locker room, UNH outshooting LIU 23-17.
Beginning the third period, the team exchanged unsuccessful power play attempts. There were several anxious moments for the Wildcats in front of Chauvette, but they survived and kept the score even. A 4-on-4 sequence at the end of regulation opened the ice up a bit, but the Wildcats failed to generate the game winning scoring chance they were looking for and the teams headed to sudden death overtime.
It was the perfect moment for Nick Ring and Félix Gagnon, two of the more noticeable Wildcat forwards all game long, to deliver for the team.
Gagnon carried the puck up the wall, passed the puck Ring cutting into the slot, then received a pass right back with time and space before blowing a heavy wrist shot high glove-side.
For Ring, the setup man on the game winning goal, his development from a role player to a top-of-the-lineup offensive specialist in his three year tenure at UNH has been contingent on skill and confidence.
“I’ve always been driven by my skill,” said Ring. “As I’ve gotten older and years have gone by I’ve been able to fill in those spots. I’m feeling a lot more confident in my game and I think it’s translating on the ice in a positive way.”
Coming off of an emotional overtime win, the Wildcats then welcomed a prestigious Quinnipiac program ranked sixth in the country. The visiting Bobcats entered the game having already collected critical wins against Boston College and Maine in the young season.
Against such a formidable opponent, an on-time start was imperative. UNH was noticeably cleaner and more deliberate with the puck.
However, the Wildcats surrendered a goal with less than a minute remaining in the first period, and trailed 1-0 after the first twenty minutes.
In the second period, the pace of the game ramped up. Quinnipiac steadily increased its offensive attack. UNH’s senior goaltender Kyle Chauvette, starting back-to-back games this weekend, stood tall, stopping all nine shots in the middle frame including several high quality scoring chances.
“He’s been playing unbelievable for us,” said Philbrick. “Hopefully he can keep that going. He’s kept us in some games and he’s been really good for us.”
The Wildcats got numerous chances of their own, particularly down the stretch, but couldn’t solve Quinnipiac goaltender Dylan Silverstein.
In the third period, UNH got off to a tumultuous start and began to dig their own grave.
It started with a goal just sixty-eight seconds into the period to put Quinnipiac up 2-0. Then, the Wildcats got themselves into penalty trouble that further halted their momentum.
Between the early Quinnipiac goal and the penalties, Souza and his team found it challenging to mount a comeback.
“You’re not using your bench, you’re playing guys too much,” Souza said when having to kill penalties. “But the momentum killer for us was their second goal.”
UNH fell to the visiting Bobcats in shutout fashion, the second time they’ve been held scoreless on the young season.
They return to the ice Friday night, beginning a weekend double header at home against the Vermont Catamounts in Hockey East play.
