On Friday, Nov. 22, the University of New Hampshire men’s hockey team took on their rival, the University of Maine, losing 3-1. Maine is ranked number two in Hockey East and five in the NCAA.
The first period started quietly, with consistent back-and-forth between UNH and Maine. Eight minutes into the period, UNH’s Ryan Conmy was close to scoring. With all the players crowded around the goalie, Albin Boija, and Conmy shot and just missed the goal.
“We didn’t capitalize; we hit a lot of posts,” said Liam Devlin.
Maine also had close calls at the net, pressuring UNH goalie Jared Whale. Trying to gain a power play, Maine’s head coach Ben Barr challenged a call of contact to the head and after further review, the referees did not see the play as such. This continued the clean game staying five on five.
The second period started aggressively on both sides, racking the power plays throughout the period. UNH was the first to gain the power play after a holding call on Maine’s center, Nolan Renwick, but could not produce a goal. Maine gained a power play shortly after a penalty call on Devlin for interference. Maine’s power play led to a five-on-three after J.P. Turner was put in the box for goalie interference.
“I thought our kill was pretty good, to be honest with you, tonight was actually excellent,” said head coach Mike Sousa.
The tides turned quickly with Maine getting a tripping call, giving the Wildcats a four on five. That would eventually turn into a five-on-three for UNH after a boarding call was made on Maine. UNH was the first to score with the five-on-three advantage. Devlin scored from the right side of the blue paint, tipping the puck past Boija for the goal.
“How we do anything is how we do everything,” said Devlin.
Maine quickly tied the score after Lynden Breen was able to break away, shooting the puck from the left faceoff circle into the right corner of the net. Maine took the lead with a shot from Charlie Russell at the front of the net, bouncing off his body and tumbling into the net.
The third period started with a cheer-off between Wildcat fans and Black Bear fans, getting louder and louder with each cheer. Both teams came into the period aggressive and ready to score.
“I thought everyone was competing. It was our biggest rival, a sold-out crowd,” said Devlin.
The period started quiet until UNH gained a power play from a tripping call on Maine’s Luke Antonacci. With just a minute and a half to tie the score, Whale left the net to give UNH a six-on-five advantage. Maine’s Harrison Scott shot the puck from the middle of the ice for an empty net goal, but it was overturned with a delayed penalty being called. Frank Djurasevic gained the puck with a six-on-four disadvantage and shot from the center of the ice, scoring with seconds left.
“I just have a lot of faith in my kids that the guys that scored in the past are gonna score again,” said Sousa.
The Wildcats will play at Northeastern on Friday, Dec. 6. This game along with many others can also be watched on ESPN+.
