A Televised game for UConn Hockey!
On January 28th, my Dad, my sister and I watched UConn’s first televised game since 2010. They were playing the Holy Cross Crusaders, and it was their 100th meeting with the team. Half way through the first period UConn got a 1-0 lead on the Power Play. From the faceoff Cole Schneider took the puck back to the red line, passing it to Sean Ambroise in front of the net, whose shot was blocked but the rebound came right to Billy Latta’s stick who put the puck in the net, to give UConn a power-play goal 4 seconds into the power-play! For the rest of the period, the shots were even, but Holy Cross controlled most of the play. Even so UConn had a 1-0 lead at the end of the first period.
UConn expanded that lead with a goal half-way through the second period with a goal from Miles Winters. Ryan Tyson charged up the ice with the puck with a Holy Cross defender right in front of him. He had no one to pass to, so he stopped and passed to Miles Winters behind him who fired a beautiful shot into the back of the net past the goalie, giving UConn a 2-0 lead! Once again the shots were even but, Holy Cross controlled most of the play. However, UConn had 2-0 lead going into the final period.
The third period started off quickly with Jordan Sims firing the puck of the post, and it looked like a goal because it went in front of the net. The puck rebounded to the blueline and jumped over Tom Janoz’s stick and a Crusader rushed up on the breakaway and hit the crossbar, which was a relief (a big one)! After that, Cole Schneider had a breakaway a few minutes later and the goalie fell down dragging the puck with him into the net, but for some reason the referees called the goal off (I still don’t understand why it wasn’t a goal). With less than three minutes left in the game, Holy Cross shot a puck off a stick and it went into the net, so I was very worried because Holy Cross could now come back. However, to my relief, the referees waved the goal off because it went off a high stick! With less than one minute left, UConn got a penalty and Holy Cross pulled their goalie and they got a 6-on-4. However, Cole Schneider started on a breakaway, and he fired it through the legs of a defender, to score and seal a 3-0 UConn victory (as my Dad and I leaped up from our seats victoriously)!
During the game, UConn’s goalie Garret Bartus, broke the UConn division one all-time saves record and the all-time single-season shutout record with his fourth. UConn swept the season series with Holy Cross with 4-2, 3-1, and 3-0 victories. I was so happy UConn won and it was an awesome game!!!