Box Score Terriers Take 3-2 OT Decision at Regional
MANCHESTER, N.H. – "I've been proud of this group all year long. This is what my group is. This is what they do," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach after his Bulldogs nearly beat No. 2 Boston University. The Terriers took the 3-2 overtime decision at the NCAA Northeast Regional.
That was Allain answering a question from the media about how his team nearly stopped the hottest team in college hockey.
The Bulldogs shut down the nation's top offense for nearly 52 minutes and then erased a one-goal deficit to send the game to extra time. If that's not enough, Yale killed off seven power plays (and allowed just 7 shots on net) including the last two minutes of regulation and the first two of overtime.
The outstanding national showing also included limiting BU's likely Hobey Baker recipient to one assist on a night where he could get as much ice time as any all season due to the extended rest opportunities afforded by NCAA Tournament play.
The inspired No. 4 seed, which got goals from Nate Repensky and Frankie DiChiara, never stopped moving their feet and creating offensive chances.
All of that pretty much sums up the 2014-15 Yale hockey team, which never gave up on anything and nearly registered a knockout punch no pundit dared to call.
The other typical element of this year's Bulldogs was the super sophomore in net, Alex Lyon, who stopped 39 shots, including five in the overtime, while blanking BU on all seven power plays. At times he stood on his head to limit first and second chances.
"Everybody counted us out [after the conference tournament and going against BU]," said junior forward Carson Cooper, who won 25 of 34 face-offs today and assisted on Yale's second goal. "All we had to do was go out and play, and we thrived on that. I think we really slowed them up."
There were plenty of highlights during an exciting, scoreless opening frame. A ferocious Yale fore-check created great opportunities early in the game for the Bulldogs. DiChiara got the first one when he picked off a pass in the BU end and got off a good shot at 13:42 that hit the cross-bar.
Some of those Yale chances came down a man. The Elis did a great job of killing off two penalties while also turning the penalty-kill into offense.
The best chance for a goal at the other end came during a frenzied scramble late in the first period. Matt Lane had a small opening on the near side before Lyon closed it off and got help to send the puck to the boards.
Both teams had two advantages in the first period, but Yale's power play early in the second really put a scare into the Terriers with quality shots and pressure. However, it was the next advantage that produced the first straight number on the scoreboard.
The Elis, who had the edge in shots on goal in the second, jumped all over an elbowing penalty early in the 5-on-4 to take the lead. Cooper, with help from DiChiara jumping into the play, won the draw back to the point for Mike Doherty on the right point.
Doherty moved it over to the middle where Repensky had space to maneuver. The freshman defenseman held while moving closer to the high slot. As he was about to let go of a rising wrister, DiChiara skated through the low slot creating a great distraction. The shot whizzed past DiChiara and over Matt OConnor's shoulder at 13:19.
The Terriers had an excellent opportunity to even things at the end of the second with a power play that ran out the remainder of the clock. The Blue killed it off easily and took the 1-0 lead into the third.
The ECAC team came close to making it 2-0 on the Hockey East squad when DiChiara picked off a pass along his own blueline and skated in two-on-one. The sophomore forward held with a toe-drag across the slot and fired on net. It required a great glove save to prevent that one from finding net.
BU finally broke through with 11:39 left in the third. After Lyon made his 28th and 29th saves of the day, including a sparkler of a glove save on a re-direction from close range, Ahti Oksanen pounced on a rebound with players piled up around the cage.
The Terriers made it two straight with a tally nearly three minutes later. But the Bulldogs weathered the storm by answering with a DiChiara score almost two minutes after that.
Yale dumped the puck into the BU end and O'Connor swiped it to the boards. The home team tried to clear it along the boards but Cooper won the race and passed to Cody Learned, who was playing today just 15 miles from his home. Learned spotted DiChiara, who had two points on the day, in the high slot and put it on his stick.
The sophomore forward pulled the puck on a defender and then fired top shelf at 13:12 to make it 2-2.
Lyon prevented the Terriers from taking the lead back with just over five minutes left. Jack Eichel came in alone on a breakaway before Yale's last line of defense thwarted a backhanded move. The craziness of the game was only starting.
Cooper got called for a penalty with 2:59 left, and his teammates came through with another great penalty-kill. Part of the theatrics was Lyon stopping a scary re-direction by Oksanen from point-blank range.
It looked like Yale was out of the woods and could begin 5-on-5 in overtime when Rob O'Gara was called for penalty with 10.9 seconds left. It appeared the play should have been called off-sides before it ever became a penalty, but BU had an advantage heading to extra time.
That was just one more obstacle for Yale to overcome in its season of great challenges.
BULLDOG BITES
Frankie DiChiara finished the season with nine goals and a team-high 23 points… Nate Repensky picked up his third goal and 14th point of the season… The Northeast is the only 2015 regional to have four former NCAA Champions… This was the fifth OT in the last six meetings between Yale and BU.
Filed by Steve Conn, Yale Associate AD & Sports Publicity Director
image of Yale's first goal by Steve Musco
