So Close to Victory

ALBANY, N.Y. –  Joe Gambardella's goal 97 seconds into overtime ended the Yale hockey team's hope for a national championship in a game featuring the nation's top two defenses. His shot from the edge of the left circle gave UMass-Lowell a 3-2 win over the Bulldogs in game two of the 2016 NCAA East Regional at the Times Union Center.

"It's just how the game goes sometimes," said Yale junior goalie Alex Lyon, who made 28 saves and nearly got his team to the regional final. "Funny bounce. I'm not sure now it got to that guy. I think he fanned on it a little and it came off kind of funny."

The Bulldogs, who finished the season 19-9-4, outshot UML 37-31 and had many quality opportunities to distance themselves from the River Hawks after dissolving a 1-0 deficit with two straight scores. Instead, the guys wearing their home whites got revenge for a 2013 Frozen Four loss by the same score in OT.

"It was a terrific hockey game," said Keith Allain '80, Yale's Malcolm G. Chace Head Coach. "Congratulations to Norm [Bazin, the UMass-Lowell head coach] and the UML team. They played a fantastic game and are going to be a dangerous team moving forward. I am very proud of the way my team played tonight."

The River Hawks scored just over four minutes into the game, and had a chance to quickly add to it when the Elis took consecutive penalties resulting in a two-man advantage for 65 seconds. Lyon came up with two huge saves and Stu Wilson knocked down one or two shots headed for the cage during the 5-on-3. Neither had to make a stop the rest of the advantage as the penalty-kill unit did the rest of the work.

Frankie DiChiara had a goal in both of Yale's ECAC Tournament games. He made it three games in a row with a tally when he tied the game at 1-1 with 4:41 left in the opening frame. The Bulldogs dumped the puck into the UML end and then went after it. The River Hawks had the first touch behind their goal, but it ended up on Codey Learned's stick inside the right circle before he saw DiChiara coming in from the blueline. The perfect pass preceded a few strides and the junior forward snapped off a low shot that went between Kevin Boyle's legs for his sixth goal of the year.

That goal didn't limit the scary moments for Yale in the first period. Another big penalty-kill was required to get the ECAC guys into the locker room even. This time, the unit that established a new NCAA record (94.4 percent) for success in a season, did not allow a shot on target, while Joe Snively had one of the most exciting plays of the 20 period.

The rookie forward intercepted a pass near mid ice and skated along the right side with a defender on him. Snively buzzed around the net and nearly tucked in a wrap-around shot that sat an inch away from the goal line for a moment.

However, the best chance for Yale's second goal came when Carson Cooper stood on the doorstep with an open left side of the net. The only problem was that the senior had the puck on his backhand and something got in the way at the last moment to prevent a goal.

The middle frame began with a quintessential Lyon save that provided momentum for the No. 3 seed. Michael Louria came in alone on the Yale net and the junior goalie snatched his point-blank attempt.

The Elis made it two straight scores 12:18 into the second on a pretty, give-and-go between freshman Ted Hart and sophomore Ryan Hitchcock. The older Bulldog picked off a pass in the neutral zone, skated in over the blueline and then left it for Hart, who quickly gave it back to Hitchcock heading into the high slot with speed. The former U.S. National Team skater held for a few moments and then fired a rising wrister off the inside of the left post and over the goal line for his eighth tally of the season.

Both teams had great chances to score late in the second. John Hayden sent a shot off the left pipe with 2:30 left and then Lyon roared with a nifty kick save with 47 seconds left to send the game to the second break at 2-1 and the shots knotted at 20 -20.

The Bulldogs came out buzzing in the third and put five quick shots on target, coming close to finding the net on a few. In fact, Snively had a breakaway and sent a wrister off Boyle's glove that trickled along the edge of the crease just a few feet out of the reach of the rookie speedster, whose momentum had taken him away from a rebound tally.

A Bulldog turnover inside the River Hawk blueline really made all those missed grade-A chances hurt even more. The No. 2 seed cashed in with an easy, put-back tally midway through the third to tie it up at 2-2. Despite a tough Lyon save on a 2-on-barely one, there wasn't a blue shirt available to help after the initial shot.

Yale had a 16-10 edge in shots in the third but still found itself in a second straight NCAA Tournament overtime contest. The Elis got one on Boyle in the extra session, but ran out of time for another with the bounce in the other end.

The Elis had possession of the puck for a moment behind their own goal before a UML stick took it away and sent it across from the right to the left circle, and the rest was heart-breaking history.

"Sometimes it's a fine, fine margin between winning and losing. Tonight It came down to a bounce of the puck in overtime," said Allain.

BULLDOG BITES

Frankie DiChiara not only has goals in each of the last three games, he also scored a goal and handed out a helper in the last NCAA Tournament game… Cody Learned and Ted Hart both picked up their sixth assists of the season… This was Yale's 14^th NCAA Tournament contest… The game was aired by ESPN3 and Stu Wilson was the first intermission skate-off guest near the Yale bench… Only Providence (9) had more seniors on its roster this year than Yale (8)… Yale finished 3-3-4 in OT games… The officials for this game were from the NCHC.

By Steve Conn, Yale Associate AD & Sports Publicity Director – steven.conn@yale.edu