Grand Forks, ND – If there was a message to be taken away from tonight’s game – it was the fact that hockey games are 60 minutes long – not 55 minutes.
We had a good third period going, UND Head coach Dave Hakstol said. But it’s not a 15 minutes period, it’s a 20 minute period and that’s what I will keep coming back to.”
At the 54:38 mark of the game the University of North Dakota held a slim 2-1 lead and looked like there were on their way to sweeping the 12th ranked Boston University Terriers. UND had played a tight checking game and were a tough team to play against and were taking the game to the Terriers.
Then the roof fell in on UND.
Freshman forward Rocco Grimaldi turned a puck over in the UND end along the far wall and Terriers junior forward Matt Nieto buried the puck in the back of the UND net at the 14:39 mark of the third period to tie the game at 2-2.
The Terriers freshman Matt Lane scored the first goal of his college career to give the Terriers a 3-2 lead and before the BU fans had a chance to sit down, freshman forward Danny O’Regan would take a Nick Mattson turn over down low and deposit it in the UND net 11 seconds later to ice the game for the Terriers.
The difference in the game was that he Terriers capitalized on their opponent’s mistakes and miscues. UND senior forward Corbin Knight agreed.
“I think it was just kind of us mentally breaking down a little bit,” Knight said. “I think that we go sloppy there and kind of took our foot off of the gas pedal and they made some nice plays and were able to capitalize, so… I think it was a little bit of both, but I think it’s defiantly it’s something our team needs to take that credit for and we need to improve that.”
Tonight’s game between the University of North Dakota and Boston University had the feel of a tight checking hard fought playoff game and UND senior forward Corbin Knight agreed.
“Yeah I think you know a university like Boston University coming in, it’s a big program and nonconference games are so crucial in the NCAA,” Knight said. “I think after last night I think the blood was pretty high between the two teams there, it definitely think it was a playoff atmosphere out there tonight.”
UND head coach Dave Hakstol thought tonight’s game was a tight checking hockey game as well.
“It was a close tight hockey game,” Hakstol said. “Once they got the second goal the equalizer it was a five, six minute hockey game and we didn’t get the job done.”
UND sophomore forward Stephane Pattyn who isn’t known for his goal scoring prowess – shot the puck off the end glass behind the Terrier net, the puck the landed behind the BU freshman goalie Matt O’Connor who inadvertently kicked the puck into his own net, to give UND a 1-0 lead 05:47 into the game.
Neither team was able to capitalize on the power play and the Terriers were able to limit to UND one goal in 10 power play opportunities and after the game Terrier head coach Jack Parker seem to be pleased with that fact.
“We did a good job killing penalties,” Parker said. “We did a good job… they went 0-3 and only got two shots and they only went 1-10 on the power plays this weekend and that’s a pretty good team to do that to. We had a couple of chances on our power play.”
