I'm not going to lie - I didn't think BC had a chance to win this game. And nobody thought BC had a chance to win it after they went down 4-1. But what do you know, they won it.
Coming back from down 4-1 against the best team in the East, pouring 67 shots on goal, and scoring two winning goals in overtime shows a lot of guts. This team is ready for the stretch run.
The first period was atrocious and I really thought BC was going to get smoked.
Ben Smith scored on a fortuitous bounce early in the 2nd and from that point forward, BC carried the play. Unfortunately, as luck would have it, two bad turnovers led to two quick UNH goals, and despite something like a 22-13 shots advantage, BC was down 4-1.
The 4th goal especially hurt. After a period of sustained offensive pressure, BC drew a penalty and sent out the big guns for the power play. Right off the bat, Ferriero was stripped at the point, and the 'Cats broke down and scored. That one really looked like a backbreaker. I felt then (and continue to maintain now) that we need a real defenseman on the point like Brennan or Petrecki to prevent that from happening. Of course, Ferriero came back to redeem himself from the point in triple overtime, so what do I know?
The call of the game went, as usual, to Jerry York. Down 4 to 1 halfway through the 2nd, with his team about to start a 5-on-3, York called timeout to rally the troops and rest up his top power play unit. He sent Gerbe, Whitney, Ferriero, Bertram and Smith back out there for the 5-on-3, and lo and behold, Whitney rips one in from the point. Game on.
BC's 3rd goal was a result of tenacity by Gibbons who had the presence of mind to keep his stick down (god knows the refs look for any reason to wave off BC goals at the Garden) and swat the puck in past Regan.
I don't remember much about the 4th goal other than the fact that it bounced off of Bertram's skate and as such, we had to sit through an agonizing booth review. Thankfully, it was upheld and the game was tied. Good for Bertram to get the goal.
Overtime was incredible. I don't recall a sudden death period where both teams had so many incredible chances to score the winner - there were 3 or 4 times when I thought "well, that's it," only to see BC bailed out by Muse or the D.
BC's first winning goal was a result of a mistake by Regan. The puck squirted free past the blue line and Smith skated in toward it. Regan made the misguided decision to fly out toward the puck, he initiated contact with Smith, and his helmet flew off. The net was wide open for Greene to smash it in, but the play was (rightfully) called dead. It was the correct call,but it was a crappy way to have a game winner come off the board as the helmet coming off was entirely due to Regan's decision making.
BC persevered and Ferriero sniped home the winner a minute into triple OT to send the BC fans home happy, meaning that despite having an abysmal power play for most of the game, the Eagles managed to score two power play goals. Good stuff!
Gerbe didn't have a very good game - he looked like he was pressing - and he missed several chanecs, including one WIDE OPEN net with the score 4-3 UNH. He missed it wide. I couldn't believe it. He also went way too wide a few times on breakouts. But despite all of this, he still had three assists - meaning he is only one point behind Kevin Porter for the national scoring lead. Very, very interesting.
The 2nd goal Muse gave up was absolutely terrible- you learn when you're 5 years old that you have to cover the post on a play against the board. But from that point forward, Muse was solid, and he made a number of game-savers in overtime.
I must say, I saw Vermont against BU in the nightcap and they didn't impress me much. They are an all-out trap team. If we can get a lead, we should be okay... but getting a lead has been a problem.
See you at the Garden!
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