Physical Play Pushes Hockey over UMass

For two periods in game two of Saturday night's Hockey East quarterfinal match-up between No. 4 Boston College and the University of Massachusetts, the Minutemen countered every punch that the Eagles threw their way. So instead of trying to deliver the knock-out punch in one fell swoop, BC was content with delivering punishing body shots, in the form of tremendous defense, for the entire third period.

The Eagles remarkably allowed only three shots on net in the final frame. That great defensive effort served as the catalyst for a three-goal third period effort, which sealed the hard-nosed 5-2 win for BC, sending them to the Hockey East semifinals.

"That's as physical a game as we've been in all year," said BC head coach Jerry York. "There were good solid hits. Everyone was playing the body and finishing checks."

The physicality was evident from the outset, particularly from junior Joe Whitney, who seemed to connect on at least one solid hit every time his skates touched the ice. But some checks got finished a little bit more than others, including a charging penalty that Whitney drew almost nine minutes into the game.

The three penalties whistled in the first period were merely a sign of things to come. A total of 13 penalties were assessed, eight of which were whistled in a hectic second period that saw bodies fly through the air, hits after the whistle, and a slash against BC goaltender John Muse.

"We came in here with the idea that, with their great puck movement and their super skill, that we were going to have to try and out-will them and create a game where there's some physicality," said UMass head coach Don Cahoon.

UMass certainly did that, holding an uncalculated but visible edge in checks and hits against the boards through the first two periods. After the first period ended in a 1-1 tie, the Eagles dug themselves into a hole early, trying to match the Minutemen hit for hit.
The result was three straight penalties in a span of four minutes.

The first penalty was called on freshman Brian Dumoulin for interference, which UMass turned into a power-play goal to even the game back up at two goals apiece.

The Minutemen also had their fair share of men put into the penalty box in the second period.

Five minutes in, UMass captain Justin Braun slashed Muse after he made a save. Whitney, already with one penalty to his name, took exception to Braun's slash. The two pushed and shoved until the referees broke it up, and both Whitney and Braun were given two minutes for roughing.

The second period then ended the same as the first, with players battered and bruised, and the game still tied.

"In order to be physical, you have to be able to skate," Cahoon said. "And we skated well enough to be able to be physical, and I thought through the first two periods we were able to execute that pretty well."

Heading into the third period, with both teams stuck in a physical deadlock, something had to give.

While the physicality was certainly maintained by both clubs, it was the Eagles' defense that asserted itself in the third period, limiting the Minutemen to only three shots on net.
"When the game was on the line, that was a really good defensive way for us to establish ourselves in the third period," York said.

UMass simply couldn't keep up with the Eagles in the final frame, despite doing its best to maintain a physical style of play. BC's defense effectively took the puck away from the Minutemen's sticks, leaving them with very few opportunities down the final 20-minute stretch.

After assistant captain Matt Lombardi turned his timely steal into an unassisted goal that gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead early in the third period, UMass was left with plenty of time to respond. But the Eagles ratcheted things up defensively and ensured that UMass would be the team to go home for the season.

"We were a goal down and we had 18 and a half minutes to play," Cahoon said. "So we [had to] respond, and we didn't. And that was the difference in the game."

Even when UMass pulled Dainton with just under two minutes to go, the Eagle defense handled the 6-on-5 with ready poise. A final empty net goal by Alemeida capped off the physical battle. Despite the wide margin of victory, the tilt certainly wasn't an easy one to win by any means.

"You know, we've got a lot of bumps and bruises from the game," York said.

A trip to the Hockey East semifinals should help to ease the Eagles' pain.