SATURDAY ROUNDUP: Late rally help UConn defend CT Ice title

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No. 13 Connecticut rallied for three third-period goals to defend its title in the Connecticut Ice tournament, earning a 4-2 win over No. 6 Quinnipiac (Photo: UConn Athletics)

No. 13 Connecticut repeated as Connecticut Ice Tournament champion with a 4-2 come-from-behind win over No. 6 Quinnipiac, flipping the game with a dominant third period.

UConn actually struck first despite managing just three shots in the opening period, taking a 1-0 lead on Tabor Heaslip’s unassisted shorthanded goal late in the frame. The Huskies leaned on structure and blocked shots early, keeping Quinnipiac from turning a steady diet of zone time into much separation.

Quinnipiac finally cashed in during the second, getting goals from Markus Vidicek and Chris Pelosi in a 57-second burst to grab a 2-1 advantage heading to intermission, with the Bobcats controlling the faceoff circle all night.

From there, the Huskies took over. Carlin Dezainde tied it early in the third, and UConn’s pace and pressure gradually wore Quinnipiac down. Jake Percival snapped home the go-ahead goal with 2:25 left, and Joey Muldowney sealed it with an empty-netter. Tyler Muszelik was rock-solid (28 saves), and UConn’s 15 blocked shots helped erase the faceoff deficit and close out the repeat.

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No. 3 Western Michigan 4, No. 7 Minnesota Duluth 3 (F/OT)

No. 3 Western Michigan won an instant classic, tying the game late in regulation and then winning it on a power play with 17 seconds left in overtime to beat Minnesota Duluth, 4-3.

After a scoreless first, the second period turned into a track meet. Jayson Shaugabay opened the scoring early, but WMU answered quickly through Iiro Hakkarainen. Duluth regained the lead on a Callum Arnott power-play goal, only for Liam Valente to respond with a man-advantage tally of his own to make it 2-2.

The Bulldogs struck first again in the third when Scout Truman finished off a Duluth push, and it looked like that might hold up until Western Michigan pulled even with 3:27 left when Bobby Cowan buried the tying goal to force extra time. WMU had to kill an early OT penalty, then got its chance late when Duluth took a costly minor. Valente cashed it in at 4:43, ripping home his second of the night for the overtime winner. Hampton Slukynsky stood tall with 30 saves as the Broncos blocked 15 shots and won the special-teams battle to steal it late.

No. 2 Michigan State 3, Minnesota 2

No. 2 Michigan State completed the weekend sweep of Minnesota with a 3-2 win, using timely special teams and another steady night in net from Trey Augustine.

The Gophers struck first when Brody Lamb finished at 6:56 of the opening period, but MSU answered on the power play as Daniel Russell tied it late in the frame. The Spartans took their first lead early in the second when Matt Basgall put one home, and they carried that edge into the third despite Minnesota hanging around.

Tommi Männistö provided the difference at 3:16 of the third, snapping in the eventual game-winner to make it 3-1. Minnesota pulled back within one on a Brodie Ziemer power-play goal midway through the period, but Augustine and the Spartans closed it out. Michigan State outshot the Gophers 42-31, won the faceoff battle, and withstood 39 saves from Luca Di Pasquo to finish off the sweep.

No. 8 Penn State 3, No. 5 Wisconsin 1

No. 8 Penn State finished off a massive two-game road sweep at No. 5 Wisconsin with a 3-1 win, flipping the script after the Badgers controlled long stretches and carried a 1-0 lead into the third.

Wisconsin struck first on Christian Fitzgerald’s shorthanded goal in the opening period and kept coming, outshooting Penn State 41-33 on the night. But the Nittany Lions stayed within striking distance behind Kevin Reidler, who turned aside 40 shots.

Penn State finally broke through early in the third when JJ Wiebusch tied it, then Reese Laubach buried the go-ahead goal midway through the period to silence the Kohl Center. Gavin McKenna’s empty-netter finished it off late as Penn State closed the weekend with another signature road result. The loss extended Wisconsin’s skid to four games.

No. 11 Connecticut 4, No. 18 Boston University 0

No. 11 Providence finished off a two-game sweep of No. 18 Boston University with a 4-0 shutout, pulling away with three third-period goals after a tight first 40 minutes.

John Mustard opened the scoring just 2:03 into the game, and the Friars made that early goal stand behind a sharp performance from Jack Parsons, who turned aside all 33 shots. BU carried long stretches of play, but Providence’s structure and shot blocking kept most of the danger to the outside and the scoreline unchanged through two periods.

The dam finally broke in the third. Julius Sumpf doubled the lead midway through the frame, and Tanner Adams added two more late — including an empty-netter — to turn a one-goal game into a comfortable finish. With the sweep in hand, Providence now holds a three-point lead atop Hockey East over Connecticut and Boston College.

No. 17 Maine 6, UMass Lowell 5 (F/OT)

No. 17 Maine scored the first three and the last three, but needed overtime to escape UMass Lowell, 6-5, after a wild middle stretch flipped the game on its head.

The Black Bears looked in control early with first-period goals from Sully Scholle and Thomas Pichette, then Miguel Marques made it 3-0 early in the second. Lowell answered with three goals in a 3:04 burst late in the period to tie it, then took its first lead when Lee Parks scored 1:25 into the third. Dillan Bentley stretched it to 5-3 midway through the period before Maine surged back behind William Gerrior and Loic Usereau to pull even.

After a scoreless final stretch of regulation, Max Scott ended it at 3:14 of overtime to complete the comeback.

No. 20 Minnesota State 4, No. 14 Augustana 1

No. 20 Minnesota State snapped No. 14 Augustana’s six-game winning streak with a 4-1 win in Mankato, flipping the game after falling behind early.

Augustana struck just 2:17 in when Colton Friesen finished the opener, but the Mavericks settled in and gradually took control. Luigi Benincasa tied it midway through the second, and then Minnesota State’s offense erupted in the third. Ean Somoza scored 1:06 into the period for the game-winner, Tristan Lemyre doubled the lead at 8:25, and Somoza buried his second of the night at 9:59 to make it 4-1.

Alex Tracy was sharp in goal for the Mavericks, turning aside 16 shots, and Minnesota State finished with a 32-17 edge in shots to close out the win.

No. 4 North Dakota 5, Arizona State 3

No. 4 North Dakota finished off a two-game road sweep at Arizona State with a 5-3 win, overcoming an early two-goal deficit and tilting the ice for most of the night.

The Sun Devils jumped ahead on goals from Brasen Boser and Samuel Alfano, but UND answered with a power-play strike from Keaton Verhoeff to get back within one. Arizona State restored its cushion early in the second on Logan Morrell’s power-play goal, only for the Fighting Hawks to respond again late in the period when Andrew Strathmann tied it with 22 seconds left.

From there, North Dakota took over in the third. Will Zellers scored 42 seconds in to give UND its first lead, Dylan James delivered the game-winner midway through the frame, and a late power-play goal from Ben Strinden sealed it. Jan Špunar made 18 saves, while UND’s shot volume (45-21) told the story of the night.