Wayne State tied the game with 35 seconds left in regulation, then won with 25 seconds left in the first overtime on a goal by Maxim Starchenko, 5-4, to capture the UConn Classic championship game over host Connecticut.
Jarrett Gibbons put Wayne State (11-8-1) on the board at 7:51 of the first period. UConn (6-9-1) responded when Anthony Switek made a pass to Eric Goclowski, who then flicked the puck over Wayne State goaltender Marc Carlson’s shoulder for the goal.
Brent Refrew gave the Warriors the 2-1 lead with 54 seconds remaining in the first.
Michael Goldkind evened the score just two minutes into the second period. At the 7:40 mark, Connecticut took the lead on a shot by Ciro Longobardi.
With just under a minute left in the period Starchenko nailed a shot through UConn goaltender Jason Carey’s legs to tie the score at three apiece.
UConn took the lead again on a cross-ice pass from Ridolf to Goldkind, who then crossed the puck in front of the net to Herhal for the goal at the 11:27 mark of the third period.
The see-saw battle was re-tied when Nick Shrader scored the last-minute goal. Four of Wayne State’s five goals came in the last minute of play in each of the games four periods.
Carey earned the loss in net, making a career-high 39 saves in goal, while Marc Carlson stopped 21 UConn shots. The Warriors outshot the Huskies, 44-25.
In the consolation game played earlier in the evening, Queen’s University defeated Holy Cross, 3-1. The UConn Classic All-Tournament team featured, from
Connecticut, defensemen Scott Brown and Longobardi, plus Wayne State’s Starchenko, Gibbons, and defensemen Tyler Kindle and Carlson. Starchenko was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player for his two goals in the final.
UConn will travel to Colorado Springs, Colo. for a pair of weekend games on Jan. 5-6 against Air Force.
