For the second straight season, the University of Minnesota Duluth's season came to an end with a one-goal loss in the NCAA Northeast Regional title game.
Saturday night, the Bulldogs found themselves trailing 3-0 with less than eight minutes to play before mounting a rally that came up just short in a 3-2 loss to Boston College at the DCU Center in Worcester, Mass. UMD concluded the year with a 19-16-5 overall record.
"How many people thought we were done when it was 3-0? I'm really proud of our team and the way our guys battled back," said UMD head coach
Scott Sandelin. "For us, I think it was a lot of missed opportunities. Maybe if we got a goal early, it changes the tone of the game a little bit. But I thought our guys played a really good game and we kept fighting until the end. Unfortunately, we came up a little bit short."
Teddy Doherty gave Boston College a 1-0 lead at 14:06 of the first period when his wrister from the left faceoff dot got past Bulldog goaltender
Kasimir Kaskisuo and trickled past the goal line. Doherty struck again just under three minutes into the second period, teaming up with Zach Sanford and Chris Calnan for a tic-tac-toe goal down low to put the Eagles up 2-0. Boston College had a 16-10 shots advantage in that period.
With 13:25 to go regulation, the Eagles cashed in on the power play with Ryan Fitzgerald scoring off a blast from the left circle.
Austin Farley got the Bulldogs on the board six minutes later with a sharp angle shot from below the right circle. It was the senior left winger's 15
th goal of the season and team-leading ninth power play score (but first since Dec. 5. Sophomore right winger
Karson Kuhlman, who scored the game-winner in UMD's 2-1 double overtime victory over defending national champion Providence College in the Northeast Regional semifinals Friday, pulled the Bulldogs to within with 4:26 remaining by swatting in a loose puck near the top of the crease. With Boston College's Miles Wood in the box serving an interference penalty, UMD pulled Kaskisuo for an extra attacker in the final minute of play, but was unable to put anything past Eagles netminder Thatcher Demko, who finished the night with 38 saves. Kaskisuo, UMD's starter in 51 of the past 52 games, made 31 stops.
Boston College, which is 14-1 all-time in NCAA Tournament games in Worcester, Mass., now advances to the NCAA Frozen Four next month in Tampa, Fla. The Eagles also ousted the Bulldogs in the NCAA Northeast Regional four years ago at the DCU Center.
The loss marked the collegiate farewells for UMD's eight seniors --
Tony Cameranesi,
Willie Corrin,
Cal Decowski,
Austin Farley,
Matt McNeely,
Charlie Sampair,
Andy Welinski and
Austyn Young. Both Cameranesi, the owner of a 10-game scoring streak, and Welinski, who skated in all 152 games over the past four seasons, were named to the six-member Northeast Regional All-Tournament team.
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