Icecats 6, Providence 0
It's over. The University of New Hampshire hockey team has moved on to the Hockey East semifinals, sweeping Providence College with a 6-0 win at the Whittemore Center. Outscoring the Friars 10-0, the Wildcats swept the best-of-three quarterfinal, 2-0.
UNH (25-9-2) 2-3-1 -- 6
PC (10-23-3) 0-0-0 -- 0
GOALIE SAVES
Kevin Regan, UNH 16-15-11 -- 42
Chris Mannix, PC 5-5-8 -- 18
GAME RECAP
UNH was given the game's first power play when Greg Collins dumped Kevin Kapstad in the corner, and just 28 seconds later the 'Cats converted. Without much resistence from Providence, Mike Radja took the puck at the right post, saw Chris Murray creeping from the point, and flung a pass to the left circle. Murray was wide open and fired into the open side. Just 7:11 in, it was 1-0.
The 'Cats capitalized on another power play about nine minutes later, again being allowed to pass the puck at will down low. This time it was Jacob Micflikier finding Brett Hemingway for a stuff from the left pipe, and with 4:10 to play in the first it was 2-0.
UNH added to its lead at even strength early in the second, when Greg Collins and Josh Ciocco collaborated to create a turnover near their offensive blue line, and Ciocco took the puck into the zone. He generated a 2-on-1 as he did, then dished to Thomas Fortney, who roofed a short-range wrister with 17:05 to go in the stanza.
Fortney -- who entered with four goals on the season -- then added his second about five minutes later, when Murray found Collins streaking into the zone, and then Collins found Fortney streaking to the net. Skating four a side, Fortney was behind the defense and tipped the pass through Mannix for a 4-0 lead.
The rout was officially on when UNH got another power play chance, and buried it, with 6:46 left in the second. Cycling beautifully, Matt Fornataro sent a cross-ice pass to Jerry Pollastrone, who in turn slung a pretty feed to Trevor Smith at the front of the net and the team's leading scorer tipped it over Mannix for the 5-0 lead.
With 6:02 left, Fornataro added to the scoring spree with an off-angle shot from the left wing that sneaked through Mannix.
GAME NOTES
- UNH used the same lineup in both games of the series.
- Radja assisted on five of UNH's first six goals in the series. The conference record for assists in one tournament is seven, last set by UNH's Colin Hemingway in 2002.
- Micflikier now has 17 points in Hockey East tournament play during his career, moving him to 10th in league history.
- After he thought Colin McDonald was bullying a teammate in a heap on the ice, Joe Charlebois stepped to McDonald and dealt him a cross-check. Referee John Gravallese saw the hit, and called a penalty, then Charlebois landed another shot after the whistle. The result was four minutes in penalties -- two each for cross checking and roughing -- though UNH avoided trouble with an extended kill near the middle of the first period.
- The Wildcats were forced to do the same thing in the second, when Fornataro was sent off for tripping and roughing.
- UNH scored on four of its first 10 shots, and two of its three tries to start the second period.
- Kevin Kapstad had the rare breakaway for a defenseman near the end of the second period, but -- clearly untrained in the opportunity -- sent his backhander wide.
- Cats Coach Dick Umile gave his five seniors the game's final shift, with Micflikier centering Ciocco and Vinz, while Murray and Hemingway played the points.
- BU's John Curry (against Providence in 2005) was the last goalie to post two shutouts in the league playoffs.
- Umile was high in his praise of sophomore wing Greg Collins, whose contributions went well beyond his assist on Fortney's goal. The third-liner is one of the team's premier penalty killers, and was a big reason UNH kept Providence 0-for-7 with the power play last night.
- UNH, meanwhile, was 3-for-6 with the man-advantage. Each of their failed chances lasted less than the full two minutes.
- The Wildcats will face Vermont in the semifinals if it beats BU in Saturday's rubber match. Otherwise it'll face the winner of the series between Massachusetts (which has a 1-0 lead) and Maine.
POST-GAME AUDIO
