[youtube_sc url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKnh0dK5eR0]
DURHAM, N.H. – New Hampshire goaltender Danny Tirone registered three shutouts, none of which came against a Hockey East opponent, in 38 games last season.
The senior registered his fourth shutout overall and second against a Hockey East foe this year in New Hampshire’s 1-0 victory over Providence College Saturday night at the Whittemore Center.
“To get four shutouts, that’s pretty difficult in this league but that’s the competitor that he is,” Wildcats coach Dick Umile said of Tirone. “We’re playing better in front of him defensively and if we allow him to see shots, he’s pretty darn good.”
Tirone logged 24 saves en route to the win and received more than a little support from his teammates. The Trumbull, Conn., resident never faced more than nine shots in a period and saw seven blocked by his fellow Wildcats.
“We didn’t get to the net,” Providence coach Nate Leaman said. “We wanted the cute play all night. We stayed on the perimeter and we don’t score a goal. That’s the big difference in the game.”
No. 13 New Hampshire had lost its previous four games against Hockey East competition, including a 5-2 setback at No. 9 Providence on Friday, before the win. The Friars (9-6-1, 6-4-1 Hockey East) were unbeaten in their previous five Hockey East contests entering Saturday.
Tirone said the Wildcats considered Saturday’s bout a must-win.
“Hockey East, what’s been going on with us, we all felt that we deserved to win a big game like this against a big, established program because we have been playing well,” Tirone said.
New Hampshire (8-5-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) received its game-winning goal from an unlikely source in defenseman Richie Boyd.
Boyd, who had family members in attendance, logged his first goal in more than two years 7:12 into the game on a wrister from the high slot off a feed from Ara Nazarian.
The senior from Delray Beach, Fla., had not scored since New Hampshire’s 4-2 win at Merrimack College on Oct. 31, 2015, and had never logged a game-winning goal entering Saturday.
“It felt good but I think I was more excited just about how we played as a team,” Boyd said. “It was a full 60 minutes, a lot of guys doing a lot of little things – winning faceoffs and just having good sticks and Danny played lights out. It was more exciting to have the win as a whole than the goal.”
Providence junior goaltender Hayden Hawkey finished with 25 saves. Hawkey made 10 of his stops in the second period, including a stellar pad save on a backdoor shot by Shane Eiserman with four minutes left in the frame.
Both teams went 0-for-5 on the power play.
“I mean obviously, they’re a real good hockey team,” Umile said of the Friars. “I just told the team afterwards, ‘We can play against anybody when we play hard like that and compete.’ And we worked hard for 60 minutes.”
Hockey East round-up
No. 15 Boston College 4, Boston University 1
Boston College scored the game’s first and last two goals to capture the road victory over the rival Terriers.
David Cotton and Connor Moore both scored over the final 6:27 of the first period to give the Eagles a 2-0 lead entering the second frame.
Terriers freshman Shane Bowers scored 9:27 into the second period to cut the Eagles’ lead to 2-1. Boston College answered Bowers’ tally at the 15:10 mark of the stanza when Ron Greco scored off assists from Casey Carreau and Kevin Lohan.
Graham McPhee scored on an empty Terriers net with 29 seconds remaining to cap the game’s scoring.
Joseph Woll made 36 saves for the Eagles. Jake Oettinger made 23 stops for BU.
No. 12 Northeastern 3, Merrimack 1
Adam Gaudette scored twice and Cayden Primeau made 28 saves to lead Northeastern to the road triumph.
The Huskies took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to a power-play goal from Gaudette with 2:13 left in the opening period. The junior also broke a 1-1 tie when he logged his second goal of the game 12:46 into the second period.
Nolan Stevens built a 3-1 Northeastern lead when he found the back of the net on a power play with 52 seconds left in the middle frame.
Merrimack sophomore Logan Coomes’ first goal of the season knotted the score at 1-1 at the 5:07 mark of the second period. Drew Vogler made 17 saves for the Warriors.
Maine 6, Vermont 2
Two goals from Nolan Vesey and a 39-save effort from Jeremy Swayman lifted the Black Bears to the home victory.
Vermont junior Brian Bowen’s power-play goal 4:19 into the contest opened the scoring. Maine responded with two power-play goals before the end of the opening period and received an even-strength tally from Brendan Robbins 3:15 into the middle frame to take a 3-1 lead.
Rob Michel and Tim Doherty provided the first-period power-play goals for the Black Bears.
Vermont received a power-play goal of its own from Craig Puffer at the 11:48 mark of the second period to cut the Black Bears’ advantage to 3-2. Maine regained a two-goal cushion 18:05 into the stanza when Vesey found the back of the net.
Vesey and Patrick Holway each scored in the third period.
Swayman made 19 of his 39 saves in the second period. Stefanos Lekkas made 28 stops for Vermont.
