Darion Hanson would like to remind you that his team plays in a pro hockey barn, thank you very much.
Unfazed by his first appearance at the TD Garden, the Connecticut graduate-student transfer netminder backstopped his Huskies past Northeastern’s Huskies to the tune of a 3-1 win in the semifinals of the Hockey East tournament before a feisty and energetic crowd Friday night.
“No matter what building we’re playing in, we want it,” Hanson said. “It’s helpful that we play at the XL Center in Hartford — it’s a pro building too. I feel like the storyline coming into it was, ‘Northeastern’s played Beanpot games, we haven’t.’ That didn’t bother us.”
The XL Center, of course, was the home of the NHL’s Hartford Whalers until 1997 and has hosted a number of minor-league franchises since.
Hanson made 24 saves and UConn never trailed, scoring in each of the three periods and adding an empty-net goal for good measure in the game’s closing minutes.
Fourth-seeded UConn (20-15-0, 16-10-0 Hockey East) will now face either the winner of Friday’s second semifinal between UMass Lowell and UMass in Saturday night’s final. It will be UConn’s first appearance in the Hockey East championship game.
Northeastern fell to 25-12-1 overall (16-9-1 Hockey East) and, despite winning the Hockey East regular-season title and earning the tourney’s top seed, will hold its breath to find out if it has earned an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The field of 16 will be announced Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
“We’re hoping for the hockey gods to look after us here,” Northeastern coach Jerry Keefe said. “And hope that the teams we need to win, at least one of them wins and helps us out.”
UConn opened the scoring at 11:39 of the first period on Vladislav Firstov’s 14th goal of the season. Roman Kinal scored at 13:47 of the middle frame to break a 1-1 tie, and Ryan Tverberg put the UConn Huskies up by a pair with his 14th goal of the season at 4:32 of the third.
Tverberg’s goal was particularly pretty. Taking advantage of a Northeastern turnover in its own zone, Tverberg winded his way through a maze of defenders, went behind the net to the left of Northeastern goalie Devon Levi, poked the puck over the end line and then scooped it into the net past Levi’s right pad.
“Just hopping in the zone, I saw a puck that I could get to,” Tverberg said. “Made a move, got by, and was able to put it in.”
Northeastern’s lone goal came at 14:13 of the first. Aiden McDonough, who finished third in the league in scoring this year, rocketed a one-timer from a wide angle past Hanson on a power play to tie the game 1-1.
Any chance Northeastern had of a third-period comeback was made that much harder as UConn’s defense clamped down, delivering a series of solid hits on Northeastern skaters that elicited loud cheers from the sizable UConn fan base in attendance.
“That’s (UConn) Husky hockey right there,” Hanson said. “To see us up 3-1 at the TD Garden with a few minutes left, playing our game — it was so much fun (to) watch.”
UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh said Hanson, who played 78 games for Union of the ECAC before coming to UConn is one of three core transfers — including Jarrod Gourley (Arizona State) and Kevin O’Neil (Yale) — UConn picked up in the offseason, and the experience they brought has paid dividends for his team all season.
“We’re really, really lucky,” Cavanaugh said. “Whether we like it or not, (the transfer portal) has become lay of the land. We were able to get three kids who are so mature in the way they go about things. (They) do everything the right way. They really do. They’ve brought such a calming presence to our locker room.”
Despite his stellar season, Hanson entered Friday in the shadow of Northeastern’s Levi, the Hockey East Rookie of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award finalist.
“I get all the talk about Devon — he’s an amazing goalie and one of the best I’ve ever played against,” Hanson said. “(It) didn’t motivate me too much. I was just focused on doing my job and doing what I can to help the guys get a win.”
