HARTFORD — Junior
Joe Connor scored an overtime winner to cap off a weekend sweep for the Northeastern men's hockey team over the UConn Huskies on Saturday at the PeoplesBank Arena.
Northeastern (6-2-0, 3-2-0 HEA) had a 3-0 lead entering the final period, but UConn (4-7-1, 2-5-1 HEA) forced itself back into the game with three goals to tie the game and send it to overtime.
Along with Connor, freshman
Dawson Sharkey, sophomore
Giacomo Martino and sophomore
Jacob Mathieu all scored goals to cap the Huskies' fourth game with four or more goals. Senior netminder
Lawton Zacher stopped 32 of 35 shots to earn his fourth straight win.
Sharkey tallied his third game with a first-period goal when senior
Eli Sebastian's shot on UConn goaltender Kam Hendrickson (36 saves) was loose in the crease. Sharkey won the race to the puck and buried it at 3:36 for his fifth tuck of the season.
Senior
Tyler Fukakusa set up the next goal as he chased down a UConn defensemen in the Northeastern offensive zone and picked his pocket at the goal line. Fukakusa flung the puck across the crease for Martino, who released his one-timer past Hendrickson at 11:30.
Northeastern would add another in the first as a power play expired. The Huskies cycled the puck in the offensive zone and sophomore
Amine Hajibi found a passing lane to a ready Mathieu, in a similar spot as Martino was for his goal. Mathieu calmly unleashed his own one-timer to give Northeastern its third goal, the most in any first period by the Huskies this year.
After the ice was tilted for Northeastern in the first, it shifted back to a more even game in the second. UConn held a 13-11 advantage in shots, but Northeastern had more scoring chances in the frame.
UConn would score all three of its goals in the third — including the tying goal with 59 seconds remaining — to send the game to overtime.
Once the game went to the extra frame, Northeastern held possession for almost the entirety of play, and Martino almost scored his second of the game, ringing the crossbar with 4:19 left to play.
Connor would net the winner after Hajibi drove down the left side of the slot, swinging behind the goal line and feeding a cutting Connor. The net came off its moorings just before the puck crossed the goal line, but a review confirmed the goal for the Huskies.
Northeastern will next travel to Stonehill for a series with the Skyhawks, beginning Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at Warrior Ice Arena in Boston.
