Hamilton, NY. - The UConn Huskies finished the opening weekend 1-0-1 after game two against the Colgate Raiders ended in a 3-3 tie. The Huskies stormed back from a two-goal deficit to force OT. Senior goaltender Ethan Haider made 27 saves in his UConn debut.
The Huskies wasted no time in game two, as John Spetz collected the loose puck and fired a slap shot past Colgate netminder Carter Gylander for the goal only 44 seconds into the start of the game. Penalties hindered the Huskies ability to extend their lead as they were called for three penalties and were forced to play shorthanded. Colgate eventually found the equalizer while on the power play as a save by senior Ethan Haider bounced right to Nic Belpedio for the goal. Both teams entered the period break knotted at one.
The second period was all Colgate as they scored two unanswered goals. The Raiders scored three minutes into the period to take the 2-1 lead and from there they did not look back. The Huskies were continuously pressured in their own zone and had trouble keeping possession of the puck. UConn looked to even the score midway through the period, but the Huskies power play was once again unsuccessful. Colgate scored their third goal of the game late in the second period. UConn was unable to answer and entered the break down two goals.
The Huskies did not back down in the third period. The UConn attack pressured the Colgate defense looking to chip away at the two-goal lead. Senior Ethan Haider provided the spark needed to awaken the Huskies as he made a sprawling glove save midway through the period to prevent Colgate from extending their lead. Following the save, the Huskies went to work and began threatening. Late in the period, Matthew Wood found the back of the net for his second goal of the weekend to cut the Raiders lead to one. The Huskies continued to fight and with less than two minutes remaining in the game, Jake Richard took the puck and fired the shot over the goaltender's shoulder to tie and send the game to overtime.
In the overtime period, both netminders made timely saves resulting in the game ending in a tie. Senior Ethan Haider continued to be strong in his UConn debut making three big glove saves to hold the Raiders scoreless. Both teams elected to participate in a shootout, and in the shootout sophomores Matthew Wood and Samu Salminen scored, while Haider blocked all attempts resulting in the Huskies coming away victorious.
The Huskies will be back in action Friday October 13 as they travel to Holy Cross. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00pm and can be streamed live on Flo Sports.
