2010 Hockey East Championships | Sports

BC wins 7-6 in thrilling OT

Posted on March 20, 2010, at 11:06 p.m.

BOSTON — Boston College senior right wing Matt Lombardi scored his hat-trick goal 5:26 into overtime to lift the Eagles to a 7-6 win in the Hockey East Championship Game Saturday night at the TD Garden in Boston.

Lombardi poked a second effort underneath UMaine senior goaltender Dave Wilson. It was Lombardi’s first career hat trick. He is the second player all-time to score a hat trick in the Championship Game.

The win gave the Eagles their ninth Hockey East Championship and was their fourth championship game triumph against UMaine.

“The tough part is that we really felt that if we were able to get by BC, we would have as good of a shot as anybody to win the national tournament,” UMaine coach Tim Whitehead said.

UMaine freshman right wing Joey Diamond tied the game with 27.3 seconds remaining in the third period to force the extra session. Diamond’s second tying goal of the game and third goal of the weekend came while UMaine senior goaltender Dave Wilson was pulled for the extra skater. Diamond also tied Saturday’s game at 2-2.

UMaine junior center and captain Tanner House’s faceoff win in the right circle slid into the slot where Diamond gathered it and fired a wrist shot inside the left post.

“The guys just battled so hard for each other and we just wouldn’t quit,” House said.

Diamond and House both had three-point games. Diamond scored twice and assisted on another goal, while House had a goal and a pair of assists.

“The guys returning definitely want to make it back [next year], because it stings real bad,” House said.

UMaine faced three two-goal deficits and closed the gap each time. BC led 6-4 with 5:37 remaining in the game, before Diamond and UMaine sophomore left wing Spencer Abbott scored in the final 5:01.

Abbott’s goal followed a faceoff win by junior center Robby Dee. Abbott’s wrister from the left point sailed past BC junior goaltender John Muse at the near post.

“Right when that went in, we knew we could definitely get another one,” Diamond said.

BC sophomore wingers Jimmy Hayes and Barry Almeida scored in the third period to give the Eagles a pair of two-goal leads. Their goals sandwiched UMaine senior right wing David deKastrozza’s second goal of the weekend 8:17 into the period.

Muse finished with 26 saves after shutting out the University of Vermont 3-0 in the Semifinals. Wilson stopped 26 shots. BC came out on top in the shot total 34-32.

“We were confident in [Wilson] coming into the playoffs and he came up huge for us,” House said.

Both teams capitalized on a pair of power play chances. UMaine went two-for-eight with the man-advantage. BC was two-for-five.

The Eagles scored a pair of second-period goals to break a 2-2 tie, despite managing just five shots in the period. UMaine cut the margin to 4-3 with 4:56 remaining before the second intermission and took a 24-21 advantage in shots on goal, with 16 in the frame.

Lombardi and BC junior left wing Joe Whitney scored 3:55 apart early in the period.

House scored on the power play to bring the Black Bears back within a goal. Sophomore right wing Gustav Nyquist found House in the slot with a pass from behind the net.

UMaine answered both of BC’s first-period goals within a minute following each.

“There certainly wasn’t any quit in our team,” Whitehead said.

Eagles fans had barely settled back into their seats following senior defenseman Carl Sneep’s one-timer goal from the right point when Nyquist followed House’s shot from the slot and finished at the left post 0:24 later. Nyquist’s goal was his 60th point of the season.

The Eagles crashed the net with less than five minutes remaining in the period, and a desperation dive into the crease by UMaine freshman defenseman Mark Nemec could not prevent Lombardi’s shot from crossing the goal line.

Diamond tipped in junior defenseman Jeff Dimmen’s shot from the left point 0:36 after Lombardi’s first tally.

“We knew we had the makings of something special this year,” Whitehead said. “We were very determined to get back up every time we got knocked down.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 20th, 2010, 11:06 pm. You can follow any responses to this article through the RSS feed.