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The finality of an overtime goal forces opposite extremes of emotion for the goaltenders of a hockey game. Regardless of which end of the spectrum one is on, the game is done. They won or you won.
For University of Maine senior goaltender David Wilson, an overtime goal scored against him in last Saturday’s Hockey East Tournament Final against Boston College also meant the end of his college career, and of the Black Bears’ season.
Eagles senior right wing Matt Lombardi repeatedly whacked at the puck until it finally trickled out from underneath Wilson and creeped across the goal line 5:25 into the extra session. No. 4 BC was practically guaranteed an NCAA Tournament berth before the game started. No. 19 UMaine needed a win to get in.
“It really set in as soon as that puck went in the net,” Wilson said on Tuesday in an interview. “I haven’t really recovered and I doubt I probably will for a long while. It’s never going to be OK.”
What Wilson needs now is the resiliency and support that got him and the Black Bears to that fateful game at the TD Garden in Boston and into overtime.
The Black Bears trailed 4-2, 5-3, and 6-4, and then mounted a two-goal comeback in the final 5:01, completed by freshman right wing Joey Diamond’s equalizer with 0:27 left in the third period.
The game was a microcosm of the Black Bears’ season. They got knocked down, but never knocked out.
The 19-17-3 Black Bears started 1-5 after a pair of disappointing 13-win seasons, but came together under the leadership of junior captain Tanner House and junior assistant captain Jeff Dimmen, as well as a four-member senior class. They strung together five wins to roll into December, swept archrival University of New Hampshire at home in February and were the only U.S. college team to defeat Canadian power University of New Brunswick in an exhibition.
The Black Bears lost six of their last eight regular season games to stumble into the playoffs, and starting goaltender Scott Darling ended his sophomore season prematurely with a suspension for violating team rules.
UMaine coach Tim Whitehead gave freshman goalie Shawn Sirman the nod for the final regular season weekend against the University of Massachusetts, but Sirman was lifted for Wilson in both losses due to ineffectiveness.
The Black Bears still managed to gain home ice for their quarterfinal series against the University of Massachusetts Lowell with help from other conference foes in the final weekend, and Whitehead entrusted the team to Wilson, a four-year backup.
“As soon as I went in against UMass Lowell game one I thought, ‘This is my team now to carry’,” Wilson said. “I thought, ‘It basically comes back on me if I don’t stop a certain amount of pucks, and it’s my fault that we lose that game.’”
Much of the Alfond Arena crowd did not stick around to hear the final horn of UMaine’s 2-1 loss in the opener of the best-of-three series against UMass Lowell. But they came back the following night and so did Wilson, earning his second career shutout to force a decisive third game.
A third-period comeback from being down 2-1 and House’s overtime goal sent UMaine to the semifinals, where they defeated defending national champion Boston University 5-2 on Wilson’s 25th birthday. It was Wilson’s fourth straight game allowing two goals or less.
Wilson’s three tournament wins this month were the only three wins he earned all season. He ended his career without winning a road game. Wilson finished this season with a team best 2.66 goals against average and a 3-5 record in 13 games, and allowed just 1.55 goals per game in five conference games. His career GAA was 3.02.
The 7-6 score of the Hockey East Championship Game was not indicative of Wilson’s play in the tournament and his importance to the Black Bears throughout his career. But Wilson felt the team deserved a better fate.
“I think I let myself down in that last game of Hockey East [Tournament], because my overall goal once I started playoffs was to win Hockey East,” Wilson said. “For a lot of people, that would have seemed like a long shot, coming off the bench and expecting to win Hockey East, but I knew we had the team to do it and I also knew my potential.”
“I truly believe that if we got that win, we would be at the very least in the [NCAA] Frozen Four. I think we definitely would have been in the National Title Game.”
Wilson reflected on the loss just three days after, with the same maturity and class he has become known for.
“It’s been really hard for me to focus ever since that goal went in,” Wilson said. “I’m sure one day I’m going to figure out a way to deal with it, but I haven’t come to that point yet.”
After leading the Streetsville (Ontario) Derbys to the Canadian Junior Hockey Championships as the tournament’s Top Goaltender and Most Valuable Player, the Caledon East, Ontario native spelled Ben Bishop for his first two seasons and gained postseason experience as a freshman when Bishop was injured through the Hockey East quarterfinals. When Bishop elected to forgo his senior season last year to sign with the St. Louis Blues, Wilson took the back seat to incoming freshman Darling. Wilson has not played in more than 14 games in a season for UMaine.
Wilson accepted his role change from being a starter to supporting his teammates. He never became a distraction, and made sure when his name was called, he would not embarrass himself or the team.
“My competitive nature really never stops, even though there were certain times where I thought, ‘Wow, I’m not going to play. I can’t believe this,’” Wilson said. “I was always ready because I knew I have one shot here. If I do well, I might have another shot.”
Wilson hopes another shot will come in the form of a professional contract. Regardless of whether that opportunity comes, he said he will graduate from UMaine with no regrets.
“It’s basically been a roller coaster,” Wilson said. “It’s brought forth every type of emotion I could imagine. Playing in front of the Alfond crowd was the highlight of my career in hockey. Every night I got to step forth on that ice was just a dream.”
Wilson said Boston College junior goaltender John Muse approached him after the championship game and told him the Black Bears could not have made it as far as they had if not for his play. Wilson did not entirely agree with the statement.
His supporters do.
