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| Saturday, March 29 The third time's still a charm for Ayers vs. BU By David Albright ESPN.com |
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WORCESTER, Mass. -- If only New Hampshire could take Boston University along for the ride to Buffalo in two weeks. The way things have gone of late against the Terriers, UNH would welcome another game against its Hockey East rival. In the Northeast Regional final at the Centrum Centre on Saturday night, the Wildcats (27-7-6) used another dominant defensive performance to record a 3-0 victory and advance to the Frozen Four on April 10 at HSBC Arena. UNH will face the winner of Sunday's East Regional final between Cornell and Boston College.
Not only did the win give the Wildcats their seventh Frozen Four appearance -- and fourth in the last six seasons -- but it also marked the third consecutive shutout against BU. "For the most part, I thought it was the way we wanted it to go," BU coach Jack Parker said about Saturday night. "There was only one big problem: Mike Ayers. He played great." The junior goalie, who was named the MVP of the regional following his 27-save performance, thought the credit really should be focused on the players in front of him. "I don't think any of the three shutouts I've had against these guys this year I've had to dive all over the place," Ayers said. "The credit goes to our defense and our forwards backchecking -- it goes to everybody. "There hasn't been too many big saves I've had to make in these games. I wouldn't say routine but saves that a goalie at this level should make." It's been 194 minutes, 24 seconds of hockey over a 65-day period since the Terriers have found the back of the net against UNH. That was Jan. 23 when BU used a three-goal, third period to break open a 5-2 game at Walter Brown Arena. Two nights later, Ayers & Co. recorded their first BU shutout with a 3-0 win at the Whittemore Center in Durham, N.H.. The second blanking came in the Hockey East championship game (1-0 in overtime) at Boston's FleetCenter. And Saturday night provided the three-building trifecta. "When we lost 5-2 at BU, we had a third period letdown," Ayers said. "Ever since that game, I think the guys defensively have played very well." UNH is 11-2-3 since the last BU loss -- including 9-0-3 in its last 12 games -- and now heads to Buffalo in search of its first national championship. The good news is that the Wildcats seem to have their goaltending in order. In addition to recording his seventh shutout of the season in the BU win, Ayers also set a new school record for wins in a season with 26. The old mark was set by Sean Matile in 1997-98. "Right now, Mike's so focused," UNH coach Dick Umile said. "We're going to leave him alone. I'm not going to coach him. This kid knows what he's doing." Against BU, there's no doubt about it. Northeast Regional notes Taking Gare's spot on the first line was sophomore Preston Callander, who moved up from the third line. Callander assisted on the first and what turned out to be the game winning goal. "Losing Lanny is a tough loss for our team," Callander said. "He's put up numbers all year. I just wanted to step in and help out wherever I could." Gare is listed as day-to-day for an injury that doctors say typically takes three to four weeks to heal. UNH has 11 days before its next game. Also missing from the UNH lineup was senior defenseman Kevin Truelson, who was suffering from a bruised hip that he sustained in the final minute of Friday's win over St. Cloud State. Truelson was replaced in the lineup by sophomore Robbie Barker.
David Albright is a senior editor at ESPN.com and can be reached at david.albright@espn3.com |
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