HARTFORD, Conn. - The UConn Huskies tied the game with 56 seconds left in the third period and then got the game-winning goal from senior Alexander Payusov (Montreal, Quebec) just 19 seconds into overtime to beat Boston University 4-3 Friday night at the XL Center.
UConn senior Benjamin Freeman (Falmouth, Maine) scored the game-tying goal at 19:04 with an extra skater on the ice to set up overtime and Payusov's heroics. The senior's overtime winner marks the second-straight season the Huskies beat BU at home with Payusov providing the game-winning goal.
The Huskies improve to 13-13-4 overall and 10-8-2 in Hockey East with the win while BU falls to 12-10-8 overall and 9-6-5 in the league.
UConn built a 2-0 lead in the first period with goals by sophomores Carter Turnbull (Nanaimo, British Columbia) and Kale Howarth (Red Deer, Alberta). BU stormed back in the second with three-straight coming from Case McCarthy, Jack DeBoer and Cam Crotty.
Freeman matched his career-high with three points coming on a goal and two assists. Turnbull finished the night with a goal and an assist while senior defenseman Wyatt Newpower (Hugo, Minn.) picked-up a pair of assists.
Sophomore goaltender Tomas Vomacka (Trutnov, Czech Republic) stopped 23 shots to earn the win in net. UConn finished with a 30-26 edge on shots and was 1-for-2 on the power play.
1st Period:
The Huskies got off to a great start, putting a pair on the board in the first from Turnbull and Howarth for a 2-0 lead. UConn held a 15-8 edge on shots as well.
The Huskies struck first as Turnbull picked-up his 11th on the year at the 11:12 mark. Freshman Harrison Rees (Oakville, Ontario) kept the puck in the BU zone and Freeman sent it across ice to Turnbull who took it into the corner. The sophomore burst out of the corner to the net and curled off the BU defense, beating Tucker to the far-right post.
UConn got a power play chance late in the period and took a 2-0 lead at 17:24 on Howarth's fourth of the season. The puck came to Vladislav Firstov (Yaroslavl, Russia) at the point who fired on Tucker who made the stop. Howarth was posted up in front and cleaned up the rebound for a 2-0 lead into the locker room.
2nd Period:
BU got one back at the 4:26 mark of the second as McCarthy scored his second on the season. Domenick Fensore played the puck across ice to McCarthy in the high right circle and he snapped one that beat Vomacka who was screened in front to pull the Terriers within 2-1.
The Terriers knotted the game up at 2-2 at 11:19 as DeBoer got his third this season. Robert Mastrosimone drove the puck hard to the left post on a rush and threw it on net where DeBoer was camped and got a redirect past Vomacka.
BU struck for their third of the period at 17:35 to take a 3-2 lead as Crotty picked-up his third on the season. Patrick Curry fed Crotty from behind the net and the junior defenseman blasted a one-timer from the point into the back of the net for a one-goal lead into the second intermission.
3rd Period:
It looked like BU would leave town with a 3-2 win before the Huskies struck late. Pulling the goaltender for the extra skater, the Huskies tied the game up at 19:04 as Jachym Kondelik (Budejovice, Czech Republic) fired on net and a loose puck finding Freeman at the right post, who backhanded it in for his ninth to tie the game up at 3-3.
OT:
UConn wasted little time in the extra session as Freeman created a turnover in the BU zone and fed a streaking Payusov coming on the right side who simply redirected into the net for the game-winning goal, senind the Huskies home 4-3 winners.
Up Next:
The Huskies and Terriers will close their weekend series on Saturday night at Agganis Arena, live on NESN at 7 pm.
