You could never imagine how long 10.9 seconds take to tick off the clock.
Leading 2-1 with 10.9 seconds left in the third period, the Beacons just needed to weather the six-on-five storm in their own end. After a face-off win for Williams College, the puck was pushed around for a few seconds before the mayhem ensued in front of Ryan Donovan’s net.
All ten players were in front of the goal, scrapping around, searching for that loose puck to either clear down the ice, or to put in the back of the net. With only 0.2 seconds left in regulation, Matt Dreiheim somehow found the back of Ryan Donovan’s net, tying the game 2-2.
“I was hanging out and they were battling in front and it was just right time, right place,” the junior forward said of the goal. “I stared at the ref for a second ’cause I was so shocked [the puck] was there, and then I just put it in.”
Said Williams College head coach Bill Kangas: “That’s a part of the game. We’re fortunate it went in.”
It was Dreiheim’s second goal of the game and his third of the season that sent the game into overtime. The overtime period went scoreless, leading to a tie and UMass Boston’s first point in six games.
After the game, Beacons coach Pete Belisle was happy with his team’s effort, saying he was proud of them, but reiterated the fact that things haven’t been going their way recently. “Those are the bounces we’re getting right now, and we have to over come it,” he said.
“[The last-second goal] was awful, but we had to regroup and be proud that we played well in overtime. We have to be positive. It’s a step. We made a little step. We have to take that momentum.”
Even though it was the Beacons’ first point in six games, Matt Atsoff wasn’t happy. “It’s still frustrating, honestly,” he said. “I felt like we just had that game won and it slipped away.”
After the Beacons allowed Williams College to take a 1-0 lead 15:12 into the first period, the second period belonged to UMass Boston. Beacons freshman Ryan Huggett skated across the blue line with the puck all alone at the top of the slot. He wound up, making sure to avoid the loose stick just to his left and uncorked a laser that beat Williams’ goalie Marc Pulde glove-side, to tie the game at one. It was Huggett’s second goal of the season.
Only 43 seconds later, the Beacons struck again. This time, David Lun was near the right face-off dot when he got a pass from Jacob Cline. Lun (fifth of the season) snapped a quick shot on goal that beat Pulde 5-hole to give the Beacons a 2-1 lead.
Said Belisle: “You pump a couple in and now they’re on their heels a bit. I thought we rode that pretty well.
“It has to be a controlled insanity. I think we have to play with that emotion, but with that discipline, too. It’s a very fine line that we have to find.”
After the Beacons took a 2-1 lead, the home crowd was going wild, and captain Kris Kranzky thought his team did well feeding off the emotions of the crowd. “It was awesome,” he said. “We were down 1-0 and all the sudden, we’re up 2-1, crowd’s going crazy, everyone’s just up on the bench having a good time.”
Ryan “Great Wall of Donovan” Donovan continues to sparkle for UMass Boston in goal. He made 37 saves on 39 shots, once again being called the “backbone” of the team by Matt Atsoff. Opposing head coaches always praise Donovan, and Kangas was no different. “I thought Donovan made some big, big saves around the net,” he said. “He was real good at keeping the puck quiet.”
He added that Donovan is one of the top goalies he has seen in the ECAC East. “You really couldn’t get second or third chances [on him] because he was always right around the puck.”