Brian Tedder, Collegian StaffDURHAM, N.H. – In years past, it wasn’t unusual to see the Massachusetts hockey team rack up two of three goals in a game using its transition offense.
Six minutes, 24 seconds into the first period of Friday night’s 4-1 loss to New Hampshire in the quarterfinals of the Hockey East Tournament, it was clear that the Wildcats were the team better suited to create and take advantage of transition opportunities.
A blocked shot by a UNH defenseman deflected into the neutral zone where junior Jerry Pollastrone picked up the puck and raced up ice. Pollastrone tried to deke UMass’s Paul Dainton, but flipped the puck directly into his midsection. Dainton, however, drifted backward into the net; carrying the puck with him.
In the first postseason game of his college hockey career, Dainton stopped his first big test only to have his momentum carry the puck into the net. Two of the three UNH goals that came with Dainton on the ice – the fourth was an empty-netter – were the product of poor offensive execution.
UMass’s weaknesses in the UNH zone weren’t the sole reason for the struggles. At times, the UMass defenseman positioned themselves properly but failed to execute on the back end of the play.
“It’s hard for the defensemen when they outnumber you on the attack,” Cahoon said. “It isn’t a question of skating. It’s a matter of numbers and a matter of posture. And we didn’t have numbers or posture.”
Whenever the Minutemen worked the puck around their offensive zone, two UNH players maintained positioning in front of the point men. Not only did this prevent any passing lanes from forming, it allowed the Wildcats to create odd-man rushes. They didn’t come in bunches, but a team with the experience of New Hampshire needs only one to convert.
“Even though they cycled down in our end, we kind of kept the shots out,” UNH coach Dick Umile. “On the transition, we made a couple really good plays; especially on the third goal, it was a really nice play by Fortney’s line there.”
Freshman Mike Sislo skated into the UMass zone with Greg Collins paralleling him on the left side. The UMass defensemen tried to break the play up but were so far out of position because they had to shuffle back in transition so quickly.
It is strange for a Cahoon-coached team to make the possession mistakes that the Minutemen did Friday night. The mishaps were especially uncharacteristic considering the auspicious beginning to the game – Will Ortiz gave UMass a 1-0 lead 2:28 into the first period.
But the UNH defensive system prevented UMass from weaving together passes in hopes of finding a teammate in front of the net. Ortiz’s goal came off a faceoff and a shot that UNH goaltender Kevin Regan didn’t see.
Joe Meloni can be reached at [email protected].
