'It's been a long time coming': After three straight heartbreakers, UConn finally captures CT Ice

Always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

For three straight years, UConn men’s hockey reached the Connecticut Ice championship, went into the third period with a chance to win and ultimately watched the other team hoist the trophy.

In 2022, the Huskies were knotted 0-0 with Quinnipiac but gave up a pair of goals and couldn’t muster any offense en route to a 2-0 defeat. The next year, they were up 3-2 on the Bobcats after 40 minutes — only to surrender a pair of goals and fall 4-3.

Last season was the most painful. On its home ice at the XL Center, UConn had a two-goal lead at one point and once again took a 3-2 lead into the third period against Quinnipiac. Then the Huskies failed to deliver a kill-shot by coming up empty on a pair of breakaways and missing the net eight times on 22 attempts. Down the other end, Ethan Haider let in a soft goal that tied the game — one of two from the net-minder on the night.

On Saturday, UConn found itself in an all-too-familiar situation. The Huskies were ahead 1-0 on Sacred Heart as the third period began.

This time, they finished the job. Through a nervy final 20 minutes, UConn held on to capture its first Connecticut Ice championship.

“It's been a long time coming for us,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh said postgame.

The Huskies didn’t exactly slam the door on the Pioneers. Just the opposite, in fact. They managed just a single shot on net in the third, instead opting to win it with their defense. In a lot of ways, it was a a victory reminiscent of the program’s early days in Hockey East: Score early then hold on for dear life.

It was a vintage Ice Bus performance for UConn — but it proved to be enough to capture the team’s second trophy under Cavanaugh alongside the 2016 Desert Hockey Classic.

“It's just a great team win, great program win,” the coach said. “I don't know if it was pretty, I don't know if it was our best game from start to finish, but we accomplished what we wanted to do. We’re getting a trophy today.”

Filip Sitar started the Huskies off with 5:56 remaining in the first period. On a scramble by the net, the puck slipped out to the freshman and he sent it into the twine to give UConn a 1-0 lead.

Not only was it Sitar’s first career goal, it was just the fourth goal of the season from the Huskies’ fourth line.

“The one goal tonight comes from Fil, Larks (Hugh Larkin), Frase (Tristan Fraser), guys who have just been battling all year long,” Hudson Schandor said. “We're such a deep roster where any line can get going on any night. So for them to put one in for us and seal the deal — thrilled for Fil and a testament to our group.”

That proved to be the only scoring on the night. From there, it was all about UConn’s defense — specifically, goaltender Tyler Muszelik. After holding Quinnipiac to just one goal on 35 shots the previous day, he pitched a 23-save shutout in the final.

Those back-to-back performances earned Muszelik the CT Ice Most Outstanding Player award and a spot on the all-tournament team.

“Hands down the MVP of this tournament,” Cavanaugh said. “He's had a tough year and a half. He had a tough injury last year that he had to battle through. Then this year, he's playing great hockey and he gets hurt right before Christmas. But he showed his mental toughness.”

Muszelik got some help from his skaters, too. Jake Percival cleared a puck off the goal line in the second period to preserve the lead while Jake Richard and Tabor Heaslip each blocked pucks during the 6-on-5 in the final moments.

The net-minder’s biggest play didn’t show up on the stat sheet, though. With less than 10 seconds remaining, the puck was loose in front of the net. As Sacred Heart tried to poke it in for the equalizer, Muszelik covered it up to kill the play with 8.3 remaining.

“It was a little chaotic. Definitely lost it for a second with all those guys in front,” he admitted. “Then luckily there were some good tie ups in front of the net and the puck just bounced up and I was able to cover.”

While UConn survived those final ticks, its game plan wasn’t to park the bus and hold on for a 1-0 win, though. Instead, it was an increasingly rare moment where the Huskies showed their youth and inexperience.

“We have a young team. On any given night, we could have five or six young freshmen in the lineup. At times tonight, it showed because when you're playing in this type of atmosphere, you squeeze the stick a little bit. It's only natural,” Cavanaugh said. “I think it was a young team trying to hold on and win a game.”

In the end, UConn held on to extend its unbeaten streak to seven games — tying its longest such stretch during the program’s Division I Era.

Entering this year, the Huskies — already coming off their most disappointing campaign under Cavanaugh — seemed to be staring at a hefty a rebuild after an exodus of talent over the offseason, headlined by first rounder Matthew Wood.

Instead, UConn has shattered expectations and is on its way towards the best season in the 65-year history of the program. Now, with their first CT Ice championship. the Huskies have some hardware to further bolster their magical campaign.

Few deserve more credit for that turnaround than fifth-years Schandor and John Spetz — the only two players still on the roster who experienced the three previous defeats in the CT Ice title game.

Now, at long last, they know what victory feels like.

“I'm really, really thrilled for for Hudson and John Spetz, who've been in this game four times,” Cavanaugh said. “They finally broke through and got their win.”

“We obviously still have big aspirations ahead but we're gonna savor this one for a little bit,” Schandor added.