UConn dropped by Holy Cross, 4-3

An awful night from the special teams units gave UConn men’s hockey its first loss of the season, 4-3 to the Holy Cross Crusaders. The Huskies’ penalty kill gave up three goals on five attempts, the power play went 0/7 and they couldn’t convert on a 6-on-5 advantage over the final minutes.

They had a 37-21 edge in shots on goal as well, but it didn’t matter.

Jake Richard scored a pair while Ryan Tattle also found the back of the net. Tyler Muszelik turned away 17 of 21 shots on the night, though three of those goals were from a power play.

UConn got off to a fast start and took a 1-0 lead just over two minutes in. Tristan Fraser won the puck along the boards and found Tattle, who drilled a one-timer near-post to give the Huskies the early lead.

They had a chance to double the advantage with the first power play of the day but couldn’t capitalize despite two dangerous chances. First, Kaden Shahan got the puck inside the hashmarks but his shot took a deflection and stayed out. Later, UConn had a scramble in front of the net but it couldn’t poke the puck in despite a few tries.

Still, the Huskies took their one-goal lead into the first intermission.

Yet just as UConn scored early in the opening period, Holy Cross did the same in the second. After John Spetz took a penalty eight seconds in, the Crusaders converted on their first power play chance to even the game at 1-1.

That wouldn’t be the only time the Huskies’ penalty kill faltered. Midway through the middle stanza, Hudson Schandor went to the box for a trip and the hosts capitalized again to go ahead 2-1 — the first time UConn trailed all season.

It wouldn’t stay that way long, though. The Huskies answered back 1:20 later when Owen Simpson kept the puck in the offensive zone and found Richard for the easy tap-in to even the score. They had a chance to re-take the lead on the power play less than a minute later but failed to convert.

After each side killed off another penalty in the second period, they went into the intermission deadlocked at two goals apiece.

The penalties kept coming in the third. UConn had the two power plays in the period — both of which came up empty — then found itself on the penalty kill. The Huskies went to the box twice in quick succession, which gave the home side a 1:15-long 5-on-3. Holy Cross took advantage and blasted a back-door one-timer to pull back ahead 3-2.

Once again, UConn responded quickly. Less than two minutes after going behind, Richard deked the goalie and scored to knot the game at 3-3.

Yet the Crusaders came right back. 20 seconds later, they jumped back ahead when a shot hit the back glass and bounced in front of net, where Michael Abgrall buried it to put Holy Cross up 4-3.

UConn got yet another power play chance but didn’t do anything with it. The Huskies pulled the goalie with over two minutes left and stayed alive after the Crusaders hit both posts on the empty net, but it wasn’t enough. Holy Cross held on in the final seconds to secure the victory.

With the loss, UConn falls to 2-1-0 on the season. The Huskies will try to split the series when they return home to the XL Center on Saturday. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.