UConn pulls out 4-1 win over UNH

Behind a standout performance from senior goaltender Tyler Muszelik and timely scoring from a plethora of underclassmen, the No. 11 UConn men’s ice hockey team battled past the UNH Wildcats 4-1 on Friday night at the Whittemore Center.

Muszelik steered away 36 of 37 shots on goal on a night when the Huskies were outshot and arguably outperformed.

The game seemed poised to enter the first intermission scoreless. While both teams had at least one power play opportunity in the frame, neither capitalized to jump out in front. Then with two minutes left, Brendan Dunphy took a pass from Jake Richard and buried a wrist shot over the shoulder of UNH goaltender Kyle Chauvette to give the UConn a 1-0 lead. The goal marked the first of the freshman’s collegiate career.

The score held through the halfway mark of the second period until UNH’s Félix Gagnon took a kneeling penalty to set up the Huskies next power play. A busted play in front of the net sent the puck to the stick of Alexandre Blais, who whipped around and fired a shot past Chauvette to double the Huskies’ lead with his third goal of the season.

The Wildcats wouldn’t go down without a fight and found the back of the net for the first time in the period’s closing minutes. Nick Ring, skating in a 2-on-2 with Gagnon, dropped a pass to a trailing Morgan Winters. A perfectly-placed wrister to the top corner from the UNH captain marked Muszelik’s only blemish of the night as the Wildcats cut UConn’s lead in half heading into the third intermission.

While the momentum swung back to UNH, a bit of luck gave the Huskies some breathing room with 12 minutes to play. Ethan Gardula mustered a half-shot that bounced off a UNH defender then ricocheted up and over Chauvette. The puck tucked inside the far post for the trickshot-style goal to make it 3-1. It was Gardula’s sixth goal of the season — tying Joey Muldowney for the team lead — and the one that sealed the Wildcats’ fate.

Chauvette vacated his crease with just over two minutes to play but the effort was moot as Tabor Heaslip found mesh for the fourth and final goal of UConn’s night on the empty net. Despite being outshot 37-22, the Huskies went home winners in the opening game of the series and extended their winning streak to three.

With the win, UConn improves to 7-4-2 overall and 5-2-1 in Hockey East. The Huskies are back at it again Saturday in the return game at Toscano Family Ice Forum. Puck drop is 6:30 p.m.