Friday night’s 4-2 win over Northeastern is the kind of game the Wildcats should aim to play every time they take the ice this season.
The first line, consisting of freshman Dalton Speelman and senior captains Bobby Butler and Peter LeBlanc, netted three goals, while the second line put in a goal of its own, and UNH finally played the team defense it has been working towards since day one.
“I wouldn’t necessarily call it a blueprint game,” said UNH head coach Dick Umile. “You can’t always expect to get that production from the first line, but it was great to get it tonight and doesn’t surprise me that that’s how we won.”
After allowing 11 goals in two games to top-ranked Miami University, the Wildcats stepped up the team defense Friday night, breaking up numerous passes and shots despite a first period injury to senior defenseman Nick Krates.
“We said before the game it was important to block shots because anything can happen if shots get through,” Umile said.
For the first 15 minutes the Huskies played UNH tight before Speelman was able to put home his first collegiate goal off a rebound on the right side of the net. Butler and sophomore defenseman Blake Kessel were credited with assists.
“It felt really good,” Speelman said. “It felt relieving, actually. I was pretty nervous coming in with those two guys (Butler and LeBlanc). To put the puck in in the first period right in front of the fans was pretty nice.”
The Wildcats went on to outshoot Northeastern 12-6 in the period, before Speelman struck again early in the second period.
Just 24 seconds into the second, Speelman put in a hard-nosed rebound goal following tough shots off the sticks of Butler and LeBlanc.
“He’s quick and he has great composure,” said Umile, speaking of Speelman. “He has a very, very good stick and he doesn’t get rattled when people are on him. He doesn’t turn it over and he connects on passes. We’ve liked him since the day he came in here.”
Five minutes later, Butler lit the lamp on a good-luck goal from well behind the red line on an attempted pass that bounced off Northeastern freshman goalie Chris Rawlings (30 saves) and into the net.
The goal was Butlers fourth in as many games.
“I was pleased,” Umile said. “We needed to win. I thought tonight we came out and did a much better job as a team.”
Senior goalie Brian Foster stopped 14 shots in net for the Wildcats, only allowing two goals, both by junior Wade MacLeod.
Foster may be off the hook for one of the two after Stevie Moses turned the puck over in front of the net that fell right on the stick of MacLeod.
Sislo added a goal in the middle of the final period while his Wildcats outshot the Huskies, 34-16, on the day.
“We got dominated in most aspects of the game,” said Northeastern head coach Greg Cronin. “New Hampshire got better as the game went on and we weren’t able to match that.”
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