University of Connecticut Athletics
Hockey Falls 4-1 In Atlantic Hockey Semifinals
3/17/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
WORCESTER, Mass. (March 17, 2006) – The Huskies concluded their 2005-06 campaign with a 4-1 loss to Holy Cross in the semifinal round of the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. The team finished the season with an 11-23-2 overall record.
Holy Cross notched a quick goal to start off the semifinal game on Friday afternoon. Atlantic Hockey Player of the Year, Tyler McGregor tallied the goal against sophomore goalie Brad Smith (Detroit, Mich.) at the 3:20 mark of the first period. Blair Barlett took the initial shot for the Crusaders that pulled Smith to the right side of the goal. McGregor scooped up the rebound and tapped the puck into the left side of the net to put Holy Cross on the board.
Holy Cross had several more goal scoring opportunities in the first including a post shot by Brian Kolb and a poorly deflected puck by Smith that nearly set off the lights and buzzers.
With 0:13 remaining in the initial period, UConn tied the game on a goal by senior co-captain Chris Uber (Ithaca, N.Y.). A cluster of Crusaders in front of the net did all they could to stop the puck, but Uber, with help from sophomore Charles Solberg (Barrington, Ill.) and freshman Sean Erickson (Eden Prairie, Minn.), slipped the puck past the defense and into the net to even the score. It would prove to be the lone goal of the game for Connecticut.
In the second stanza, Holy Cross scored two goals to take the lead 3-1. James Sixsmith notched both goals for the Crusaders on the same play. The forward beat the Husky defense with a fake to the middle and a quick release to the left. He slipped the puck between Smith and the post on both occasions.
In the third period the Crusaders increased their lead to 4-1 on a give-and-go between Sixsmith and Pierre Napert-Frenette. Sean Nappo passed the puck up to Napert-Frenette on the left wing, Napert-Frenette then passed it to Sixsmith on the right wing. Napert-Frenette went toward the goal, received Sixsmith’s pass and fired the puck into the top shelf.
In the game, UConn took 38 shots on Holy Cross’s Tony Quesada. The Crusaders took 29 on Smith, with the sophomore making a total of 25 saves.
