Lowell Completes Epic Comeback to Stun Boston College 6-5
On Wednesday evening, the Lowell Riverhawks completed an incredible comeback, defeating Boston College 6-5 in the Hockey East Semifinals. This was a game the Eagles appeared to be in control of, until a third period collapse, and questionable ref calls gave the game to UML.
The Eagles looked strong to start the game, and took control early. They jumped out to a quick 3-0 lead on goals from Marshall Warren, Michael Hardman and Alex Newhook. The sophomore line was electric, scoring all three goals, as Matt Boldy and Newhook assisted on two of those goals.
But the cracks in the armor started to show. Lowell got their first goal of the evening as Anthony Baxter gloved the puck down at neutral ice and gained the BC blue line before ripping a shot blocker side from the high slot past Spencer Knight. The Eagles answered back with a goal from Newhook on an assist from Boldy--his third of the game.
Boston College headed into the third period, still playing relatively confident and holding a commanding lead. And for the first half of the third period they continued to keep command of the game. But around the ten minute mark, it all fell apart.
Lowell scored three goals in a span of six minutes to tie the game. The final one on a power play after a Boston College penalty. Spencer Knight looked uneasy, and struggled and the game momentum swung hard in favor of the Riverhawks. But Boston College didn't give up, Marc McLaughlin scored a goal with two minutes remaining to regain the lead, a lead the Eagles would hold for thirty seconds after Anthony Baxter tied the game at five and sent the game to overtime.
The overtime period was back and forth until it looked like Patrick Giles hit the game winner. But the goal was under review, and overturned as Casey Carreau was offsides by a hair, and about fifteen seconds before. You can see the controversial call below.
The two teams battled for the remainder of overtime. In the second overtime, Lowell grabbed the win when Matt Brown whacked a rebound out of the air to steal the win for the Riverhawks. They will go on to face UMass Amherst in the Hockey East finals.
It's easy to blame the refs for this loss, and they certainly deserve a big share of the blame. But the Eagles allowed Lowell to climb back into this game with sloppy defense and poor goaltending.
This won't be the end of the season for Jerry York's squad. They certainly will be in the NCAA tournament. Stay tuned on Sunday to find out their opponent and bracket.
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