Last second heroics preserve tie

Mike Anderson, UAH Sports Information

	Steve Canter's shot with time expiring gave the Chargers a 2-2 tie Saturday night. (Tom Linkous)

Steve Canter (St. Louis) is quickly rising to hero status on this Alabama-Huntsville hockey team. With zeros on the clock to end the third and the red light dim, referee Mark Wilkins signaled a goal and the Chargers skated to a 2-2 tie in Columbus, Ohio Saturday night.

Ohio State started the game on the rush, controlling the play for the first six minutes and peppering senior netminder Scott Munroe (Moose Jaw, Sask.) with shots. The Chargers finally got control and sustained a solid rush early, as Brett McConnachie (Ajax, Ont.) was able to glove an airborne puck and put it off the glove-side post on Buckeye netminder David Caruso. However, Ohio State turned around and made the Chargers pay as defenseman Tyson Strachan took a Domenic Maiani pass and buried it high on the glove side against Munroe for the early 1-0 lead just over two minutes into the contest.

It wasn't long after that the parade to the sin bin began as Matt Sweazey (Toronto) as whistled for an obstruction-hooking penalty, marking the Buckeyes 13th power play opportunity of the weekend. A scary moment on the ensuing power play, as John Dingle got an opportunity wide open in the slot, but his shot was deflected wide by the tenacious Charger defense. It was almost ten minutes into the first frame before the Boys in Blue got their first shot on goal, after Kenny Bernard was sent to the penalty box on a roughing call, having given up nine prior to that.

The Chargers appeared to first touched the twine with 4:17 remaining in the first period, when a Bruce Mulherin (Red Deer, Alb.) rush into the net was deflected wide by Caruso. McConnachie came in to shovel the loose puck home with Caruso out of position to his left on the initial save. Unfortunately for the Chargers, the goal was waved off due to a crease violation, and the Buckeyes held on to the tenuous one-goal lead through twenty minutes.

Dominik Rozman's (Wallaceburg, Ont.) hard work created a short handed opportunity early in the second. As Rozman forechecked, he was able to work the puck across the blue line to Mike Salekin (Castlegar, B.C.). Salekin bid his time and took the wide open shot just as Rozman came in to deflect the puck. The puck sailed high off Rozman's tape, but the extra offensive rush allowed the Chargers to kill off Jeff Winchester's (Dalhousie, N.B.) slashing minor to end the first frame.

Things got scary for the Chargers in the ninth minute of the second period, when Zach Pelletier came in behind a play in the Chargers' zone and laid into David Nimmo (St. Albert, Alb.), who collapsed in a heap and laid motionless behind the Buckeyes' goal for several minutes as UAH training staff came to assist. The game was stopped for about ten minutes, and thankfully Nimmo was able to leave the ice on his feet to the applause of the Value City Arena crowd. Pelletier was assessed a major penalty for charging. The ensuing power play was cut short when McConnachie immediately after taking a faceoff as a centerman with 2:14 remaining on the Pelletier major.

Both penalty boxes began to get crowded late in the second when Josh Murray (Terrace, B.C.) was shown the gate on a checking from behind penalty, and Bryce Anderson joined him on a minor unsportsmanlike conduct minor. Just four seconds later, Sweazey and Matt Waddell got tied up and were called for coincidental minor penalties. A minute past that the Buckeyes' Strachen was whistled for a tripping minor giving the Boys in Blue a rare four-on-three power play where Mike Salekin used a brilliant screen in front by Rozman, and took a Shaun Arvai (West Lorne, Ont.) pass across the point to bury his fourth puck of the year and knot the game up at a goal each.

The major penalty kill still loomed, and the Buckeyes cashed in with just under 90 seconds remaining on Murray's penalty when Domenic Maianai took a pass from Rod Pelley and put it just under the crossbar to regain the one-goal lead. It was a spark for the Buckeyes, who continued a fierce power play attack after the goal. Things got dicey with seconds remaining. Munroe dove for a loose puck and missed as it slid behind his net. The Buckeyes picked it up just as Munroe lost his stick. Arvai handed him his skater's stick just as Anderson rifled a shot on net, which Munroe gloved to stop play with just 2.8 seconds left in the second frame to keep the defecit at a single goal.

Grant Selinger (Regina, Sask.) was a hair's bredth from tying the score in the opening minute of the third period. After picking up a loose puck in the slot, the made the turn to shoot when he lost his balance. Caruso just missed gloving the puck as a prone Selinger took another swipe that got behind the Buckeye netminder and skirted across the blue ice harmlessly.

Another four-on-three chance for the Chargers came midway through the third when matching minors put Sweazey and Maiani in the box. It was shortlived, as Steve Canter (St. Louis) picked up a minor penalty and the teams skated at the minimum, three-on-three, for 42 seconds. Both teams were able to kill off the ensuing power plays, and the third period continued.

The miracle came immediately as time expired in the third period. Bruce Mulherin pulled the puck off the side boards and rifled a low angle shot. Caruso made the initial save, and with 0:00.0 showing, Canter was able to poke the puck over a prone Caruso. Referee Mark Wilkins signaled goal, and the Chargers skated to their first overtime of the 2005-06 season.

In the overtime period, Tyler Hilbert (Okotoks, Alb.) almost had the last second goal in overtime, picking up an errant pass from the Buckeye defense, but his shot went off a shin guard, and the game ended in a 2-2 draw.

Munroe stopped 49 of 51 shots in the win, and totaled 101 saves on the weekend, pushing him closer to Derek Puppa's career save record. Caruso had 19 saves on 21 shots for the Buckeyes.

The Chargers hit the road next weekend against Princeton Friday and Saturday nights.
UAH-Ohio State Box Score