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NU is frustrated at Fenway
UNH ties Huskies; Maine blanks UConn
By Anthony Gulizia
Globe Correspondent

Ryan Shea collected the puck at the point and lined up his shot. A Northeastern teammate inadvertently knocked the net off its moorings before the Milton native could unleash the scoring opportunity.

Shea skated in short circles, frustrated at the missed opportunity with 13 seconds left in overtime to get what would have been the Huskies’ only shot in the extra five-minute frame. Instead, Northeastern skated to a 2-2 draw Saturday against New Hampshire in the nightcap of the Hockey East doubleheader at Fenway Park.

“You know, the call’s the call and it was the right call on the ice,’’ Northeastern coach Jim Madigan said. “I thought the officials did a great job tonight, called it when they had to and let us play at the end and determine it on the ice.’’

In the first game, Maine topped UConn, 4-0, powered by Natick’s Cam Brown, who had a goal and had two assists.

A total of 16,432 fans attended the event at Fenway, which was the fourth year since 2010 that the Hockey East has played at the home of the Red Sox. The other years were 2010, 2012, and 2014.

Hockey East commissioner Joe Bertagna said that there is no deal in place for the next Frozen Fenway event, but that the desire is to play again in the future. Bertagna said the process will begin with a proposal to Red Sox president Sam Kennedy that would include potential dates and teams.

Bertagna also said that some changes will be considered such as whether the neutral-site games will count as a conference game and if opponents outside of the Northeast will be considered.

Northeastern (7-10-5, 1-8-3) and UNH were tied, 2-2, after the second period. UNH outshot the Huskies, 9-7, in the third period, but goaltender Ryan Ruck turned them all away in his 33-save performance.

Defenseman Jeremy Davies ripped a slap shot past UNH goalie Danny Tirone with 51 seconds remaining in the second period to tie the score.

UNH forward and Newburyport native Shane Eiserman had put the Wildcats (11-8-3, 6-2-2) ahead, 2-1, at the 9:18 mark of the period. Braintree’s Adam Gaudette got the Huskies on the board first when he scored on a power-play goal at 6:56 of the opening frame. Nearly four minutes later, former Malden Catholic standout Ara Nazarian evened the score for the Wildcats.

“It’s very special [playing at Fenway],’’ said Gaudette, who had previously played at the park when he attended Thayer Academy. “You don’t get the chance often. I thought it was a good game, we all fought hard.’’

The Huskies have not won a game since Dec. 30 when they beat Clarkson, 8-0, and have not won a Hockey East matchup since defeating Providence on Nov. 18.

In the first game, Maine used a stifling defensive effort to quiet UConn.

Brown made sure he brought his cellphone to the bench at Fenway Park during practice Friday to document the moment. The Maine senior center deliberately walked slower through the bowels of his favorite ballpark, soaking in the steps from the locker room to the rink that was erected behind the pitcher’s mound.

That moment became even sweeter when Brown scored 2:33 into the game after receiving a pass from Blaine Byron.

“It’s a privilege to play the game you love at a ballpark like Fenway,’’ Brown said. “It’s special. I was fortunate enough to play two here so it’s pretty special. Just an unbelievable experience.’’

Weymouth native Rob McGovern made 31 saves for the shutout and North Reading’s Nolan Vesey added an empty-netter with just under two minutes remaining.

UConn (9-8-6, 5-4-2) beat Maine, 6-3, on Thursday. Saturday’s win was a much needed one for the Black Bears, who entered the game 2 points out of hosting a home playoff series.

“I thought our guys did a real good job of dealing with the special elements of playing outdoors,’’ Maine coach Red Gendron said. “We played with great intelligence for most of the afternoon, got pucks deep and got them to the net. Played real well defensively.’’

After Maine (8-11-3, 2-7-1) took a 1-0 lead in the first period, UConn struggled to get a shot on net until the 10-minute mark of the second period. The Black Bears forced the Huskies wide, limiting quality chances against McGovern.

“Yeah, I’m not really sure what it was but going out there for warm-ups and even yesterday at practice, I felt comfortable out there,’’ McGovern said. “The sights weren’t as hard as I thought it would be and the defense made it a lot easier.’’