BOULDER – It has been nearly a month since the Colorado Buffaloes men’s Division I club ice hockey team has played on home ice. This weekend they welcomed No. 20 ranked Missouri State Bears to the CU Recreational Center for a two-game series.
Before the puck dropped Saturday afternoon, the Buffs lost Friday night's matchup to the Bears 3-0 in a goalie battle that saw Missouri State pull away late in the third period. Colorado fell to 5-6 on the season and were looking to get back up to .500 before heading into Thanksgiving break.
Saturday’s matchup was the polar opposite. The black and gold jumped out to an early 3-0 lead with two goals from Max Pasiennik and Brodie Pearson tucking his sixth goal of the year halfway through the first period, seemingly finding a way to beat MSU goaltender Ross Jones who stonewalled the Buffaloes the night before.
“We were just hungrier today,” Buffaloes forward Drew McConaughy said after the game.
The Buffs’ goal-scoring continued in the second period, but this time the Bears joined the party on the scoresheet. The frame featured six goals in total, both sides tallying three apiece. Special teams played a big role in the MSU goals with two being buried on the powerplay and the third a shorthanded breakaway that beat CU goalie Liam O’Gwen.
Leading 6-3 heading into the third, the game shifted. John Dapron of Missouri State scored an early goal to put the pressure on the Buffaloes. Colorado was able to respond all game to the Bears, countering every goal that was scored against them. But in the final 20 minutes, it was all Missouri State. The Bears continued to claw back, scoring two goals in the last ten minutes to tie the game at six.
Regulation was not enough in Boulder, and overtime ensued.
Both teams knew that three-on-three overtime in hockey was a possession game. If a team has the puck, they aren’t going to just throw a shot on net. They will keep circling around and wait for a grade-A opportunity to end the game.
Missouri State started the overtime period with the puck and indeed possessed it for around 50 seconds. Eventually, the Bears mishandled the puck and McConaughy swooped in, made a move entering the offensive zone and called game. He picked the corner right over the glove of Matt Griffin, taking down the No. 20 team in the ACHA.
“Thoughts going into overtime were ‘can’t lose this one’,” McConaughy said.
WATCH: CU's Drew McConaughty calls game against MSU in OT. (Video by Sko Buffs Sports/YouTube)
The Buffaloes outlasted the Bears in Boulder and took home the win before Thanksgiving break.
Now 6-6 on the year, the Buffs will start December facing off against rival Colorado State Rams in a home-and-home series.
All Colorado club hockey games are on the Sko Buffs Sports YouTube channel.
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