We are blogging live from the TD Banknorth Garden for the Hockey East Semi-Finals. Play just underway.

First Period Notes: Shots were even at 13, but it was the Wildcats dominating play as Bobby Butler and Jamie Fritsch each netted a goal to make it 2-0. The lone power play went to UNH, which resulted in Butler’s goal. Crowd pretty quiet, but after all it is the early game. Second Period coming up, will the Eagles come alive?

Keys to the Second Period

UNH: Continue to pressure Nathan Gerbe as they have done so all year. If that continues, UNH should come away with a victory.

BC: The Eagles need to continue to get more quality shots. Player of the Year Kevin Regan is on his game. With sustained pressure, maybe one will get by.

First 5:00 Second Period: BC is starting to get going. Ben Smith netted his 20th of the season on a 4-on-3 power play with Hobey Finalist Nathan Gerbe and Anthony Aiello getting the assist. The Wildcats’ had a power play, however, not much happened on that. Crowd about two thirds full, about 10,000 or 11,000 here at the moment.

Halfway through the second: Butler gets his second of the game. BC keeping sustained pressure on Regan, but like a player of the year normally does, he comes up big in the clutch.

5:00 left in the second: UNH scores a shorthanded goal to make it 4-1, however, that same power play, Joe Whitney of the Eagles makes it 4-2. BC playing with desperation, while UNH has gotten the best of John Muse. If the Eagles want to win, sustained pressure is still a must on Kevin Regan.

2nd Period Notes: The Eagles outshot the Wildcats 23-6 and through two, the advantage is 36-19. Nathan Gerbe missed an opportunity to tie the game at 4-4 when he shot the puck wide on an open net. BC carried the play late in the second and once again are giving the Wildcats a run for their money in the Hockey East Tournament. The last time UNH defeated BC in a Hockey East touranment was 1994. 

Keys to the Third Period 

UNH: Lock down defensively on the the top two lines. Nathan Gerbe has three assists in this game and nearly netted the tying goal. The Wildcats need to create opportunities on the other end as well and even things out.

BC: Get more contributions. Brian Gibbons scored a goal, Benn Ferriero had some good moments. The Eagles can not let down defensively or the Wildcats will come out at will.

First 5:00 Third Period: Matt Price puts one on net and Dan Bertram gets the deflection. We are back at square one and it is anybody’s game to win.

We are getting down to the last 7:00 of the game. BC has another power play and the overall advantage with three unanswered goals. A must penalty kill situation for UNH.

The Wildcats killed that important penalty. We are now in the last few minutes of regulation with the score still tied.

7:49 p.m.: Regulation ends, we are headed to overtime. Shot advantage through three periods, BC 45-33. This is the third 5:00 game in the last four years that has headed to overtime. 2005 Boston College defeated Maine 2-1 in double overtime, and of course last year, UNH defeated Massachusetts 3-2 which also went into double overtime. Will history repeat itself?

Overtime Info: UNH 11-14 in Hockey East Tournament OT games; BC 16-12. Last overtime game between the two was 1999 with BC coming out victorious 5-4 in the final.

Halfway through overtime: Kevin Regan has 48 saves, the most in a Hockey East semi-final game. Bob Bell of Providence had 47 saves in 1995. 

5:00 left in overtime: Regan breaks his career best in saves with 53. Regan made 52 saves against Providence on February 15th.

8:34 p.m.: What would’ve been a game winning goal for BC was disallowed. Kevin Regan’s helmet came off before the goal, which in the NCAA as a rule is a dead whistle.

Overtime Notes: With a combined total of 95 shots, another record has been broken. The previous record for combined shots in a semi-final game was 86 in 2003 between Boston College and Boston University.

5:00 into 2OT: Fatigue starting to kick in as the teams start to get desperate to score that game winner.

9:14 p.m.: This game is now the longest game in Hockey East semi-final history.

9:28 p.m.: Attendence announced: 12,522

9:30 p.m.: Tonight’s game is now the 14th longest game in NCAA history.

Another period ends and the result remains the same. BC has a power play for :55 seconds to begin the third overtime. Shots favor BC 66-49. This is now the 12th longest game in NCAA history, surpasing Harvard and Clarkson in the ECAC tournament on March 10, 2001.

Double OT Notes: This game is now the second longest Hockey East game in history. Maine and UMass-Amherst is the longest game. That game ended at 109:27 on March 20, 2004 with Maine winning and capturing the Hockey East title.

9:51 p.m.: BC’s Benn Ferriero wrists one past Kevin Regan :43 seconds into the third overtime. It is Ferriero’s 16th of the year and probably the biggest of his career.

Final Notes: A great game to watch. BC’s history of success with UNH continues in the Hockey East tournament. Right now it looks like BC is most likely a No. 2 seed in the NCAA tournament. With that, the second longest game in Hockey East history has come to a close. 

Friday, March 21st, 2008 - 5:09 pm | Hockey East Live Blogging