Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

[Drew S.]

Tonight there was a game that ended in the most unimaginable way. Niagara which only won 3 games this season and sitting at the bottom of the PWR by a mile came from behind in a highly unlikely way to beat RIT 5-4. Trailing 4-2 with under 6 minutes to go Niagara was called for a penalty which they were about to kill off but instead scored a shorthanded goal with 8 seconds left with under 4 minutes to go. Then with time winding down and under a minute to go they scored the equalizer with an extra attacker goal. However with 21 seconds left Niagara was called for another penalty and 10 seconds later the improbable happened again. They scored another shorthanded goal with 11 seconds left to win 5-4. All of this when trailing they only had 6 shots total on net in the third period, half of them being those goals in the last 4 minutes. Absolute stunner.

Maine lost to UNH in almost the exact same fashion about 10 years ago. Maine's dman on the PP shot the puck right into a UNH player's shinpads and he went down and scored. UNH scored another goal to tie it then won in ot.

Shawn's last win actually came courtesy of Michael Schutte scoring with only two seconds left in regulation then in OT MN's goalie misplayed a clear right onto a Maine players stick who just had to slide it into an empty net. I believe Maine's first goal of the game came really late in the first period too.

The '04 national championship game just wasn't Maine's night. The PP Denver scored on was a very soft penalty and Maine had a great chance to clear the puck leading up to the goal and didn't.

[Split-N]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

OK, I'm going to give away my age with this but in my mind's eye, it would have to be the first round of the 1965 Beanpot. All four teams were strong that year.

The most shocking and improbable finish came in the first game, between Northeastern and BU, where a BU kid named Fred Bassi took a pass, split the defense, and beat NU goalie Gary Thornton to break a 4-4 tie with just 54 seconds left in the 3rd OT. The most shocking and incredible part is not the fading seconds of the 3rd OT but the fact that many swear that Bassi was a couple of steps offside when he took that pass. I didn't have a clear view so I don't know for sure. But in those days, games were officiated by only two referees (no linesmen) and because of the speed of the game, they rarely had a clear view of the determining edge of the blue line. Besides, both of them were beyond gassed.

In the second game BC edged Harvard, also in OT, when some kid named York deflected a shot to break a 1-1 tie.

The T had closed down for the night by the time everything ended so those of us who had no other way home hung around in the train station or across the street at the all-night Hayes-Bickfords cafeteria.

[Bonin21]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

http://collegehockeystats.net/0809/boxes/mmndprn1.m27

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

December 9, 2006. Bemidji State 6 at Minnesota-Duluth 5 in OT. The "Teddy Bear Toss" game.

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/06...s/mbmjmnd1.d09

Minnesota-Duluth was having their Teddy Bear Toss game. UMD scores very early in the first and part of the crowd that had already settled in threw their bears on the ice. UMD scores again to go up 2-0 in the first and some more bears come raining down. The officials skate over to the PA and they announce a warning for a possible Delay of Game penalty. UMD scores again to go up 3-0 and more bears come on the ice. Boom, delay of game penalty on UMD. BSU scores on the ensuing power play. Eventually UMD goes up 5-2, but BSU storms back to take a 6-5 OT victory.

[D2D]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

December 9, 2006. Bemidji State 6 at Minnesota-Duluth 5 in OT. The "Teddy Bear Toss" game.

http://www.collegehockeystats.net/06...s/mbmjmnd1.d09

Minnesota-Duluth was having their Teddy Bear Toss game. UMD scores very early in the first and part of the crowd that had already settled in threw their bears on the ice. UMD scores again to go up 2-0 in the first and some more bears come raining down. The officials skate over to the PA and they announce a warning for a possible Delay of Game penalty. UMD scores again to go up 3-0 and more bears come on the ice. Boom, delay of game penalty on UMD. BSU scores on the ensuing power play. Eventually UMD goes up 5-2, but BSU storms back to take a 6-5 OT victory.

Now that's what I call improbable. LOL!
(are you sure it wasn't Beaver fans throwing those bears?)

[zoofer]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

Not sure of the year, 2011 or 2013, UNH vs North Dakota in the Regionals in Manchester, NH.........UNH ties the score with 0.7 seconds remaining and then wins in OT in the first minute or 2.......I was sitting with Governor Lynch and his family.....the place went wild! Here is the highlights.......much better than I remember! 2009 was the year....
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...DA48&FORM=VIRE

[zoofer]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

One of the best UNH games to be at.......although in 1974, #1 UNH played #8 RPI in the old ECAC quarterfinals at Snively........UNH fell behind 5-2 and then somehow it became a 3 on 3 game for 2 minutes......Coach Holt put out the Cliff Cox-Jaime Hislop-Gordie Clark line which was leading the country in points.........and then scored 3 goals in a minute something to tie the game! Don Cutts in net eventually was the difference as UNH lost 6-5! Not the best IT guy but hopefully you will enjoy the videos.......some great moments for me!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...AF&FORM=WRVORC

[Ralph Baer]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

One of the best UNH games to be at.......although in 1974, #1 UNH played #8 RPI in the old ECAC quarterfinals at Snively........UNH fell behind 5-2 and then somehow it became a 3 on 3 game for 2 minutes......Coach Holt put out the Cliff Cox-Jaime Hislop-Gordie Clark line which was leading the country in points.........and then scored 3 goals in a minute something to tie the game! Don Cutts in net eventually was the difference as UNH lost 6-5! Not the best IT guy but hopefully you will enjoy the videos.......some great moments for me!
https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q...AF&FORM=WRVORC

It is too bad that only part of that game which has apparently been saved is the only 2 minutes of the game when UNH played like the #1 ECAC seed. I would love to see Rick Smith's OT goal, his second of the game which was also his second of his career. At the time I heard the game on the radio. I don't think it was televised to Troy.

[SiouxFanatic]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

2012 WCHA Final Five Semifinal - Minnesota vs. North Dakota. Gophers got up 3-0 and UND didn't get one back until scoring in the 2nd period with 5:09 left. UND then went on to score 5 unanswered goals in the 3rd period to win 6-3. It was a great game. Minnesota had a good team that year.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jq6nLtGYaz4

[John J. MacInnes]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

October 18, 2003.

In Jamie Russell's first home game as head coach of Michigan Tech, the Huskies trailed Northern Michigan 6-3 with under 3 minutes to play. Nick Anderson scored with 2:05 left, and then Colin Murphy got two more with 1:26 and the :28 to play with the extra attacker. Then he completed the natural hat trick in overtime when he scored the winner at the 2:58 mark...which was actually his 4th goal of the game.

http://techhockey.blogspot.com/2007/...r-18-2003.html

[chickod]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

It is too bad that only part of that game which has apparently been saved is the only 2 minutes of the game when UNH played like the #1 ECAC seed. I would love to see Rick Smith's OT goal, his second of the game which was also his second of his career. At the time I heard the game on the radio. I don't think it was televised to Troy.

I can't help but mention the thing that comes to my mind whenever I watch this (and this clip has been previously posted by C-H-C on the UNH thread. Well, I shouldn't say "the UNH thread" because it was a few years ago. Anyway, if you weren't looking for it, go back and look at the crowd and how WILD they were cheering. To me, that's the intangible that makes these moments memorable.

And while we're at it, speaking of UNH, they were involved in another unbelievable game (in fact both of those games were classics) in the 1977 ECAC Tournament at Boston Gardnen. UNH (with players such as Rod Langway, Ralph Cox, Dave Lumley and Bobby Miller) beat Cornell 10-9 in double OT on a shot by from just inside the blue line. In the nightcap, BU (featuring Rick Meagher, Jim Craig, Dave Silk and Mike Eruzione) was trailing Clarkson (with Dave Taylor) 6-4 before scoring three times in the final 3:57 to pull out a 7-6 shocker. The old barn was shaking that night. I would have to say that it was the best two games I have even seen on the same night. I wish I had a link but I have not been able to find any video for either of these games.

[zoofer]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

Good call chickod on the UNH-Cornell game! It was Bobby Gould who won it from the blue line.....as we rushed out onto the ice, all we kept saying was, "we're going to the Nationals"! We never even gave BU a second thought until we lost to them......as we sat in the locker room after the game, one of the BU players walking by our door, yelled in, "F&$#% you, Year of the Cat", referencing the Al Stewart hit song of that year.......don't let anyone tell you that having been in the big games means nothing.....it took UNH a while to get that experience and composure

[chickod]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

Good call chickod on the UNH-Cornell game! It was Bobby Gould who won it from the blue line.....as we rushed out onto the ice, all we kept saying was, "we're going to the Nationals"! We never even gave BU a second thought until we lost to them......as we sat in the locker room after the game, one of the BU players walking by our door, yelled in, "F&$#% you, Year of the Cat", referencing the Al Stewart hit song of that year.......don't let anyone tell you that having been in the big games means nothing.....it took UNH a while to get that experience and composure

Thanks. I forgot who scored and I was going to go back and edit the post but I forgot! LOVE that song, too! And can anyone name his other "hit?" Well, everyone will just Google it anyway so I'll save you the time. It was called "Time Passages."

[beaverhockeyfan]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

Now that's what I call improbable. LOL!
(are you sure it wasn't Beaver fans throwing those bears?)

I can neither confirm nor deny that it was Beaver fans. But if all the Duluth fans would have had the arms to get the teddy bears to the ice, there may never had been an issue!

[buoldtimer]

Re: Most shocking and improbable finishes to a game

Still the Game:

For me the greatest comeback in the sense of a swing from low to high still has to be the March 6, 1979 ECAC Quarterfinal Cornell-Providence game. This was the old ECAC with all the eastern Division I teams. The quarterfinal games were at the higher seeded team's rink, one and done. The previous year Providence had upset the Red 8-5.

In 1979, Providence went up 4-0 at :45 of the third period. John Stornik scored for Cornell at 3:10, but Bauer scored his second of the night for Providence only 50 seconds later. Stornick scored again at 7:39 and Steve Hennessey brought it to 5-3 at 9:35. Johnny Olds made it 5-4 at 14:49, but despite a 20-6 shot differential in the 3rd, Cornell couldn't get the puck past Providence goalie Bill Milner again. With less than a minute and Cornell's goalie, Brian Hayward pulled, Providence's Randy Wilson got behind the Cornell defense and skated in on the empty net by himself. Everyone in the rink thought he would make the empty netter and Cornell would miss Boston for the second year in a row.

Miraculously, he somehow missed. Lance Nethery picked up the puck behind the goal line and not knowing how much time was left just skated to the Providence blue line and whaled a low slapshot that skidded under Milner's stick for the tying goal with 13 second left.
The bedlam that broke out as the fans' hearts lept from the depths to the heights was deafening. Anything the fans could throw on the ice was thrown. The Big Red Pep Band was so excited, that they didn't play "Davy" until minutes later (for those who know the Cornell band, this was unprecedented). Roy Ives, the Cornell radio announcer screamed so loudly that he essentially lost his voice and struggled mightily to complete the broadcast. When order was restored, it was announced that Nethery's goal both tied Doug Ferguson's Cornell record of 91 career goals and RPI's Frank Chiarelli's ECAC record of 268 career points.

In the overtime Providence had no shots on goal. At 4:00 Rob Gemmell scored the winning goal. Fans scrambled over the glass (lower then) and mobbed the team.

Still gives me goosebumps to recall Nethery's miracle goal nearly 40 years later. Cornell used the radio audio and the team (coaching) video as part of its recent $10 million appeal for Lynah improvements.

I listened to that game on radio. The reception was sketchy at best. Audio faded in and out. As Wilson, sailed in, I assumed he would hit the net, but just then the sound faded out. When the sound came back, I could hear the cheering, but didn't realize it was for the Cornell goal, at first.

Here's my question. I was told by someone who attended the game that Wilson, rather than flipping the puck into the net, tried to add a flourish causing him to miss. True?

As long as we're on the topic of 1979 and Cornell, how about three nights later when they played a wild game vs. UNH, losing 10-9?