Playing defense the majority of the game left the stellar defense of UNH tired, and the Eagles were able to capitalize while the ‘Cats offense tried to get it together. An unanswered nine goal scoring route by BC was put to rest with a goal by Joe Gardiner on James Rubio’s second assist on the night to make it 10-3 with 2:17 remaining in the game. The ‘Cats weren’t done yet though, finding the cage again with another goal by Maloney, giving him a hat trick on the night, with the assist coming from Evan Flowers. The Eagles found the cage a few more times to finish off the game, but the damage was already done, and the ‘Cats walked off the field ending their three-game winning streak with a 12-4 loss.
The three stars of the game were Jake Katz, Mike Maloney, and the backbone of the team: the entire defense. In what was a rubber pelting by the Eagles, Katz stood tall between the pipes and made 18 acrobatic and ‘cat-like saves. Mike Maloney’s hat-trick was three quarters of the entire offensive production, as he could not be denied from the goal. Maloney attracted penalties and caused the entire Eagles defense to fly back to the nest and be on their toes to protect the net. The commonly referred to “Backbone” of the team, the defense, did all they could against the shot-hungry Eagles with several take-aways, strong rides, and fantastic composure. Their play kept the Wildcats competitive, allowing them to cling on to their hopes of another famous UNH come from behind victory.
Overall, Sunday’s contest certainly lived up to the hype it received leading up to it, with plenty of hard-hits, fast-paced transitions, stellar defense, and beautifully hand-crafted goals. The Wildcats look to rebound against another Boston-based team, the Northeastern University Huskies (4-2) next Friday, April 9th at Malden Catholic High School, be sure to come out and cheer on UNH’s Boys of Spring.
