Hockey East Championship: Donnelly and Gund’s three stars of the night

Aaron Bohlinger scored at 3:06 of overtime, and the UMass Minutemen won 2-1 against the UConn Huskies to repeat as Hockey East Champions at TD Garden on Saturday.

The sophomore defenseman collected senior captain Bobby Trivigno’s pass at the top of the high slot, and his snap shot deflected off UConn senior co-captain Jachym Kondelik and in.

Here are Patrick Donnelly and Owen Gund’s three stars from the night. All opinions are their own.

Donnelly’s three stars

First star: Aaron Bohlinger, UMass – OT game-winning goal; one shot; plus-two rating

Bohlinger’s obvious heroics in the overtime earned him the first star. He was the beneficiary of a nice pass by Bobby Trivigno to work the puck to him in the high slot. The sophomore reacted quickly to get in position to one-time the pass, and he got the fortunate bounce off Jachym Kondelik and in.

Second star: Darion Hanson, UConn – 31 saves; two goals-against

Hanson was busy all night long. The Minutemen outshout the Huskies 33-20, and the graduate goaltender made a number of big time stops to keep the game even ahead of overtime. Trivigno beat him with a great shot, and he had no chance on the OT off the deflection. He was spectacular throughout the entire tournament for UConn, and gave them a chance to win, which is all you can ask of a goalie.

Third star: Bobby Trivigno, UMass – One goal, one assist; four shots; plus-two rating

Trivigno showed us why he was the conference’s player of the year last night, and tonight he flashed why he’s a finalist for the Hobey Baker. He showed off the scoring prowess with his equalizer in the second period, scoring five hole with an impressive shot on a quick rush, and helped set up the OT winner, keeping the play alive down low and working the puck free to Bohlinger up top.

Gund’s three stars

First star: Bobby Trivigno, UMass – One goal, one assist; four shots; plus-two rating

All weekend long, Trivigno drove the Minutemen offense, and the senior forward’s three-point weekend is the biggest reason why UMass is moving on. Trivigno’s clutch tying goal in the second period sparked UMass’ comeback, and he set up Bohlinger’s overtime winner with a beautiful feed from the right wing corner. Trivigno was named MVP of the Hockey East tournament.

Second star: Aaron Bohlinger, UMass – OT game-winning goal; one shot; plus-two rating

The sophomore defenseman was the hero in this one. Bohlinger buried the overtime-winner a little over three minutes in with a one-timer from the point that made it’s way through traffic. Bohlinger’s goal was his second career goal in a UMass uniform and once again the goal wins a championship game. 

Third star: Vlad Firstov, UConn – One goal; one shot; even rating

The junior forward broke the ice in both tonight’s game and in last night’s game against Northeastern. Firstov’s goal was a tip in and he was a force in front of the net throughout the course of both games this weekend.