No one on the ice was certain of what happened. Those in attendance seemed even more confused. Denis Smirnov had just showed off his stickhandling prowess and appeared to have slipped the puck past Charles Williams.
The refs immediately and emphatically pointed toward the net, indicating a good goal, but Smirnov’s teammates hesitantly celebrated with the freshman forward.
Video review confirmed what those donning blue and white hoped for — Smirnov’s shot did indeed cross the goal line, but just barely.
“To be completely honest, I didn’t think it went in,” defenseman Kevin Kerr said following the game.