When Tage Thompson put UConn ahead 4-3 with seven minutes to play Saturday afternoon, UMass Lowell still looked the more likely to win.
The River Hawks peppered UConn's goal with shots and controlled the puck for much of the remainder of the game. With more than three minutes to play, UML coach Norm Bazin pulled star goaltender Kevin Boyle. It was not desperation; he had pulled him earlier than that, Bazin said after the game. But six River Hawks against five Huskies did not look like it could end with a UConn win.
When Patrick Kirtland lost his stick in the final minute, with UConn pushed up against its own net, it was a de facto six-on-four.