The UConn men's hockey team had a breakaway opportunity for a game-winning goal in overtime stolen from them when the lights went out in the arena during Saturday night's Hockey East game at UMass.
It happened with under two minutes remaining in the 3-on-3 overtime period with the game tied at 3-3. UConn goaltender Tyler Muszelik made a great save, and a bad pass by UMass led to a 2-on-1 breakaway opportunity for UConn. Unfortunately, someone upstairs at the Mullins Center thought UMass had scored a goal and triggered a celebration sequence with the lights that made them flicker and then completely turn off just as UConn was crossing the blue line. The blackout forced the officials to blow the whistle and stop play.
I still can’t believe this happened. https://t.co/xU2UKNEc7E pic.twitter.com/zFFIH8Det4
— HurleyMania (@HurleyMania) March 1, 2026
We have seen blackouts during hockey games before, but never at such a critical juncture. This incident is certainly worth an investigation, as this cannot happen again under any circumstances. Hopefully UMass will take the matter seriously.
After play restarted, the remainder of overtime remained scoreless, leading to a shootout that UMass won in the 7th round. The UConn players are likely asking themselves "What if?"
Moonlighting as a blogger to pursue my interest and enjoyment of sports. Former high school and Division I athlete (now a "retired" family man) that loves watching and discussing all sports. Follow me on Twitter (@HoldoutSports).
