The second period of play did not exactly calm down at Matthews Arena, but although there were many strong chances at both ends, the Huskies and Wildcats are still scoreless after 40 minutes. UNH holds a 32-21 shots advantage through the first two stanzas, including a 15-12 mark in the second period alone - a much closer margin than the opening stanza.
Additionally, the second period was played in its entirety without a penalty being assessed, despite a scuffle between the sides as time expired.
NU senior Bryan Mountain and UNH sophomore Casey DeSmith continued their stellar performances between the pipes as each has stopped all of the shots they have faced during the contest.
DeSmith, a Rochester, N.H. native, came up especially big late in the period for the Wildcats, stopping several close-range chances, including a backhander off the stick of senior captain Vinny Saponari on the left post in the final 45 seconds. While DeSmith has made 21 total saves in the contest, he has faced 48 total attempts, including 18 that were blocked by his defensive unit.
In the all-time series between the Huskies and Wildcats, which dates back to 1930, the teams have never skated to a scoreless tie, so history could be in the making as the third period gets underway.
Joshua Kummins is the Hockey East beat writer and a weekend editor for SB Nation Boston. Follow him on Twitter @JoshuaKummins.