DURHAM – The final minutes of hockey games don’t get much crazier than the 2-2 tie between the University of New Hampshire men’s team and Massachusetts Friday night at the Whittemore Center.

After a somewhat pedestrian 58 minutes that had the teams knotted a goal apiece, play opened up and went a little haywire with 1:05 left in regulation. That’s when Massachusetts’ Eddie Olczyk scored on a rebound from the top of the crease sending more than a few of the hometown crowd of 4,805 toward the exits.

The pessimists couldn’t having gotten to the parking before hearing the cheers of fans keeping the faith. Because with UNH goalie Casey DeSmith pulled for an extra attacker, it was UNH’s John Henrion’s turn to be left unattended just off the crease where he banged home the rebound of a Eric Knodel shot with 3.7 seconds remaining in regulation.

The overtime stanza turned out to be just as entertaining as both teams created golden opportunities to go home happy. Casey Thrush brought the crowd to its feet when his neutral zone pass sprung team leading scorer Kevin Goumas for a breakaway on Minuteman goalie Steve Mastalerz.

Goumas deked left and tried to backhand the puck between Mastalerz’s pad and the right post, but the Massachusetts goalie wasn’t falling for it. It should be noted that of Goumas’ 36 points 10 are goals and 16 are assists. He assisted on both the UNH Friday goals.

DeSmith, who was sharp all night turning away 35 Minuteman shots, saved his best for last. After the failed Goumas rush, Massachusetts stormed into the Wildcats’ zone and during a few chaotic seconds in front of the UNH net, DeSmith somehow managed to thwart a couple of seemingly sure thing chances.

New Hampshire could have avoided the theatrics if it had been a little sharper early in the third period when Massachusetts was hit with a rash of three penalties that amount to virtually four continuous minutes of power play advantage, including a stretch of 1:21 when the Minutemen were short two skaters. But UNH attack never got on track and Massachusetts escaped without giving up a goal.

“It’s playoff hockey. We had our chances. They had their chances. Both goalies played well. It’s a big two points out there tomorrow, that’s for sure,” said UNH head coach Dick Umile. “It would have been real disappointing losing that game.”

“The point was huge for us tonight. We couldn’t have taken a loss,” said Knodel.

The fifth-ranked Wildcats are now 17-8-6 overall and 12-7-5 in Hockey East. Their 29 points are one shy of league leaders Boston College and UMass-Lowell with three games remaining in the regular season. Boston University and Providence College are next in line with 28 points.

The first half of the first period belonged to New Hampshire, but the Wildcats had nothing to show for their efforts.

With eight minutes gone Jay Camper blasted a shot just wide to the near side post with a one-timer from the left circle on a rebound off a Scott Pavelski slapper from the opposite circle.

A little more than two minutes later Trevor van Reimsdyk cheated down the slot from the blue line to blast a slap shot from 20 feet out that Massachusetts goalie Steve Mastalerz stopped with a flash of his left pad.

Although the Wildcats defense had several strong moments in the period, it also had a few weak ones. In all but one of those lapses netminder Casey DeSmith was there to make a big stop.

That streak ended with 7:41 remaining when Massachusetts’ Conor Allen sailed a shot high over the UNH net that hit the glass and popped to Michael Pereira parked off the right crease. He settled the puck for an instant before blasting it into the Wildcats’ net.

UNH was stymied on another golden opportunity with two minutes left in the period when Kevin Goumas clanged the left post on a clear shot from the slot side left circle hash marks.

The second period was not one of the Wildcats’ stronger performances, but they were still able to even the score 1-1 thanks to an Eric Knodel power play goal with 9:16 left.

After the Minutemen’s Adam Phillips was whistled off the ice for interference, the ‘Cats worked the puck around the perimeter looking for a clear shot at the net. Knodel found it at the top of the slot for a snap shot that Mat Willows tipped through heavy traffic to the back of the Massachusetts’ net.

UNH had nearly claimed the equalizer a couple of minutes earlier when DeSmith’s flip clearing pass found Goumas in the neutral zone. He broke over the blue line and dished a pass to Casey Thrush on his left. Thrush had to reach back to get it but was still able to release a shot toward the net. From his awkward Thrush couldn’t get good composite on it and the puck floated wide.

Massachusetts is back and the Whittemore Center tonight at 7 p.m. The ninth-place Maine Black Bears come to Durham next weekend for a pair of games to end the regular season

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