University of Massachusets Athletics
Hockey Game Notes Versus Nebraska-Omaha (11/11)
November 11, 2000 | Hockey
Nov. 11, 2000
THE SCOUTING REPORT ON NEBRASKA-OMAHA
Nebraska-Omaha enters the weekend series with a 4-4-0 overall record and a 3-3-0 mark in the CCHA. The Mavericks are 3-1-0 in the Omaha Civic Auditorium, with their only loss at home coming to Hockey East foe Boston College, 5-1, on Oct. 14 in the title game of the Maverick Stampede. Nebraska-Omaha opened the season with a 4-0 victory over Niagara. Following the loss to Boston College, the Mavericks split a weekend series with Michigan State and then swept a weekend series at home against Ferris State. Nebraska-Omaha is coming off two losses at Lake Superior State last weekend. The Mavericks have been led offensively by sophomore David Brisson and junior Jeff Hoggan, who each have four goals and three assists. Freshman goaltender Dan Ellis has played in all eight games with a 3-4-0 record. Ellis has recorded a 3.20 goals against average and a .895 save percentage.
ONE GOOD TURN(ER) DESERVES ANOTHER
Brothers, senior captain Jeff Turner (Saginaw, Mich.) and sophomore Tim Turner, are off to a fast start. The two brothers have combined for 21 points through eight games. Tim leads the team with six goals, while Jeff is leading the team with eight assists. Jeff leads the team with 11 points and Tim is in second with 10. Jeff scored the game-winning goal in the first period versus New Hampshire, while Tim netted the game-winner with 14 seconds remaining in overtime against UMass Lowell. Tim has scored a goal in four of the Minutemen's eight games. The brothers opened the season combining for eight points at Wisconsin. Tim netted two goals and three assists and Jeff recorded three assists. They combined for a goal and an assist versus Colgate and two goals and an assist versus Merrimack. Last night, Jeff scored with 46 seconds remaining in the third period to make the score 3-2. They are both tied for seventh in overall scoring in Hockey East.
QUICK START IN HOCKEY EAST
UMass is off to a quick start in Hockey East this season winning three of its first four league games. The last time the Minutemen began the season 3-1 in Hockey East was 1995-96. Last season, UMass did not record its third league win until Jan. 21 when they defeated Merrimack 5-3. UMass is also scoring goals at a much faster pace this season. Through seven games, UMass has netted 26 goals. Last year, it took the Minutemen until the 10th game of the season to score their 26th goal.
FINNISH(ING) THE DEAL
Senior goaltender Markus Helanen (Vantaa, Finland) has already doubled his career shutout total this season. He entered the season with two career shutouts and through seven games this season, he has already matched that total. He notched his first career Hockey East shutout on Oct. 27 in a 3-0 win over Merrimack and then recorded another 3-0 shutout last Saturday against then-No. 3 New Hampshire. He stopped 31 shots in the first shutout and 28 versus UNH. Helanen currently has a 2.63 goals against average and a .921 save percentage, while posting a 2-1-1 record on the season. He was named Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week following the shutout of UNH.
THE CAPTAIN
Senior Jeff Turner, who led the team last season in goals (15), shots (110), game-winning goals (four) and was second in assists (19), is the team captain this year. His 34 points were good enough for 15th in overall scoring in Hockey East. He also finished tied for third in the league in shorthanded goals (three) and tied for fifth in game-winning goals. Turner is currently leading the team in points with 11 and assists with eight. He recorded three helpers in the Minutemen's season-opening loss to then-No. 3 Wisconsin (10/6) and added three more helpers in the 5-4 overtime win at UMass Lowell (11/3). He also recorded an assist on the game-tying goal against Colgate (10/21). He netted goals in the 3-0 wins over Merrimack (10/27) and then-No. 3 New Hampshire (11/4), including the game-winner on the power play versus the Wildcats. He is currently in 14th place on the all-time UMass scoring list with 75 points and is 10th in career assists with 44.
ROCKING THE VOTE
UMass received two points in each of the two national polls this week. It marked the first time UMass received votes since last season, when it received one vote in the USCHO poll. That was the only other time the Minutemen received any votes.
MINUTEMEN RACKING UP THE HONORS
Hockey East honored Tim Turner and Markus Helanen as Player of the Week and Defensive Player of the Week respectively for their performance last weekend. Turner netted three goals in the two games, including scoring the game-winner with just 14 seconds remaining in overtime against UMass Lowell for his second goal of the game. He also added a goal with an end-to-end rush against New Hampshire. Helanen picked up the honor thanks to his 28-save shutout of the then-No. 3 Wildcats. It was Helanen's second shutout of the season and the first time UMass had ever shutout UNH in 67 meetings.
NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT
Four newcomers have made an immediate impact on the team. Freshman Thomas P?ck (Klagenfurt, Austria) has three goals and two assists. Freshman Scott Horvath (West Redding, Conn.) has netted three goals and an assist. Sophomore Jimmy Callahan (Lexington, Mass.), who sat out last season because of an NCAA Clearinghouse issue, has two goals and three assists. Freshman Mike Warner (Waltham, Mass.) has played a regular shift in all eight games and netted his first career point with a goal versus No. 2 Boston College.
PLAYING IT TOUGH
UMass continues to play one of the nation's toughest schedules. The Minutemen played seven games last season against teams in the 2000 Frozen Four. UMass went 2-5 in those games with an impressive 3-2 overtime win against St. Lawrence and a 5-1 victory at Boston College. This season, the Minutemen will play 18 games against teams that were in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Eight UMass opponents are currently ranked in the top 15. The Minutemen have already played Boston College (#2), Wisconsin (#3), New Hampshire (#3) and Colgate (#12). UMass has a 1-3-1 record against ranked opponents this season and a 2-1-0 record against unranked teams.
MAKING IT COUNT
Junior Martin Miljko (Etobicoke, Ontario) has scored at least one point in all five of the games in which he has played. Miljko, who did not make the season-opening trip out to Wisconsin, has taken advantage of his limited playing time. In his first game of the season he netted two goals, including the game-tying score versus Colgate with less than a minute to go in the third period. He followed it up with an assist in the 3-0 win over Merrimack. He sat out the game at Boston College and then returned to the lineup with a goal versus UMass Lowell. Last Saturday night against New Hampshire, he picked up a pair of assists in the 3-0 win. Last night, he had a goal and an assist in the 3-2 loss to UNO.
THE PLACE WHERE IT ALL STARTED
Senior Markus Helanen made his first career start in goal on Nov. 8, 1997, versus Nebraska-Omaha at the Omaha Civic Auditorium. The Mavericks defeated the Minutemen 5-1 in the second game of the weekend series. Helanen has gone on to start 66 more games and is currently in second place on the all-time career saves list at UMass.
THE DON(ING) OF A NEW ERA
Don Cahoon is currently in his first season as head coach of the Minutemen. Cahoon, who coached at Princeton for the past nine years, looks to improve on UMass' 11-20-5 record last season. Cahoon is the second head coach at UMass since the reinstatement of the program in 1993. He has won three NCAA Championships, two as a player (1971 & 1972) and one as a coach (1991) at Boston University. Cahoon's career coaching record is 183-172-37 (.514) in 14 seasons.
GOING AFTER THE BEST
The 3-0 shutout over then-No. 3 New Hampshire this past Saturday marked the fifth time since the hockey program was reinstated for the 1993-94 season that the Minutemen have defeated a team in the top five. The game versus UNH marked the Minutemen's fourth game this season against a team ranked in the top five. Here are the five victories against top five teams:
1/28/95 vs. No. 1 Maine (4-2)
2/22/98 vs. No. 3 New Hampshire (4-3)
11/13/98 vs. No. 4 Maine (2-1)
2/26/00 at No. 5 Boston College (5-1)
11/4/00 vs. No.3 New Hampshire (3-0)
NO LUCK VS. NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS
UMass has a 0-3-1 record against non-conference opponents this season. The Minutemen lost two games at Wisconsin to open the season and then followed it with a come-from-behind tie with Colgate. Last night, UMass lost to Omaha-Nebraska to stay winless in non-conference play.
