University of Massachusets Athletics
Hockey Game Notes for Friday Night Against Boston University
November 28, 2000 | Hockey
Complete Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
THE SCOUTING REPORT ON BOSTON UNIVERSITY
Boston University enters the game with a 2-8-1 overall record and a 1-4-1 mark in Hockey East. The Terriers are off to their worst start since they opened the 1998-99 season with an identical 2-8-1 record before they won six straight and finished the season at 14-20-3. BU enters the game having lost their last six games. The Terriers opened the season with a 5-4 loss to Rensselaer before rebounding with a 3-1 victory over Vermont. BU then tied Providence 4-4 before splitting a weekend series with Merrimack. Since defeating the Warriors 3-0 on Nov. 4, the Terriers have lost six straight games starting with a 4-2 loss at UMass Lowell (11/10). BU then lost to Northeastern (4-1), New Hampshire (2-1), Harvard (4-3), Denver (5-2) and Colorado College (5-3). The Terriers have struggled a bit scoring goals this season despite outshooting opponents an average of 30.8 to 27.0. The BU offense is led by senior captain Carl Corazzini (6g, 4a), junior Dan Cavanaugh (3g, 7a), junior Mike Pandolfo (5g, 3a) and sophomore Brian Collins (3g, 4a). Junior Jason Tapp has seen the majority of the time in net for the Terriers posting a 1-5-1 record with a 3.84 goals against average and an .865 save percentage. Freshman goaltender Sean Fields has a 1-3-1 record while posting a 2.77 goals against average and an .885 save percentage.
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 a season 3-1 in Hockey East was 1995-96. Last season, UMass did not record its third league win until Jan. 21 when it defeated Merrimack 5-3. The Minutemen did not record their fourth league win until Jan. 26 when they defeated Providence 4-3.
HELANEN ENJOYING HOCKEY EAST LEAGUE PLAY
Senior Markus Helanen (Vantaa, Finland) has played well in Hockey East league games this season. Helanen is 2-0-0 in Hockey East action with shutouts over Merrimack (10/27) and New Hampshire (11/4). His two shutouts are tops in Hockey East. He is second in the league in save percentage (.939) and fourth in goals against average (1.98). Helanen currently has a 131:41 minute shutout streak in Hockey East games at the Mullins Center dating back to March 4 of last season. He also recorded his only career point with an assist in the third period of the 3-0 win over New Hampshire. He made a clearing pass to Tim Turner who skated the length of the ice and netted the Minutemen's third goal of the game.
THIS YEAR'S CAPTAINS
Seniors Jeff Turner (Saginaw, Mich.) and Jay Shaw (Cranston, R.I.) are the two captains for the Minutemen this season. Turner is the captain and Shaw is the alternate. Turner currently leads UMass in assists with nine and is tied for the team lead in points with 12. Turner has taken a team-leading 42 shots. Shaw netted his first goal of the season against Vermont on Nov. 21. He also has two assists for three points. Both Turner and Shaw are three-year letterwinners who began their UMass careers during the 1997-98 season. Turner has played in 99 career games and Shaw has played in 90.
BOSTON UNIVERSITY BLOOD LINES
First-year UMass head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon will be coaching against a familiar program this weekend. Cahoon graduated from Boston University in 1972 after winning two national championships with the Terriers. He also returned as an assistant coach at his alma mater on three different occassions, winning a third national championship in 1991 under current Terrier head coach Jack Parker. Cahoon is 3-4-0 (.429) lifetime coaching against BU and currently has a career record of 183-177-38 (.508).
TOUGH GOING WITHOUT TONI
The Minutemen have not played well defensively in the absence of junior defenseman Toni S?derholm (Helsinki, Finland). The Minutemen were 3-3-1 through their first seven games, including shutout wins over Merrimack and New Hampshire. However, since S?derholm has been out of the lineup with a knee injury, UMass has yet to win a game, going 0-5-1. S?derholm scored a goal and four assists in the seven games he played before having his knee scoped on Nov. 13. He also has a +2 plus/minus rating this season.
MAKING THE MOST OF HIS PLAYING TIME
Junior forward Martin Miljko (Etobicoke, Ontario) has made the most of his playing time this season. Last season, he only played in 11 games because of a reoccuring knee injury. Miljko has scored at least one point in eight of the 10 games he has played. He is averaging over a point a game with five goals and six assists for 11 points. The only two games he did not record a point in were against UConn and Vermont. Miljko did not play in the two games against Wisconsin and the game at Boston College. He has three multiple-point games this season, including Colgate (two goals), UMass Lowell (two assists) and the first game at Nebraska-Omaha (a goal and an assist). Miljko leads the Minutemen with three power play goals and is tied for sixth overall in Hockey East for power play goals.
PENALTY FILLED AFFAIRS
Penalites have been hurting the Minutemen this season. UMass is currently ranked seventh in the nation in highest average penalty minutes per game (22.3). The Minutemen have been whistled for 127 penalties for 290 minutes in 13 games this season, including setting a new school record with 65 penalty minutes at Rensselaer. Opponents are scoring on close to a quarter of thier power play chances (21 of 89), while UMass is only scoring on 15% of its chances (10 of 68).
THE GOALTENDING TANDEM
Markus Helanen and junior Mike Johnson (Excelsior, Minn.) have split the time in the net so far this season. Helanen has played in nine games (starting eight), while Johnson has played in seven (starting five). Helanen has a 2-4-1 record while posting a 3.60 goals against average and an .887 save percentage. Johnson has a 1-4-1 record while posting a 4.40 goals against average and an .869 save percentage.
REACHING THE CENTURY MARK
Senior captain Jeff Turner and senior R.J. Gates (Plainville, Conn.) have both played in 99 career games. Turner has scored 31 goals and 45 assists for 76 career points. Turner is currently 10th all-time in career assists at UMass and is 13th all-time in points. He needs five more points to break into the top 10 for career points at UMass. Gates has 12 goals and 17 assists for 29 points in his career.
HOME SWEET HOME
The Minutemen are 2-1-2 this season at the Mullins Center, including a perfect 2-0-0 record in Hockey East games. UMass opened the home schedule with a come-from-behind 4-4 tie against Colgate before defeating both Merrimack and New Hampshire by identical 3-0 scores. The Minutemen then tied UConn 2-2 before suffering their first home loss of the season this past Saturday night to St. Cloud State. UMass is 47-57-14 (.458) all-time at the Mullins Center since it opened prior to the start of the 1993-94 season.
TOUGH TIMES AGAINST THE TERRIERS
Boston University holds a decisive edge in the all-time series with the Minutemen leading the series 25-2-0. The Minute-men's only two wins were on Jan. 23, 1999 (5-4) and Jan. 16, 1920 (10-2). Since UMass joined Hockey East in 1994-95, the Terriers hold a 21-1-0 record against the Minutemen, including a 5-0-0 record last season.
TAKING HIS TURN(ER) AT SCORING
Sophomore forward Tim Turner (Saginaw, Mich.) leads UMass with eight goals this season. Turner, who last season led the Minutemen with 21 assists, has been scoring goals at a much faster pace this year. He already has two multiple-goal games, including a five-point performace at Wisconsin in the season-opener in which he netted two goals and three assists. He also netted a pair of goals in the 5-4 win at UMass Lowell, including the game-winner with just 14 seconds remaining in overtime. His 12 points ties him with his older brother Jeff for the team lead. Last season, he only netted five goals in 34 games.
JALKANEN ASSISTING THE DEFENSE
Sophomore defenseman Samuli Jalkanen (Helsinki, Finland) has been one of the steadiest players for UMass this season. Jalkanen had a three-game point streak snapped this past Saturday versus No. 10 St. Cloud State. He had recorded assists in each of the previous three games. He consistently logs more ice time than any other player and is currently second on the team with six assists. He is one of three Finnish players on the UMass roster along with fellow countrymen Toni S?derholm and Markus Helanen.
TAKING THEIR SHOTS
UMass has been outshot in nine of its 13 games this season. The Minutemen are 0-2-2 when they take more shots on goal than the opponent. The four games where UMass has held the shot advatage were against Colgate (24 to 21), UConn (30 to 19), Vermont (44 to 19) and St. Cloud State (25 to 23). The most shots the Minutemen have taken in a game was 44 at Vermont and the least was 17 at UMass Lowell.
P?CK-ING HIS NAME ONTO THE SCORESHEET
Freshman Thomas P?ck (Klagenfurt, Austria) is currently tied for second on the team with five goals. He is fourth on the team in scoring with eight points. He netted his fifth goal of the season this past Saturday in the second period against St. Cloud State. P?ck is third on UMass in penalties and penalty minutes with 11 for 33 minutes. P?ck was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week for his play during the Wisconsin series. P?ck netted his first collegiate goal in the third period of the season-opener. He also played a key role in the defensive zone, winning a number of faceoffs. P?ck came to UMass after having played for both the Austrian Under-20 National Team and the Austrian National Team last season. Thomas' father, Hebert, played under current UMass assistant Bill Gilligan while Gilligan was the head coach for the Klagenfurt Athletic Club in Austria. His father also played against Don Cahoon while Cahoon was the head coach of the Vienna Ice Club.
THIRD PERIOD WOES
The Minutemen have had trouble scoring in the third period this season. Through 13 games, UMass has only scored seven third period goals. The best period for the Minutemen has been the second, where they have netted 16 goals. In the first period, UMass has scored 13 goals. The opponent has scored 18 goals in each of the three periods. The only period that UMass has not been outscored in is overtime, where the Minutemen hold a 1-0 advantage in scoring.
DEFINITELY NOT IN THE UNION
Only four UMass players have dressed and played in all 13 games this season. Senior captain Jeff Turner, sophomore defeseman Samuli Jalkanen, sophomore forward J.R. Zavisza (Suffield, Conn.) and freshman forward Mike Warner (Waltham, Mass.) have not missed a game. Warner netted his first collegiate goal at Boston College (10/29) with a backhand shot on a partial breakaway. Zavisza scored his first career goal in the second period at Rensselaer (11/18) with a shot in traffic from the slot.
OLDER AND WISER
Senior Kris Wallis (Agassiz, British Columbia) has had two multiple-point games and six points overall on the season. Wallis is the oldest and most experienced player on the UMass roster. The 24-year-old forward scored a goal and two assists at Boston College (10/29) and netted a goal and an assist at Vermont (11/21). He has two goals and four assists this season. Wallis has played 114 games in his UMass career recording 22 goals and 28 assists for 50 points.
BEANTOWN BLUES
Since joining Hockey East for the start of the 1994-95 season, UMass has compiled an 8-49-3 (.158) record against the four Division I hockey playing schools from the capital city of Massachusetts. The Minutemen's all-time record against those four schools is 14-74-5 (.177). The breakdown is as follows:
* Boston College, 4-20-0 (.167)
* Boston University, 2-25-0 (.075)
* Harvard, 1-5-0 (.166)
* Northeastern, 7-24-5 (.263)
Overall UMass holds a 50-95-6 (.351) all-time against all schools from Boston (regardless of division or current program status). The other Beantown schools are:
* Boston State, 12-8-0 (.600)
* M.I.T., 20-9-1 (.683)
* Tufts, 4-4-0 (.500)
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. Five UMass opponents are currently ranked in the top 15. The Minutemen have already played Boston College (#2), Wisconsin (#3), New Hampshire (#3), St. Cloud State (#10), Colgate (#12) and Vermont (#14). UMass has a 1-5-1 record against ranked opponents this season and a 2-3-1 record against unranked teams.
