University of Massachusets Athletics
Hockey Game Notes Versus No. 3 New Hampshire
November 04, 2000 | Hockey
Nov. 4, 2000
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SCOUTING NEW HAMPSHIRE
New Hampshire enters the game with a 5-1-1 overall record and a 1-0-0 record in Hockey East. The Wildcats are ranked third in the most recent USA Today/American Hockey Magazine poll and fourth in the latest U.S. College Hockey Online poll. UNH opened the season with a 2-2 tie against defending national champion North Dakota. They then defeated Colgate (7-3), Vermont (5-4 in OT), Lake Superior State (4-3), Miami (7-2) and UMass Lowell (4-3). Last night the Wildcats lost their first game of the season, dropping a 4-3 game to Yale in Durham, N.H. The Wildcats are led by Darren Haydar (5g, 7a), Jim Abbott (5g, 6a), Lanny Gare (6g, 5a) and Matt Swain (5g, 3a). The defense is anchored by goaltender Ty Conklin.
THE LAST MEETING WITH THE WILDCATS
The last time UMass and New Hampshire met was in the final game of the regular season last year (March 4) at the Mullins Center. The Wildcats jumped all over the Minutemen scoring the first four goals of the game. Mike Johnson started in net for UMass, but after giving up three unanswered goals was pulled just eight minutes into the second period in favor of Markus Helanen. Ryan Cordeiro and Matt Swain scored in the first period, and Colin Hemmingway netted an early goal in the second to knock Johnson from the game. Darren Haydar scored later in the second, before UMass got on the scoreboard 7:31 into the third period when Jeff Turner scored on a 3-on-2 with assists going to Tim Turner and R.J. Gates.
ONE GOOD TURN(ER) DESERVES ANOTHER
Brothers, senior captain Jeff Turner and sophomore Tim Turner, are off to a fast start. The two brothers combined for two goals and six assists in the two games at then-No. 3 Wisconsin to open the season. Tim scored a pair of goals and three assists, while Jeff recorded three assists. The brothers were responsible for eight of the Minutemen's 15 points in the series. The brothers also combined for a goal and an assist in the 4-4 tie with Colgate. Tim scored the Minutemen's third goal, while Jeff assisted on the game-tying score. In the 3-0 win over Merrimack last Friday night, Jeff netted a goal and an assist, while Tim picked up an assist. Last night at UMass Lowell Tim netted two goals, including the game-winner with just 14 seconds left in overtime. Jeff recorded three assists. The brothers are tied for the team lead in points with nine each. Tim has five goals and four assists, while Jeff has one goal and eight assists.
THE CAPTAIN
Senior Jeff Turner, who led the Minutemen in scoring during the 1999-2000 season, with 34 points, is the team captain this year. Turner led the team last season in goals (15), shots (110), game-winning goals (four) and was second in assists (19). Turner had back-to-back two-goal games last season against UConn and Vermont. 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 tied for the team lead in points with nine and leads the team with eight assists. He recorded three helpers in the Minutemen's season-opening loss to then-No. 3 Wisconsin and added three more last night at UMass Lowell. He also recorded an assist on the game-tying goal against Colgate. Last Friday, he netted his first goal of the season and added an assist in the 3-0 win over Merrimack. He is currently in 14th place on the all-time UMass scoring list with 73 points and is 10th in career assists with 44.
THERE'S A FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Markus Helanen (Vantaa, Finland) recorded his first career Hockey East shutout when he made 31 saves in the 3-0 win over Merrimack last Friday at the Mullins Center. Helanen now has three shutouts in his career. It marked his first shutout since Oct. 29 of last season when UMass defeated Army 1-0 in overtime. His only other career shutout came as a freshman in 1998 when he made 28 saves in a 3-0 win over Air Force. Through four games, Helanen has a .905 save percentage and a 3.30 goals against average. He has made 124 saves in over 236 minutes of action. In the four games he started, he has a 1-1-1 record. Last season, Helanen set a single-season record for the lowest goals against average with 2.83. He currently holds the lowest career goals against average (3.16). Helanen is also currently second on the all-time saves list at UMass with 1,926 to date. He trails his former teamate, Brian Regan, who is at 3,050. Helanen played in 31 games last season with a record of 10-16-3.
THEY'RE NO FOURTH-RATE LINE
On Sunday night's line charts, the group of left wing Darcy King (Barrie Ontario), center Kris Wallis (Agassiz, British Columbia) and right wing Brad Nizwantowski (Peabody, Mass.) was listed as the fourth line. The trio accounted for four of UMass' five goals against No. 2 Boston College with King scoring twice and Wallis and Nizwantowski each netting another. All told King, Wallis and Nizwantowski combined for nine points and had a plus/minus rating of +9 as a line. The two goals marked the first multiple-goal game of King's career, while the three points by Nizwantowski doubled his career total.
DID I HEAR A NINER IN THERE?
UMass has let up nine goals in two out of the four games thay have played this season. The last time the Minutemen allowed nine or more goals twice in a season was during 1996-97, when it happened three times.
INSTANT RESPECT FOR P?CK
Freshman Thomas P?ck (Klagenfurt, Austria) was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week for his play during the season-opening Wisconsin series. P?ck netted his first collegiate goal in the third period of the Friday night opener. He also played a key role in the defensive zone, winning a number of faceoffs. P?ck followed with a goal versus Colgate in the 4-4 tie with the then-No. 12 Red Raiders. He also played a key role in the 3-0 win over Merrimack. P?ck opened the scoring converting a give-and-go with senior R.J. Gates (Plainville, Conn.) in the first period. P?ck added a pair of assists in last night's 5-4 overtime win against UMass Lowell. He 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 he was a head coach for the Klagenfurt Athletic Club in Austria.
QUICK START IN HOCKEY EAST
UMass is off to quick start in Hockey East this season winning two of its first three league games. Last season, the Minute-men did not record their second league win until Jan. 8 when they defeated Providence 3-1. UMass is also scoring goals at a much faster pace this season. Through six games this season UMass has netted 23 goals. Last year, it took the Minutemen until the 10th game of the season to score their 23rd goal.
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 182-172-37 (.513) in 14 seasons.
NEWCOMERS MAKING AN IMPACT
The newcomers have made an immediate impact on the team. Freshman Thomas P?ck 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 five games and netted his first career point with a goal versus No. 2 Boston College Sunday night.
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. Ten UMass opponents are currently ranked in the top 15.
DON'T CALL IT A COMEBACK
UMass scored two goals with its goaltender pulled in the final two minutes against then-No. 12 Colgate on Oct. 21, to earn a 4-4 tie. Tim Turner netted the first of the two goals when he scored from the slot off a pass from junior Toni S?derholm (Helsinki, Finland). With 11 seconds remaining in regulation, Jeff Turner won a faceoff back to S?derholm, who passed to Martin Miljko (Otobicoke, Ontario) in front off the net. Miljko burried the shot for his second goal of the game.