Dec. 8, 2004
UMass UNH Notes in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
UMass Wraps Up 2004 Conference Play At New Hampshire, Set To Host Sacred Heart
After a split at home last weekend, The Minutemen travel to Durham, N.H., to take on the UNH Wildcats. The 'Cats sit in third place in Hockey East standings, winning two straight and six of their last eight games. Last weekend's nonconference wins were against Clarkson (3-1) and St. Lawrence (6-3).
UNH is undefeated (8-0) at the Whittemore Center this season.
UMass returns to the friendly confines of the Mullins Center on Saturday for a nonconference game vs. Sacred Heart. Seven of the next eight games will be played at home, where the Minutemen are 6-2-0 this season.
UMass picked up a 3-2 win over Providence on Friday night to take the series 2-1 for the regular season. The Minutemen also took a 2-0 win over the Friars early this season--the only shutout of the season.
UMass' second-annual Mullet Night will take place Saturday when the Minutemen host Sacred Heart. The first 1,500 fans coming through the Mullins Center will receive a free blonde mullet wig.
O, Pioneers! UMass is 1-1 all-time vs. all Pioneer teams (Denver and Sacred Heart). The Minutemen have outscored all Pioneers 15-8 overall.
Travato And UMass Raising Money For Soldiers Legacy Fund
Senior Peter Trovato is actively fundraising for the Massachusetts Soldiers Legacy Fund which benefits the children of soldiers from the Commonwealth who have died in combat operations in Iraq and Afganistan. Donations are currently being accepted. For more information on the organization, log on to www.mslfund.org, call (508) 736-8852 or e-mail mslfund@yahoo.com.
Series Notes vs. New Hampshire
New Hampshire and UMass have met in the last two Hockey East semifinals, with each team winning once ... The Minutemen haven't won at the Whittemore Center since March 2, 2001 ... The first meeting between the two teams was in 1926, a 3-1 win for the Minutemen ... UMass also took the most recent meeting from the Wildcats, a 5-2 victory in the 2004 conference semifinals ... Since the Minuteman program was reinstated to varsity status in 1993-94, UNH holds a 25-5-4 edge over Massachusetts ... That mark includes a 7-2-1 advantage in the last 10 games.
Scouting The Wildcats
Brett Hemingway scored four goals and Sean Collins recorded a goal and three assists in the Wildcats' sweep of Clarkson and St. Lawrence last weekend. The duo sit atop New Hampshire's scoring with 18 points each. Hemingway leads the 'Cats with 12 goals, while Collins' 13 assists leads the team in that category.
Jeff Pietrasiak has handled much of the time in goal for UNH, playing in 10 games for a 6-2-2 record. Pietrasiak has only faced UMass once: the 5-2 loss last March in the Hockey East semifinals (23 saves on 27 shots).
In league play, Hemingway, Preston Callander and Jacob Micflikier each have seven points. Two of Micflikier's points are gamewinning goals.
The No. 7 Wildcats are leading the conference in goals per game, averaging 3.80 tallies in each Hockey East Game. In all games, they are ranked third with 3.57 goals/game.
UMass Fast facts
P.J. Fenton now leads UMass with eight goals this season and is tied with Matt Anderson in points. He is now in a 20th-place tie for points and is tied for fifth for goals in Hockey East.
Matt Anderson posted an assist against Providence giving him eight assists in the last seven games played. Anderson leads UMass in assists (13), points (20) and league scoring (10); and is second in goals (7). He also leads Hockey East lead in points and is tied for second in assists.
UMass' rookies have accounted for 29 of 117 total team points, 25 percent of the team's output. The sophomore class leads class totals (43 points, 36%), with the juniors (30 points, 26%) and seniors (15 points, 13%) following.
Stephen Werner's goal against Providence (12/3) moved him one goal out from 17th-place all-time on the UMass scoring chart. Werner now has 74 career points.
David Leaderer tallied his first career goal against No. 9 Denver (11/27). Michael Waidlich made his first start of the season between the pipes stopping 17 shots and helping kill off seven of eight Denver power plays.
Kevin Jarman had five points against Boston College and Mercyhurst. He dished out three assists in UMass' 3-3 tie at Boston College. It marked a career-high for Jarman in both assists and points and was the second time that a UMass player has had three assists in a game this year. He then tallied the game-winning goal as well as an assist against Mercyhurst.
Mark Matheson dished out three assists the weekend of Nov. 12, including one on the game-tying goal at Boston College. He also handed out two helpers in the win against Mercyhurst.
Only Kevin Jarman and Stephen Werner have tallied three assists in a game this season. The UMass record for assists in a game is four--set three times in the program's history.
The Minutemen's three goals in 1:77 against Merrimack (Nov. 5) was the fastest three goals in school history and the fastest three goals in the program's history against a Hockey East opponent.
The eight goals tied a school record for the most goals in a Hockey East game as well as the most goals in the Mullins Center. The last time the Minutemen scored eight goals in a game was against UConn on Feb. 14, 2003.
Series Notes vs. Sacred Heart
Saturday's game will be the second all-time between the Minutemen and Pioneers ... UMass took the lone victory back in 1994--13-2 ... The two teams have only met in Amherst
Scouting The Pioneers
The Pioneers do not have a win out of conference this season (0-7-0)
Sacred Heart's last win came on Saturday vs. Canisius (5-2)
In nonconference action, the Pioneers have faced Air Force, Colgate, Cornell, Ohio State, Robert Morris and Vermont
They have been outscored 37-8 against those teams
One non-Atlantic Hockey game did go to overtime--a 3-2 loss vs. Air Force on Nov. 26
Forward Pierre-Luc O'Brien was named the Atlantic Hockey Player of the Week for the second time this season following last weekend's five-point outing. The sophomore dished out two assists in Friday's 3-3 tie with Mercyhurst before rallying the Pioneers from a 2-1 third period deficit to a 5-2 victory over Canisius on Saturday with a hat trick.
Not An Easy Schedule
UMass has faced seven top-15 ranked teams so far this season posting a 1-5-1 record highlighted by a 3-3 draw against #1 Boston College on Dec. 12.
Three 2004 Frozen Four teams (Maine, Denver, Boston College) are on this season's schedule as well as 12 teams who made the NCAA Tournament a season ago.
The Minutemen fell to Denver, the defending NCAA National Champs, the weekend of Nov. 26 by a score of 6-1. In the program's history, UMass has faced a defending national champion in four previous seasons.
Nine of the 19 remaining games are against teams currently ranked in the top-15.
Good Showings Against The Best
Although the record may not reflect the effort, UMass has played well against the top teams in the country.
Despite allowing 54 shots against #1 Boston College (11/12), UMass gave up just three goals and forced a 3-3 overtime draw.
The Minutemen held Colorado College to its lowest shot total (21) for a game this season.
UMass also held the current #1-ranked Minnesota to just one goal (scored late in the game) on 21 shots in the second game of the season.
Century Club
Seniors Tim Vitek and Peter Trovato have each played in over 100 career games at UMass. Trovato has suited up for 124 contests, while Vitek is just behind with 116. The program's all-time record for games played is 138 set by Jeff Blanchard (1996-00).
Five other Minutemen are closing in on the century club: senior Jeff Lang will play in his 100th game tonight, junior Marvin Degon (89), junior Stephen Werner (85), senior Craig MacDonald (79), and junior Gabe Winer (76).
Tickets For NCAA Hockey Regionals On Sale
Northeast regional tickets for the Mullins Center in Amherst, Massachusetts (hosted by UMass) are on sale now. Tickets can be purchased by calling 413-545-0810 or 413-545-0505, or by stopping by the Mullins Center box office. Start times for the first-round games March 26, are Noon and 3:30 p.m. Eastern time, while the regional final is March 27, Noon Eastern time. Tickets for the three-game package are $60. There is also a $3 shipping & handling charge. 
