University of Massachusets Athletics
Home-And-Home With Providence Opens Friday At Mullins
November 01, 2006 | Hockey
Nov. 1, 2006
AMHERST, Mass. - After a hard-earned split on the road last weekend, the Mass Attack faces Providence in a home-and-home series on Friday and Saturday. Friday's game will take place in Amherst at the Mullins Center. It is also Campus Appreciation Night at UMass, with all faculty and staff receiving two free tickets while supply lasts just by bringing their UMass ID to the box office either before or on game night.
LAST TIME OUT
The Minutemen (2-1-1, 1-1-0 HEA) split the opening weekend of conference play, taking down No. 8 UNH by the score of 3-2 before dropping a 4-1 decision to No. 1 Maine. The score vs. the Black Bears was deceptive, as the teams were tied at one apiece until the final five minutes of the contest, and Maine added two late empty-netters.
UMass' win over New Hampshire was the second consecutive at the Whittemore Center, marking the first back-to-back road victories over the Wildcats since 1930-31. The win was also the second consecutive over a ranked UNH team.
The Minuteman rookies topped the scoring charts over the weekend, going 1-4-5 to lead the team. The sophomore, junior and senior classes came in with two points apiece.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
Providence is coming off of Tuesday's 5-3 victory over the No. 3 Boston College Eagles. The Friars struggled early in the season with a 1-4-1 overall record, with losses to Clarkson, Bowling Green, Notre Dame and Merrimack, but have a tie and a win in the last two contests. Four players have five points in this young season: Colin McDonald, Tony Zancanaro, John Rheault and Nick Mazzolini.
SPECIAL TEAMS ENJOY SUCCESS
The Minutemen capitalized twice on the power play over the weekend, but equally important was the UMass penalty kill, that was at a perfect 100% against both squads. Previously, UNH had clicked at 16.7%, and the Black Bears were at an impressive 29.3%. Overall, the Massachusetts penalty kill is clicking at 88.9%, which ranks No. 11 nationally, third among Hockey East teams.
FOR STARTERS
UMass is 15-21-1 all-time against Providence College, dating back to February 9, 1931. All 15 wins have taken place in the Modern Era of UMass Hockey (1993-present). Under current Head Coach Don Cahoon, the Minutemen are 7-11-0.
The Minutemen were swept in the season series with the Friars last season and look to reverse that trend. Cory Quirk, P.J. Fenton and Chris Davis are the current Minutemen that lit the lamp vs. PC in 2005-06, with Quirk registering two goals.
Conference play at home continues next weekend when UMass hosts Northeastern on Friday, Nov. 10. Game time is set for 7 p.m.
