University of Massachusets Athletics
No. 14 Minutemen Host Archrival Vermont On Tuesday
November 20, 2006 | Hockey
Nov. 20, 2006
AMHERST, Mass. - The Mass Attack faces league archrival Vermont this Tuesday in the traditional pre-Thanksgiving meeting between the schools. Fans that can't make it to the game can watch live and listen live for FREE via umassathletics.com. The Minutemen are currently in fourth place in the league standings, one point out of second and three out of first, and are ranked No. 14 by both the USCHO.com/CSTV and USA Hockey/USA Today national polls. TUESDAY IS CAMPUS APPRECIATION DAY: UMASS FACULTY AND STAFF WITH I.D. WILL RECEIVE TWO COMPLIMENTARY TICKETS TO THE GAME!
LAST TIME OUT
The Minutemen (6-1-1, 4-1-0 HEA) topped the Huskies of Connecticut 8-1, thanks to an incredible 15-point effort by the line of Chris Capraro - Cory Quirk - Chris Davis. Quirk registered his first collegiate hat trick in the win, while he and his linemates set personal bests for goals, assists and points in a single. Defenseman Mike Kostka also set a new personal best for assists and points in a game with his four helpers.
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
After a 0-4-1 stretch from mid-October to early November, UVM has turned it around and are now riding a three-game win streak heading into Tuesday's game. The three wins have come against Providence (4-2), Boston University (2-1) and most recently, Merrimack (4-1). On the road, the Catamounts are at .500 with a 2-2-0 record. This should match up well against UMass' 4-0-1 home record.
Special teams have been a strong point for UVM this season, with the PP sitting above 19% and the PK having over a 90% success rate. Dean Strong and Torrey Mitchell lead the offense with 12 points each, while Joe Fallon has been stellar in net with his 1.66 GAA and .928 sv%. Against Jon Quick's similar numbers, Tuesday's game should be a hit for fans of top-notch goaltending, as the two pace DI goalies nationally.
FOR STARTERS
Massachusetts is 11-25-4 all-time against Vermont, dating back to Feb. 5, 1927, a 2-1 win for UMass (then the Massachusetts Agricultural College). While UVM holds the all-time advantage in wins, things even out a bit in the Modern Era of UMass Hockey (1993-present), when the series stands at 5-7-2 in favor of the 'Cats. Under Head Coach Don Cahoon, that mark is 5-3-1 in favor of the Minutemen.
`QUICK'LY BECOMING ONE OF THE LEAGUE'S BEST
Jon Quick (So., G, Hamden, Conn./Avon Old Farms) backstopped UMass to its sixth win of the season, with a 27-save effort against UConn to keep the Minutemen's four-game winning streak intact. Quick's seven consecutive starts is a career high, while his save percentage and GAA rank in the top 10 nationally. Among league netminders, his save percentage and GAA rank first and second, respectively. He has allowed two or fewer goals in six of seven contests.
NOTES OF INTEREST
Cory Quirk registered his first career hat trick in No. 20 UMass' 8-1 win over UConn. Quirk maintains is place atop UMass' scoring chart with his team-leading six goals and six assists. Quirk opened the scoring just 41 seconds into the contest, and scored twice in two and a half minutes midway through the third.
Chris Davis scored once and added four helpers in Saturday's win. His six assists on the season are tied for the team-best.
Chris Capraro has averaged two points a game in all four played this season, maintaining those numbers with his two goals and three assists vs. the Huskies. He scored back-to-back goals to close out the first period vs. UConn.
Mike Kostka put an end to a six-game scoreless streak (last point: an assist vs. Sacred Heart in the season-opener on Oct. 13) with a four-assist outburst vs. UConn. The mark was a personal single-game best for the blueliner.
The line of Capraro-Quirk-Davis combined for a remarkable six goals and nine assists for 15 points. The trio was +14 on the evening, while each of them set single-game bests for points. Quirk's hat trick and pair of assists set a personal best for goals and helpers, as did Davis' (4) and Capraro's (3) assists.
Dan Meyers saw a little less than ten minutes to close out the Saturday game vs. UConn. That marked his first time in net since winning the season-opener vs. Sacred Heart.
MATHESON CENTERED AT FORWARD
Mark Matheson (Sr., F/D, Calgary, Alb./Calgary Royals) has split time at defense and forward during his collegiate career, and is reaping the offensive benefits in his final season as a centerman. All three of his goals this season have come in UMass wins, and he had a hand in both tallies in the victory over Northeastern as well as the gamewinner vs. UConn. Playing in his 100th collegiate game on Saturday, he scored his second goal in as many games. His three goals on the season tie a career-best.
DEFYING THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Look no further than UMass' sophomore class to get a feeling for the team's success. Cory Quirk leads all Minutemen in scoring with 12 points, Chris Davis ranks No. 2 with 10 and netminder Jon Quick has earned the starting spot, backstopping the Minutemen to their best start since 2003-04.
BROTHERLY LOVE
Two Minutemen have brothers playing on other Hockey East teams: Chris Capraro's brother Steve is a freshman defenseman for the UMass Lowell River Hawks, and Brett Watson's older brother Chase is a senior forward at Providence.
HOME COOKIN'
The Mass Attack has enjoyed much success at the Mullins Center this season and are proud owners of a 4-0-1 record. A season-high 6,350 fans saw the Minutemen beat Northeastern 2-1 on Friday, November 10.
SPREADING THE WEALTH
Of 24 skaters that have dressed this season, a total of 16 have tallied points. Cory Quirk (So., F, Brockton, Mass./Waterloo Blackhawks) leads the pack with 15 points, while the senior and sophomore classes are responsible for 45 of 71 team points (64%). The freshmen come in with 11 class points (15%) and the juniors have 15 (21%).
O CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
For the third-consecutive season, Matt Anderson will serve as a captain of the Minutemen. The West Islip, N.Y. native was an assistant captain in 2004-05, before wearing the "C" in both 2005-06 and now in 2006-07.
Senior Mark Matheson and juniors P.J. Fenton and Mike Kostka will serve as assistant captains this season.
HOCKEY IN THE BAY STATE
Nine of 28 Minutemen call Massachusetts home: Alex Berry (Danvers), Topher Bevis (Harvard), Chris Capraro (Medford), Sam D'Agostino (Medford), P.J. Fenton (Longmeadow), Dan Gordon (Lynnfield), Kevin Maresco (Lynnfield), Will Ortiz (Framingham), Cory Quirk (Brockton) and Jordan Virtue (Walpole). Eleven previously played for teams in Massachusetts directly prior to skating at UMass: Matt Anderson, P.J. Fenton and Dan Gordon (New England Jr. Coyotes/Huskies); Alex Berry, Topher Bevis, Matt Burto and David Leaderer (Boston Jr. Bruins); Chris Capraro (Austin Prep), Patrick Dineen (Bentley College), Kevin Maresco (Phillips Academy) and Jordan Virtue (Walpole Jr. Stars).
UP AGAINST THE BEST OF THE REST
Of the 17 opponents the Minutemen will face this season, a total of nine are ranked in the top-20/received votes in the USCHO.com/CSTV poll. Six are also ranked in the top-15/received votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll. This list includes the 2006 national runner up Boston College, national semifinalist Maine, five teams that made the NCAA tournament last season, and teams from all six of the Division I conferences.
THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME
With 18 games at the Mullins Center, fans close to home will have plenty of opportunities to see the Minutemen in action. The longest trip of the season will be over winter break, as UMass participates in the Dodge Holiday Classic, hosted by the University of Minnesota. The 10 remaining trips ranked by distance are: Maine (313.16), Vermont (189.11), New Hampshire (135.67), Union (115.19), Northeastern (94.43), Boston University (92.37), Boston College (89.79), Merrimack (88.89), Providence (87.70) and UMass Lowell (79.01).
On the other side of the coin, Niagara and Clarkson have the longest distances to travel to Amherst: 400.61 miles and 313.83 miles, respectively.
WELCOME BACK, JACK!
A special "welcome back" to UMass' long-time PA announcer, Jack O'Neill. We're glad to have you back at the Mullins Center, Jack!
UMASSATHLETICS.COM: LINKING YOU TO THE TEAM
You can listen to all UMass hockey radio broadcasts via SportsJuice on UMassAthletics.com. In addition, you can follow the statistical action via Gametracker. Links for these options can be found on the hockey page on UMassAthletics.com, as well as on the schedule/results page of the website. UMass will also be providing FREE LIVE video streaming during the 2006-07 season. Also, learn more about your favorite Minutemen with feature Q&A's as well as video interviews.
