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University of Massachusets Athletics
OPERATION 8K: Rock The Rink Vs. #15 Boston College
December 01, 2009 | Hockey
Dec. 1, 2009
#9 Massachusetts (9-3-0, 5-2-0 HEA) vs. #15 Boston College (6-3-2, 4-3-2 HEA)
Friday, Dec. 4, 2009 • 7:00 P.M. (ET)
Mullins Center (8,373) • Amherst, Mass.
Radio: 100.9 FM WRNX, 1060 AM WBIX
Live Video/Streaming Audio/Stats: www.UMassAthletics.com
#9 Massachusetts (9-3-0, 5-2-0 HEA) at #8 UMass Lowell (8-4-1, 4-3-1 HEA)
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2009 • 7:00 P.M. (ET)
Tsongas Arena (5,000) • Lowell, Mass.
Radio: 100.9 FM WRNX, 1060 AM WBIX
Live Video/Streaming Audio/Stats: www.UMassAthletics.com
LINKS FOR FRIDAY VS. BOSTON COLLEGE:
LINKS FOR SATURDAY AT UMASS LOWELL:
Battle Of Hockey East's Top Four: #9 UMass faces #15 Boston College and #8 UMass Lowell
• It's a key early season Hockey East weekend as No. 9 Massachusetts host No. 15 Boston College on Friday before heading to No. 8 UMass Lowell on Saturday. The Eagles are currently tied with the Minutemen for second in the league standings, while the River Hawks are just a point behind. Friday night will be Operation 8K as the Athletic Department is encouraging fans to fill the Mullins Center. Last year, Operation 8K set a new Mullins Center attendance record as 8,389 saw Casey Wellman's overtime game-winner against Boston College.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• The games will be broadcast on 100.9 FM WRNX with John Hennessey calling the play-by-play and Brock Hines calling the color commentary. The pregame show will begin 15 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Live stats, video and an interactive game blog can be found at UMassAthletics.com.
• All UMass home hockey games will feature live video streaming and audio through the UMassAthletics.com All-Access Package. Road games featuring streaming video will be listed throughout the season.
THE SERIES: Boston College
• Boston College leads the all-time series with UMass 39-10-3 dating back to 1920. The recent history, however, has been much more favorable as the Eagles hold just a slight 6-5-1 advantage since 2005-06. This year, UMass will also host Boston College on Feb. 5 which will be shown on NESN. Last year, Boston College won the series 2-1 with a pair of 2-0 shutouts. The 4-3 overtime win for UMass in the Mullins Center last year was the first time ever that the Minutemen had defeated a defending national champion. It also set a Mullins Center attendance record as 8,389 fans watched Casey Wellman score the overtime game-winner.
THE SERIES: UMass Lowell
• UMass Lowell leads the all-time series against the Minutemen 30-16-6 including a 9-3-2 mark since 2005-06. At Lowell, however, the series is a bit more balanced with the River Hawks leading 12-10-2. UMass and Lowell is tied 3-3-1 at Tsongas dating back to 2005-06. The series began in 1975 with Lowell winning 7-5 in Amherst.
UMass Come-back Bid Falls Short In OT

• After giving up a 3-0 Quinnipiac lead in the first period, UMass rallied back behind a pair of goals from Casey Wellman and a strong relief performance by Paul Dainton, but it was not enough as the Bobcats defeated the Minutemen 5-4 in overtime.
• Wellman made it a 3-1 game late in the second period before the UMass offense came alive in the third period. Will Ortiz and Wellman combined for goals 11-seconds apart to tie the game before Michael Lecomte gave UMass a 4-3 lead late in the third period.
• Quinnipiac tied the game with 1:10 remaining on a 6x4 power play after pulling its goalie. Brandon Wong scored both the game-tying and game-winning goals. Paul Dainton made 28 saves taking the loss in relief.
Up Next: Merrimack

• UMass hosts Hockey East rival Merrimack next Saturday in the final game before Christmas break. The Warriors feature one of the top scorers in Hockey East in freshman Stephane Da Costa who ranks fifth in Hockey East scoring.
UMASS FEATURED NINE TIMES ON TV
• Nine regular-season games this season will be televised live including three on ESPNU and three on NESN. Over the summer, ESPNU and COMCAST Cable reached an agreement to add the channel to the regular cable line-up which means the Minutemen will be seen in over 55 million households.
• The Jan. 2 Boston University game, the Jan. 10 game at Northeastern and the Jan. 24 meeting against Vermont in the Mullins Center will all be televised on ESPNU.
• The Nov. 28 game at Quinnipiac will be shown on NESN, while the Feb. 5 Boston College game and the Feb. 20 Merrimack game, both in the Mullins Center, will be featured as part of NESN's Friday Night Ice game package.
• Both road games at Providence (10/30, 1/30) will be aired on COX Television which is available throughout Rhode Island, while the March 6 game at Maine will be carried by WABI-TV.
BUD LIGHT UMASS HOCKEY SHOW
• The Bud Light UMass Hockey Show is back in full swing with voice of the UMass hockey John Hennessy and head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon. The show airs on 100.9 FM WRNX and UMassAthletics.com. In addition to game previews and recaps, a pair of player guests will be on each week. Brock Hines also joins the show each week with his unique perspective on the team after serving as color commentator for 17 years. Fans can come by the show which is hosted live at The Hangar Pub & Grill on University Drive at 7 PM. Say hi to coach and the players and have some of the best wings in town! For a complete schedule of the show, check UMassAthletics.com where you can also submit your questions during the season to Coach Cahoon and have them answered live on the air.
UMASS ADDS 1060 AM WBIX IN BOSTON
• The UMass Radio Network has agreed to a deal with 1060 AM WBIX in Boston to carry the bulk of the Minutemen's basketball and hockey games in 2009-10. WBIX joins 100.9 FM WRNX in Springfield as the stations carrying UMass hockey this season along with 91.1 WMUA - UMass' student station which will carry selected games throughout the year.
• AM 1060, WBIX "The Business Station" is Boston's only all-business talk radio station. Based in Framingham, the station's daytime signal (40,000 watts) reaches north into southern New Hampshire, west into Worcester and south near Providence, Rhode Island. At night, the station can still be heard clearly throughout the Boston area.
STORY LINES vs. Boston College/UMass Lowell
• James Marcou, a 2008-09 All-American and front runner for this year's Hobey Baker Award, scored his 100th point at Vermont (11/24) after posting five assists. He leads the country in both points (23) and assists (19).
• UMass boasts the two top point producing players in the country as Marcou ranks 1st and Casey Wellman ranks 2nd nationally. Wellman has scored 8 points on six goals and two assists in the last three games.
• Despite outscoring opponents by a wide margin in the third period, it's actually more important for the Minutemen to not go into the third period trailing. UMass is 0-3 this year when trailing after the second period and 9-0-0 when leading or tied after the second.
• UMass returns home after three straight road games to host No. 15 Boston College before heading back on the road to No. 8 UMass Lowell. UMass is 4-1-0 on the road this year.
• Since 2005-06, Boston College holds a slight 6-5-1 advantage over UMass compared to a 39-10-3 record for the all-time series.
• UMass started the year 4-0 for the first time since 2003-04 - the same season UMass finished as Hockey East Finalists.
• UMass's 3-0 start in Hockey East was its best ever.
• 16 of UMass' 43 goals scored have been on the power play ... 13 different UMass skaters have at least one goal, while 18 have posted at least one point ... 8 different players have scored game-winning goals.
• Justin Braun and James Marcou are the only Minuteman with active point streaks alive going into Saturday. Braun has tallied a point in his last five games, while Marcou has scored in three straight games.
• For the second straight season, UMass earned a win over a defending NCAA National Champion with the 3-2 victory over Boston University. In 2008-09 the Minutemen defeated Boston College 4-3 in overtime. UMass is now 2-18 all-time vs. defending national champions. The win over BU was the first in eight games against the Terriers after they won a national championship.
• Brett Watson will once again serve as a team captain. Justin Braun will also wear the `C' on his sweater after being named an assistant captain midway through last season. James Marcou and Martin Nolet will both serve as assistant captains this year.
Marcou One Of Nation's Front Runners For Hobey Baker Award
• James Marcou enters this weekend's games with 102 points in 87 career games. His 32 assists last season was a single-season UMass record, while his 47 points were tied for the fourth-best single-season effort. His 75 career assists is tied for third overall at UMass, while his 102 points is 7th all-time. He needs one more point to move into a tie for 6th with Cory Quirk and five to move into 5th place with Tim Turner. He needs six assists to move into second with Warren Norris.
• Marcou is the active leading career scorer among all Hockey East Players.
• He became just the sixth All-American at UMass including the third in the modern era joining Thomas Pock (2004) and Jon Quick (2007).
Marcou 9th UMass Player To Get 100 Pts
• With his career-high five assist night at Vermont (11/24), James Marcou became just the ninth player in UMass history to eclipse the 100 point barrier. He is the second player to do so in the past two seasons as Cory Quirk finished his career last year with 103 points.
• Marcou is just the fourth player in program history to get 100 points as a junior - Pat Keenan, Rob Bonneau and Warren Norris each did so as well.
• If Marcou keeps up his scoring pace, he could well move into second place near the end of this season. Bonneau ranks second all-time with 166 points, while Keenan holds the school record with 180 points.
Marcou's Five Helpers A Record
• James Marcou's five assists at Vermont (11/24) was a UMass Division I record. In fact, no player since Ron Pozzo in 1957 has had five or more assists in one game. Pozzo holds the overall school record with six assists against Wesleyan in Jan. 1957.
Marcou Takes Over Scoring Lead
• A front runner for the Hobey Baker Award this year, James Marcou's 23 points through 12 games gives him the national lead following Tuesday's win at Vermont. The junior from Kings Park, N.Y., is averaging 1.92 points per game. Overall, Marcou also has the outright lead in total points for a player in the country (23). Four others have 21 points.
• Marcou's 19 assists lead the nation overall and on a per game basis (1.58 apg). Rob Bordson of Minnesota-Dulut has 16 assists (1.14 apg) to rank 2nd.
• Marcou also leads Hockey East in points, assists, and power play points.
THE S.W.ar.M. LINE
• UMass' top line of T.J. Syner, Casey Wellman and James Marcou may be one of the fastest and creative playmaking trios in the country. Against RPI, the line accounted for eight of UMass' 15 points in the game. Against Maine, the line combined for seven points (3g, 4a) with each player scoring a goal. At Vermont (11/24), Casey Wellman tallied a hat trick in the second period alone, while James Marcou had a career-high five assists. For the season, the unit has 50 of UMass' 133 total points.
• The line features the 2008-09 Hockey East Rookie Leading Scorer in Wellman and the league's regular-season scoring co-leader in Marcou.
• In addition to time on regular shifts, Wellman and Marcou are regulars on the power play, while Syner also plays on the penalty kill.
Well, Well Mr. Wellman
• Sophomore Casey Wellman enters the weekend ranking second on the team in points with 11 goals and 9 assists. The Hockey East Rookie Scoring leader in 2008-09 has scored six of his 11 goals on the power play. His biggest goal of the year has been the game-tying goal against New Hampshire (11/13) with just 11 seconds left in regulation. At Vermont, he posted a hat trick in the second period alone - UMass first hat trick performance since 2007-08.
• In Hockey East, Wellman is tied for fourth in overall points, ranks second in goals scored, is tied for ninth in assists, ranks second in power play points, and leads the league in power play goals.
• Nationally, he ranks second in points per game (1.67), is third in goals, ranks second in power play goals, and is tied for 34th in assists.
• Wellman currently has 53 points in 51 career games with 22 goals and 31 assists.
NOLET & WATSON NAMED LOWES SENIOR CLASS AWARD NOMINEES
• Seniors Martin Nolet and Brett Watson were both named to the Lowes Senior Class Award Nominee List on Wednesday, Oct. 7. They are two of 20 nominees for the award as UMass is the only team to have two on the initial list.
• The award is given annually to the collegiate hockey senior who exhibits character, community service, classroom excellence and is a major contributor on the ice.
A PAIR OF DRAFT PICKS ANCHOR BLUE LINE
• Martin Nolet and Justin Braun started each game last season as UMass' top defensive pair - their first season as line mates. Nolet was a 5th-round draft pick by Los Angeles in the 2006 draft (144th overall), while Braun was a 7th-round draft pick by San Jose in the 2007 draft (201st overall).
• Both players have been key on special teams as they are both on the top power play and penalty kill units.
• For the two seasons prior to 2008-09, Nolet started every game paired with captain Mike Kostka, while Braun was paired with David Leaderer.
BRAUN ONE OF HEA'S TOP D-MEN
• Senior defenseman Justin Braun is not only one of the best defensemen for the Minutemen, but he is one of the best in the entire league. Braun plays on the top power play and penalty kill lines and is one of the team leaders in minutes played. He averages over 30 minutes of ice time per game.
• The 2009 member of the Hockey East All-Conference Second Team was the 201st pick overall last season in the NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins who traded his rights to the San Jose Sharks.
• Braun is tied for ninth nationally in overall points (3-10-13), tied for fourth in assists (10), tied for 7th in power play points (1-7-8), and ranks second nationally in defenseman scoring.
Dainton Continues To Impress
• Junior goalie Paul Dainton continues his year-to-year improvement and is establishing himself as one of UMass' best between the pipes. He currently ranks 3rd all-time at UMass with 31 career wins, fourth in minutes played (4,143 minutes), second in goals against average (2.51) and second in save percentage (.914). The man ahead of him is none other than former All-American, NHL starter and Olympic hopeful Jon Quick.
• Dainton made a career-high 42 saves in the win over New Hampshire (11/13) and 39 in the win over #2 Boston University (10/16).
Ortiz Making A Difference
• One of the top players, both in and out of the box score, has been Will Ortiz this season. Ortiz, a native from Framingham, Mass., has 4 goals and 9 assists as one of UMass' top scorers. However, it has been his play where he has scored that has impressed coaches and fans. The senior has been skating at a torrid pace this season chasing after loose pucks, harrassing opponents defensively and generally giving the Minutemen a spark whenever he is on the ice. With 13 points in 12 games, this is his best offensive season since 2006-07 when he tallied 7 goals, 14 assists in 38 games. Ortiz also has a sense for the clutch goal as his seven career game-winners lead the Minutemen - highlighted by 3 in 2008-09.
Irwin Finding His Touch
• Sophomore blueliner Matt Irwin didn't just pick up where he left off his freshman campaign, he has carried his play to a whole new level to start the 2009-10 season. The Brentwood Bay, British Columbia native had an eight-game point streak in place until not registering a point in the Niagara series. The streak dated back to last season's Hockey East Quarterfinal series. Irwin is a pivotal part of not only the defensive unit but also as a member of the top power play unit.
• Nationally, ranks 18th in power play goals (4), and ranks 17th in points per game for defensemen.
Watson A Face-Off Leader
• For the season, Brett Watson leads the team in the face-off dot at 121-for-208 (.582). Watson's best performance of the year was at Niagara where he was 16-for-19.
Blueliners Seeing Red, Hearing Fog Horns
• Four of UMass' top 10 scorers this year are defensive players led by Justin Braun's 13 points (3g, 10a). Matt Irwin and Martin Nolet have also figured prominently in the scoring column. Sophomore Michael Marcou has also been bitten this year by the scoring bug posting a career-best 3 goals and 3 assists in 12 games. As a freshman last year, he played in 20 games with one assist.
Rookies Making Contributions
• Several rookies this year have jumped in making an immediate impact for the Minutemen. Rocco Carzo leads the freshman class in scoring with 3 goals and 4 assists in seven games played. Mike Donnellan has played in six games on defense paired with Matt Irwin. Kevin Czepiel, Eddie Olczyk and Darren Rowe have each seen significant action in the early portion of the season as well.
CAHOON BECOMES ALL-TIME WINNINGEST COACH IN UMASS HISTORY
• Head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon became the all-time winning head coach in UMass history on Dec. 12, 2008 with a 4-0 win over American International. The win over AIC gave Cahoon 121 career wins which surpassed UMass Hall of Famer Jack Canniff who had 120 wins in his career from 1967-79. He earned his 300th overall win as a head coach on Dec. 5, 2008 in a 5-1 win over Connecticut.
• Under Cahoon's tenure, UMass made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance (2007) and played for the Hockey East Championship title in 2003-04.
• Cahoon now has a 138-169-31 record at UMass in 10 seasons. Overall, in 23 years as a head coach, Cahoon is 318-342-67.
Best Start since 2003-04
• With a 4-0 record, UMass matched its best start to a season since going 4-0 at the beginning of the 2003-04 campaign. That season, the Minutemen finished the year as Hockey East Championship Finalists with a 19-12-6 record.
IN THE NATIONAL POLLS
• UMass earned a #9 national ranking in the USCHO.com Top-20 poll last week with 573 total votes after a 9-3-0 start to the season. In the USA Today/USA Hockey Top-15 poll, UMass was ranked #9 after receiving 237 votes.
• This is the fourth straight week UMass has been ranked in both polls and the sixth straight week in the USCHO.com poll.
• 12 teams listed on the polls are featured on UMass' schedule this year.
• Nine of the 10 teams in Hockey East are represented in the polls.
Pairwise, Krach Rankings
• UMass is ranked 5th in both the Pairwise and Krach ranking systems. These ranking systems are strong indicators of the NCAA Tournament selection process following the automatic bids. After the win against UMass, Quinnipiac moved to No. 1 in both ranking systems on Nov. 30. The ranking systems factor in win-loss record, RPI, strength of schedule, etc., and compares those with other schools to generate a 1-25 listing for the Pairwise.
VS. RANKED TEAMS
• UMass is 3-1-0 vs. ranked teams this year after wins over #2 Boston University (Oct. 18), #9 Yale (Nov. 19), and #18 Vermont (Nov. 24). The lone loss was a come-from-behind overtime loss at #9 Quinnipiac. UMass' opponents this week are ranked nationally as well: #15 Boston College and #8 UMass Lowell.
• In 2008-09, UMass was 6-12-3 against ranked teams. Of those, UMass faced six teams ranked in the nation's top-5 posting a 6-6-1 record. In 2007-08, UMass was 7-10-1 against ranked opponents including a 5-0-1 stretch against ranked teams through the holiday break. It was UMass best record ever against ranked teams.
• All-time, UMass is 49-178-20 against ranked opponents including a 4-7-2 record at neutral sites and a 6-21-4 record against non-conference teams.
• UMass posted its second ever win over a No. 1-ranked team on Friday, Nov. 14 in the 5-1 win over Boston University. The first came in 1994-95 with a 4-2 win over No. 1 Maine on Jan. 28. In the modern era, UMass is 2-12-1 against team's ranked No. 1.
FANS SET NEW ATTENDANCE RECORD
• After seven home games, UMass is averaging 5,418 fans which ranks 11th nationally.
• With 4,934 fans per home game, UMass ranked 13th nationally in attendance last season.
• UMass averaged a program-best 5,017 fans at home games in 2007-08 which was an all-time best for the program. Against UMass Lowell (10/19/07), UMass set a new record for opening game attendance as 5,862 fans came through the turnstiles. Attendance has increased in each of the last four seasons.
• A Mullins Center record 8,389 fans turned out to see UMass defeat Boston College on Nov. 22 - a mark that also ranks as the ninth-best UMass hockey attendance for all venues. UMass had 7,212 and 8,291 fans pack the Mullins Center for the Boston University games (11/14; 2/27).
MULLINS MAGIC
• UMass is 5-2-0 at home this season and will play 15 home games in 2009-10. Of those, 13 are Hockey East games including 2-of-3 vs. New Hampshire, Merrimack, Boston College, and Vermont.
• UMass was 9-8-1 last season at home in front of the Mullins Center crowd.
• The Minutemen lost just three games at home during the 2007-08 season going 8-3-4 (.667). The loss to New Hampshire on Jan. 11 broke a 13-game home unbeaten streak which dated back to the 2006-07 season.
• Over the last 68 games at the Mullins Center, UMass is 40-20-8 (.651) including a 14-3-4 mark in 2006-07. All-time, UMass is 127-117-27 in the Mullins Center including a 75-101-21 record among Hockey East foes. Under Don Cahoon, UMass sports a 83-63-15 record at home.
Road, Sweet Road???
• UMass is 4-1-0 this season on the road bucking the trend of team's playing better at home. Road wins at Yale and at Vermont snapped unbeaten records by both teams this year in their home arenas.
• UMass' wins at Yale and at Vermont marked the first time since 2003-04 that UMass has won back-to-back regular-season road games. That season, UMass won at Providence and at Merrimack.
• The loss at Quinnipiac upset UMass' bid to be the first time since the 1930-31 season where it pulled off the back-to-back road hat trick. That season, UMass defeated Bates (5-2, Jan. 10), Army (5-1, Jan. 14), and St. Stephens (6-3, Jan. 15).
Power Play Unit Putting Up Points
• The top power play unit of James Marcou, Casey Wellman, T.J. Syner, Matt Irwin, and Justin Braun have been terrific in the early going of the season. The group has 13 of UMass' 16 power play goals including four from Irwin and six from Wellman. Overall, the UMass power play is converting at 29.1 percent and has scored 16 of UMass' 43 goals. UMass has a power play goal in 7-of-12 games this season including a season-high four against RPI. The UMass Power Play is first in Hockey East and 3rd Nationally. In four games this year, UMass has scored three-or-more power play goals.
Third Period Scoring An Edge
• UMass has outscored opponents 19-to-7 in the third period this year bolstered by a season-high three goals in the third period at Providence (10/30) and three in the come-back bid at Quinnipiac (11/28). The UMass defense has limited opponents to a .049 shooting percentage in the third allowing the 7 goals on 143 shots.
It's About Quality, Not Quantity
• UMass has been outshot in 6-of-12 games, but two of UMass' loses occured when they outshot their opponent (vs. Providence, vs. UNH). The Minutemen have eclipsed 30+ shots nine times including 48 in the loss to Providence. In the loss to Providence, UMass cranked out a season-high 21 shots in the third period trying to find the game-tying goal.
HARD TO BEAT WHEN SCORING 3'S
• UMass is 9-1-0 when scoring three-or-more goals this season and 0-2 when failing to.
• UMass was 15-4-0 last season when lighting the lamp three times or more in a game and 0-16-3 when they scored fewer than three goals.
FOUR-OR-MORE IS BEST
• Over the last 71 games where UMass scores four-or-more goals, the Minutemen are an amazing 66-4-1. Before the overtime loss at Quinnipiac (11/28), UMass had not lost a game when scoring four goals since Vermont (1/25/08). Prior than that, the Minutemen had not lost a game when scoring four-or-more since March 14, 2003 against New Hampshire in the Hockey East Semifinals (5-4).
GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY
• The 2009-10 UMass roster features players from 13 different states and Canadian provinces. From Massachusetts to California and Florida, UMass has a diverse group of players from across North America.
• Six Minutemen hail from Massachusetts while four represent New York and Quebec.
• Matt Irwin, Paul Dainton and Darren Rowe have the longest journey to get to UMass. Irwin and Dainton hail from British Columbia - a drive which would take over two days. Rowe's drive from Simi Valley, near Los Angeles, would also take roughly two days to complete.
HOCKEY'S A FAMILY LEGACY
• For four Minutemen, hockey is truly a family tradition. Djan Lefebvre, Eddie Olczyk, Shawn Saunders and Brett Watson all grew up around NHL rinks as their fathers played professionally. Lefebvre's father, Sylvain, played 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Mapel Leafs, the Quebec Nordiques, the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers. Olczyk's father, Ed, played 16 season's in the NHL, was head coach of the Pittsburgh Penquins, and currently serves as an announcer for NBC and NHL on Versus. Saunder's father, Bernie, played for the Quebec Nordiques, while Watson's father Jim and his uncle Joe both played 10 years for the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the franchise's only two Stanley Cup Championship teams.
PROSPECTIVE MINUTEMEN
• Several Minutemen spent part of their summers working out at NHL Prospect Camps. Martin Nolet (Los Angeles), Justin Braun (San Jose), Casey Wellman (Nashville), Matt Irwin (San Jose), and Rocco Carzo (Philadephia) spent time in the camps as part of their offseason training.
BIG BROTHERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE OFF ICE
• Often times, student-athletes gain the bulk of their notoriety through their accomplishments in sport. Five Minutemen, however, are trying to make a difference in young peoples lives off the ice as well. Paul Dainton, Brian Keane, Chase Langeraap, James Marcou and Brett Watson each volunteer with the Amherst Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. Each Big Brother has a `Little' who they spend time with each week.
• Each player had to go through an extensive background check that included visits to their dorm rooms and an interview process that took several months. They spend 3-4 hours per week with their Little Brother whose age ranges from 6 to 13 years.
• Renee Moss is the Director of the program and says she is thrilled to have the guys involved with the project that really came to life two years ago under Mike Kostka through an independent study project. Kostka put together a successful Big Brother/Big Sister Bowl-A-Thon to raise money from the group last spring.
• Brett Watson is also conducting a systematic evaluation of the local program, which will culminate in a list of recommendations about how to improve the program, and how to recruit more volunteers for his Commonwealth College Capstone Project.
MINUTEMEN EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
• 12 players earned Hockey East All-Academic honors in 2008-09 - The Minutemen had the third most honorees in the league. This was the fourth consecutive season the UMass had 10-or-more student-athletes honored on the team.
• Martin Nolet was also named to the Hockey East Academic All-Star Team for having the highest grade point average among all league defensemen.
• Nolet and Brett Watson were named to the Academic All-Conference Team for the third consecutive season.
LOOK FOR DAN MEYERS' MOVIE PICKS ON UMASSATHLETICS.COM
• Known to the team as a movie fanatic, Dan Meyers has agreed to share his thoughts and movie critiques with fans with a blog on UMassAthletics.com. Meyers will pick out different movies and share his thoughts on them throughout the season.
• Meyers' movie collection is a big bonus for the team when travelling on long bus trips.
QUICK-LY MOVING UP IN THE NHL RANKS
• Former UMass All-American Jon Quick enters the 2009-10 NHL season as the top-ranked goalie in the L.A. Kings program. This past summer he was invited to the U.S. Olympic Training Camp as one of three prospective goalies for Team USA. Last season, his first full NHL season, Quick posted a 21-18-2 record, 2.48 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 44 games.
• This season, Quick is off to another strong start and recently signed a 3-year contract extension with the Kings for $5.4 million.
MINUTEMEN LOOKING FORWARD TO 2009-10 CAMPAIGN WITH VETERAN LINE-UP
• With 21 letterwinners returning and six of its top 10 scorers coming back, the 2009-10 edition of the UMass hockey team looks poised to make this season one to remember. Included in the returning offensive leaders are All-American James Marcou and Casey Wellman, a pair of the top blue-liners in Hockey East in Justin Braun and Martin Nolet, and two seasonsed goalies in Paul Dainton and Dan Meyers.
• Marcou finished the 2008-09 league regular-season tied with Boston University's Colin Wilson as the Hockey East scoring leader. Wellman led the league in Rookie Scoring. It was the first time in UMass history that the Minutemen had the league scoring leader and the rookie scoring leader.
• With seven of the first nine games at the Mullins Center, a strong beginning to the season could set the tone early for the season. Five of those seven games are against Hockey East rivals including defending national champion Boston University and a pair of home games against New Hampshire.
• This will be head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon's 10th season at UMass. He has guided the Minutemen to three Hockey East Semifinal appearances, a Hockey East Championship appearance and UMass' first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and win. He is the all-time winningest coach in UMass program history with 135 career wins.
OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW
• Offensively, UMass was led by the top scoring line of Alex Berry-Cory Quirk-James Marcou which has attributed almost 35 percent of UMass point total. Marcou returns as one of the nation's top playmakers and finished the 2008-09 Hockey East regular season tied with Boston University sophomore Colin Wilson for the league lead in points. Quirk finished his career as just the seventh player to eclipse the 100-point barrier at UMass.
• Sophomore Casey Wellman anchored the "speed" line with wingers T.J. Syner and Shawn Saunders/Will Ortiz. Wellman led the league in Rookie Scoring and ranked in the top-5 nationally. Syner returns for his sophomore season as a versatile player who also sees time on the PK units.
• Junior Michael Lecomte anchored Chase Langeraap and Danny Hobbs/Chris Davis, while Brett Watson centered Briane Keane/Marc Conncannon and the graduated Chris Davis/Scott Crowder. These were two of the more physical lines last year, but the Minutemen will have to find players to step up to replace the phsyical play of Davis and Crowder and the size and scoring touch of Berry.
DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW
• Defensively, UMass is anchored by two NHL draft picks in Justin Braun and Martin Nolet. Braun and Nolet paired together for most of last season. Sophomore Matt Irwin has been a tremendous addition to the blueliners adding size, power, and the ability to join the offensive rush. Doug Kublin and Michael Marcou are two of the more true defensive players, while Kevin Kessler rounds out the group.
• As a group, the D-men average just over 6-foot-1, 200 pounds.
• In goal, UMass has the luxury of two very capable goalies in Paul Dainton and Dan Meyers. Both have fairly similar numbers and have been producing their best career seasons to date. Dainton has played the bulk of the minutes, but Meyers has proven capable of winning big games. Backing them up is the tandom of Kevin Moore who joined the team mid-way through last season and freshman Randy Wolcott who hails from Holyoke, Mass.
