Mass Attack Hosts Army/Sweden This Weekend

Nov. 3, 2010

Game Week Information

UMass (0-4-2) vs. Army (1-4-0) - FRIDAY
Date	Friday, Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. (ET)
Location	Amherst, Mass. \| Mullins Center
Tickets	866-UMass-TIX \| Buy Online
TV/Radio	CBS3 Now TV \| 100.9 FM WRNX \| 1510 AM WWZN
Online	Live Webcast on UMass All-Access
Promotions	Military Appreciation Night ($5 General Admission Tickets)
Live Stats	GameTracker
Game Blog	Click Here
Game Notes	UMass Notes \| Army Notes

UMass vs. Swedish Under-20 Team - SATURDAY
Date	Saturday, Nov. 6 at Noon (ET)
Location	Amherst, Mass. \| Mullins Center
Tickets	866-UMass-TIX \| Buy Online
TV/Radio	None
Online	Live Webcast on UMass All-Access
Promotions	None
Live Stats	GameTracker
Game Blog	Click Here

Weekly Game Previews

News About The Minutemen
HockeyEast.com	11/1: Weekly Release \| PDF Version
MassLive.com	11/2: Around Hockey East
HockeyEast.com	11/3:  Five Minute Major With Darren Rowe
ABC40	11/3:  Busy Weekend At Mullins Center
Daily Collegian	11/4: UMass Looks For First Win Against Army On Friday
MassLive.com	11/4: Army Conditioning Doesn't Show Up Late
MassLive.com	11/4: Time For UMass To Appreciate Home Cooking
MassLive.com	11/4: UMass Offers Service Discount For Army Game

Mass Attack Hosts Army/Sweden
• After four straight Hockey East games, the UMass hockey team steps back into non-conference action on Friday as the Army Black Knights visit the Mullins Center. On Saturday, the Minutemen will play a special Noon exhibiton game against the Swedish Under-20 National Team. Friday night against Army will be Military Appreciation night at the Mullins Center. Service members can purchase a $5.00 General Admission ticket for the game with ID.
• The Minutemen continue to search for their first win of the season after posting a tie and a loss last weekend in a home-and-home series with Providence. Army is in a similar situation posting an 0-4 record to start the season before earning its first win last Saturday at Canisius.
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• Streaming video for Friday and Saturday’s games can be accessed through UMassAthletics.com. The Army game will also be televised live on CBS3 Now (Comcast Digital Channel 293).
• The Army game will be broadcast live on the Flagship Station of UMass Athletics, 100.9 FM WRNX, with John Hennessey calling the play-by-play and Brock Hines calling the color commentary. The pregame show will begin 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Links for streaming audio, live stats and an interactive game blog can be found at UMassAthletics.com.

THE SERIES WITH ARMY
• All-time UMass is 18-22-1 aganst Army with the two teams having last met at the Dartmouth Holiday Tournament in 2008 - a 4-1 win for the Minutemen.
• UMass has won four straight games against Army and 11 of the last 14. The last Army win in the series was 5-0 on Jan. 3, 1998.
• Only six current Minutemen played in the 2008 meeting against Army. Of those T.J. Syner finished a +3 and Doug Kublin a +2. Dan Meyers made 16 saves for the win, while Will Ortiz scored a pair of goals and Casey Wellman scored a goal and added two assists.

Up Next: New Hampshire
• UMass will return to Hockey East play with a pair of games at New Hampshire next Friday and Saturday (Nov. 12-13). This will be the first meetings of the year between the Wildcats and the Minutemen.
• All-time UMass is 18-77-7 against New Hampshire including a 7-40-3 mark in Durham. UMass’ last win at New Hampshire was on Oct. 6, 2006. Paul Dainton made a career-high 42 saves last year in the overtime win against the Wildcats (11/13) last season.

LAST TIME OUT: UMass Nipped By Friars
• Despite taking an early lead, UMass could not hold on against Providence last Friday, Oct. 29, at the Mullins Center forcing a 3-3 tie. With just under four minutes remaining in the game, Darren Rowe scored a power play goal to tie the game forcing overtime.
• UMass led 1-0 midway through the first period and 2-1 in the final minute of the second period, but Providence scored a goal with one second before the second intermission to tie the game. A Friar goal in the first three minutes of the third gave Providence the lead forcing UMass to settle for a tie.
• On Saturday night at Providence, the Friars jumped out with two first period goals before UMass could regroup with a score near the end of the period. Neither team scored in the second period. Providence went up by two again midway through the third before Michael Pereira scored an unassisted ‘hustle’ goal at 12:47. UMass could not break past Alex Beaudry the rest of the way, however, to find the equalizer.

STORY LINES Against Army/Sweden
• While Darren Rowe’s five-game point streak ended last Saturday at Providence, freshman Michael Pereira is currently riding a three-game point streak active (2 goals, 1 assist).
• Earlier this week, Team Sweden defeated Harvard 2-1 and lost at Merrimack 4-1.
• Despite falling to 0-4-2, every game but one has been a one-goal game.
• UMass has a power play goal in each of its last three games (3-for-14, 21.4%).
• UMass has 30+ shots in five of its six games this year.
• Defensemen have scored 10 of UMass’ 17 goals and accounted for 17 of 23 points.
• UMass rookies have accounted for 6 goals and 9 assists this year.
• Army will be just the second non-conference opponent and second non-ranked opponent UMass has faced this year in the first seven games.
• A 72-to-57 shot difference has led to a 9-to-3 first period goal advantage in favor of opponents.
• Five of UMass’ next seven games will be at home – the only away games will be a weekend series at New Hampshire.
• Senior goalie Paul Dainton will prove to be the glue of the team in both leadership and game experience. He will serve as the lone player to wear the ‘C’ on his sweater as team captain. This will also be his fourth year starting between the pipes where he is statisitcally one of the top goalies in program history just behind Jonathan Quick.
• UMass will once again face the defending NCAA National Champion as the Minutemen face Boston College on three occasions during the regular season. UMass will also face NCAA Finalists Wisconsin for a pair of games at the end of December in Madison. Last year marked the second straight season that 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 2-20 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.

Special Teams
• UMass has struggled early this season on the power play converting just 5-of-30 chances (16.7%), but has been 3-for-14 (21.4%) in the last three games. The PP unit has largely been revamped this year with the loss of four key members from last year.
• Darren Rowe leads the team with three power play goals this year.
• The penalty kill is 18-for-25 (72.0%) and coming of a 13-for-16 (81.2%) effort in the last four games.

Period Scoring
• First period scoring has been a problem for the Minutemen after the six three games where opponents hold a 9-3 advantage. The Minutemen hold the scoring advantage in the third period of games, 9-6.

The Sixth Skater
• UMass is 2-for-4 on scoring chances this season when needing to pull the goalie for the extra skater. Michael Marcou and T.J. Syner each have ‘EX’ goals this year.

Young Guns
• With 13 freshmen on the team this year, it is a fair assesment to say the Minutemen are a young team. The average age for the team is 20.7 years old. Six of UMass’ 30 players are under the age of 20.

Looking For A Lead
• Because the Minutemen have gotten off to slow starts this season they have not been able to play often with a lead. At Minnesota, the Minutemen fell behind three times by two goals in game one and three goals in the first period of game two. UMass surrendered two early first period goals in the game at Boston University only to come back with a pair of third period goals to tie the game.
• Darren Rowe gave UMass its first lead of the season with a power play goal late in the first period against the Terriers last Friday.
• UMass led Providence (10/29) on two occassions only to end up with a tie.

VS. RANKED TEAMS
• UMass is 0-3-1 this season against ranked teams. Nine teams on the schedule this year are either ranked or receiving votes currently.
• UMass was 9-8-0 vs. ranked teams in 2009-10 which was the program’s best all-time record against ranked teams. UMass had wins over #2 Boston University (Oct. 18), #9 Yale (Nov. 19), #18/17 Vermont (Nov. 24, Jan. 23), vs. #18 Union (12/29), a pair over #15 UMass Lowell (1/15-16), and a pair of wins at #17 Maine (3/5-6).
• 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 54-187-21 against ranked opponents including a 5-7-2 record at neutral sites and a 7-23-4 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.
HARD TO BEAT WHEN SCORING 3’S
• Over the last several years, UMass has been nearly unbeatable when scoring three or more goals in a game. The 2010-11 season started on a different note, however, as the Minutemen were able to score three and four goals at Minnesota and three against Boston University, yet were unable to get the ‘W’. UMass is 0-4-1 this year when scoring three or more goals.
• UMass was 17-5-0 when scoring three-or-more goals in 2009-10 and 1-13 when failing to.
• UMass was 15-4-0 in 2008-09 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 79 games where UMass scores four-or-more goals, the Minutemen are an amazing 72-6-1.

Good Start Equaled Good Finish In 2009-10
• A good first two periods of hockey usually was a good omen for UMass last season. The Minutemen were 14-7 this year when leading or tied after the first period. They were 4-11 when trailing. A lead or tie after the second period was even more crucial as UMass went 17-3-0 (1-15-0 when trailing).
• UMass’ only win last year when trailing after the second period came against #18 Union when the Minutemen scored three third-period goals for a 4-3 win.

MULLINS MAGIC
• UMass is 0-1-1 this season at the Mullins Center.
• UMass was 8-7-0 at home during the 2009-10 season including 6-7-0 record against Hockey East teams.
• 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 77 games at the Mullins Center, UMass is 43-26-8 (.610) including a 14-3-4 mark in 2006-07. All-time, UMass is 130-123-27 in the Mullins Center including a 78-107-21 record among Hockey East foes. Under Don Cahoon, UMass sports a 86-69-15 record at home.

FANS SET NEW HOME ATTENDANCE RECORD IN 2009-10
• The 2010-11 season started off on a good note attendance-wise as a home-opening record 7,021 fans came to the Boston University game on Oct. 22. The previous record for a home-opener was 5,862 against UMass Lowell in 2007.
• UMass averaged a school record 5,313 fans in 15 home games at the Mullins Center last year - a mark which ranked 12th nationally. In those 15 games, 79,690 fans came through the turnstiles.
• With 4,934 fans per home game, UMass ranked 13th nationally in attendance in 2008-09.
• UMass averaged a program-best 5,017 fans at home games in 2007-08 which was an all-time best for the program. 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, 2008 - a mark that also ranks as the ninth-best UMass hockey attendance for all venues. Fans tied that record on Feb. 5, 2009 against Boston College as well.

Coming Up Rowe’s
• In just six games, defenseman Darren Rowe has already surpassed his point production from last season. He enters the weekend with five goals and an assist. He had a team-best five-game point streak active until the loss at Providence. Last season, he had three assists in 26 games played. The multi-faceted defenseman also can play at forward and is a great scoring threat on the power play.
• Against Boston University, Rowe recorded his first career multi-goal game with two scores against the Terriers, earning second star of the game honors.

Pereira, Gracel Logging Good Minutes
• Offensively, Michael Pereira and Branden Gracel are making immediate impacts for the Minutemen. Pereira is the second leading scorer with 3 goals and 2 assists along with a plus-1 rating in six games. Gracel has 3 assists in 6 games and is one of UMass’ top face-off specialists (56-of-108, 51.9%).

Hobbs Lending A Helping Hand
• Assistant captain Danny Hobbs tallied three assists against Boston University, a new career high for the junior forward. Hobbs, playing on a line with T.J. Syner and Michael Pereira last Friday, assisted on a power play, even strength and extra attacker goal. So far this season, Hobbs has four assists in just four games, and is well on his way to surpassing his 2009-10 assist total of six.

Concannon a Physical Force
• A lot of what Marc Concannon adds to the Minutemen does not show up in the box score. A physical presence at power forward, Concannon has been having a strong start to the season. Aside from already having a goal and an assist, he has been making the plays UMass needs such as big hits, stealing the puck, and spot-on passing. A member of the penalty kill unit as well, Concannon is not afraid to put his body between a shooter and the goal to block shots.

Teglia Earns Rookie Of The Week Honors
• Jeff Teglia was named Hockey East Rookie of the Week after making 33 saves in his first collegiate start at Boston University on Oct. 16. Along with stopping all but two Terrier shots, Teglia helped keep Boston University off the board on the power play with the penalty kill a perfect 4-for-4. For the season, Teglia is posting a 3.54 GAA and a .894 save percentage.

Dainton Closing In On Saves Record
• Paul Dainton enters the weekend ranked 3rd all-time at UMass for saves (2,444) and is within reach of setting a new program record by year’s end. He needs 147 more to tie Gabe Winer for second and 606 to tie Brian Regan’s record of 3,050 saves.

Dainton Named Captain For 2010-11
• Senior goalie Paul Dainton has been named team captain for the 2010-11 season as announced by UMass hockey head coach Don “Toot” Cahoon. Dainton becomes the first goalie since Brian Regan in 1997-98 to wear the “C” for UMass. Juniors Danny Hobbs, Michael Marcou and T.J. Syner will serve as assistant captains for the Minutemen.
• In the history of the UMass hockey program dating back to 1909-10, Dainton is just the eighth goalie to ever be named Captain. David Buttrick was the first in 1917.

Dainton Candidate For Lowe’s Senior Class Award
• UMass senior captain Paul Dainton has been named one of 20 candidates for the 2010-11 Lowe’s Senior CLASS Men’s Ice Hockey Award as announced in mid-October. Dainton is the only goalie on the list and one of four representing Hockey East. The Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
• Last season, both Martin Nolet and Brett Watson were candidates. Nolet became one of the 10 finalists and earned Lowe’s Senior CLASS Second-Team All-American honors.

Syner Leading UMass Offense
• A member of last year’s potent scoring line alongside James Marcou and Casey Wellman, T.J. Syner will take on the bulk of that scoring responsibility this season. After six games, he already has five points with two goals and three assists. For his career, he is the active team leader as well with 70 games played, 17 goals, and 21 assists.

Marcou, Kublin Anchor Defense
• Michael Marcou and Doug Kublin are two of the top returning defensive skaters this year. Marcou, who is an excellent two-way blueliner, has two goals and three assists, while Kublin is more known as a strong, stay-at-home defender who scored his second career goal in the tie against Providence.

ROOKIE BLUELINERS
• With as much offense that was lost following last season, the loses of Justin Braun, Martin Nolet and Matt Irwin on defense was overshadowed a bit. Freshmen Conor Allen, Colin Shea and Adam Phillips have been able to contribute right away - not just on regular shifts, but also on special teams. Shea has two assists, a plus-1 rating and has taken just one penalty. At 6-foot-1, 203 pounds, Allen provides a strong phsyical presence on the ice, while Phillips at 6-foot-6, also provides size on the blueline.

One Moore Minute Takes You Behind The Scenes Of UMass Hockey
• Be sure to check out “One Moore Minute” on UMassAthletics.com. Throughout the season goalie Kevin Moore will take fans behind the scenes of UMass hockey to see what goes on off the ice and outside the lockerroom.

HOCKEY’S A FAMILY LEGACY
• For two Minutemen, hockey is truly a family tradition. Eddie Olczyk and Shawn Saunders each grew up around NHL rinks as their fathers played professionally. 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. Saunder’s uncle is ESPN talent John Saunders who also makes trips out to see his nephew play.

Battle of the Brothers
• The first two Hockey East games of the year pitted brother vs. brother as UMass freshman forward Michael Pereira and his older brother, Joe, a Boston University senior forward and captain, faced each other on the ice for the first time. Both Pereira’s had multi-point weekends in their respective season openers, with Michael netting his first collegiate goal and adding an assist at Minnesota while Joe picked up three goals to help the Terriers capture the Ice Breaker Tournament in St. Louis.
• In the 2-2 tie between UMass and BU, the pair started the game opposite each other. Michael did not record any points, but Joe had an assist. According to Scott Weighart’s USCHO.com recap “Walking out of Agganis Arena, a member of the Pereira clan — clad in a half-BU, half-UMass jersey — said, ‘I like that score!’”
• Minuteman freshman defenseman Colin Shea will also go toe-to-toe with his older brother Edwin when UMass takes on Boston College later this season. The first matchup will take place February 4 in Chestnut Hill. Both Shea’s played for the Boston Junior Bruins of the EJHL before attending college.

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 147-188-33 record at UMass in 11 seasons. Overall, in 24 years as a head coach, Cahoon is 327-361-69.

Hello, Nice To Meet You
• UMass lost six players from 2009-10 to graduation and three underclassmen to the professional ranks. To replace those players, the Minutemen welcome in 13 freshmen to the program for 2010-11.
• Along with one redshirt freshman and five sophomores, UMass has 19 underclassmen.
• The Mass Attack has seven members of its senior class along with four juniors.

GEOGRAPHIC DIVERSITY
• The 2010-11 UMass roster features players from 14 different states and Canadian provinces. From Massachusetts to California, UMass has a diverse group of players from across North America.
• Eight Minutemen hail from Massachusetts while three represent Illinois, New York, Ontario, and Quebec.

MINUTEMEN EARN ACADEMIC HONORS
• 13 players earned Hockey East All-Academic honors in 2009-10 giving UMass the most among the league membership. This was the fifth consecutive season the UMass had 10-or-more student-athletes honored on the team.
• Djan Lefebvre was also named to the Hockey East Academic All-Star Team for having the highest grade point average among all league defensemen.
• Martin Nolet and Brett Watson were named “Distinguished Scholars” for posting a 3.0 GPA for every semester of their career.
• Michael Lecomte, James Marcou, T.J. Syner and Casey Wellman were UMass’ other honorees who had acheived academic success for multiple seasons.
Five Minutemen Go Pro Following 2009-10 Season
• Justin Braun, Matt Irwin, James Marcou, Will Ortiz, and Casey Wellman all turned pro following the 2009-10 season. Braun, Irwin and Marcou signed with the San Jose Sharks, while Wellman signed with the Minnesota Wild. Ortiz signed with the Cincinnati Cyclones of the ECHL helping them win the Kelly Cup Championship.
• Irwin, Marcou and Wellman all left school early to sign pro. Wellman jumped straight to the Wild, while Braun, Irwin and Marcou played for the Worcester Sharks of the AHL.

Check Out The New Sweaters
• In the home opener against Boston University, UMass had a surprise for its fans. The Minutemen debuted a new set of uniforms that were white with Maroon shoulder trim and a running Sam The Minuteman logo emblazoned on the chest.

2010-11 OFFENSIVE OVERVIEW
• The Minutemen head into 2010-11 with the loss of their top five scorers from last season. That group accounted for 177 of UMass’ 289 points and 62 of UMass’ 105 goals.
• T.J. Syner and Rocco Carzo are the team’s top returning scorers. Syner had 8 goals and 12 assists last season giving him 15 and 18, respectively, in 64 career games. Carzo was named the team’s Rookie of the Year after scoring six goals and six assists in 32 games.
• Senior forwards Marc Concannon, Danny Hobbs, Brian Keane, Chase Langeraap, Michael Lecomte, and Shawn Saunders have all contributed throughout their careers, but will be looked to for increased scoring productivity in 2010-11.
• Along with Carzo, sophomores Kevin Czepiel and Eddie Olczyk saw significant action last season and will be counted on to make an impact this season.

2010-11 DEFENSIVE OVERVIEW
• UMass graduated its top two defensemen in All-American Justin Braun and Academic All-American Martin Nolet in 2009-10 coupled with the departure of sophomore Matt Irwin to the NHL. Senior Doug Kublin and junior Michael Marcou are the top returning defensemen entering 2010-11. Sophomore Darren Rowe played in 26 games last season, while fellow sophomore Mike Donnellan played in eight. After redshirting 2009-10, Minnesota native Anthony Raiola will be available in the pairings this season. Four freshmen defensemen join the squad in Conor Allen (6-1, 203), Colin Shea (6-2, 170), Adam Phillips (6-6, 184), and Joel Hanley (6-0, 180).
• In goal, UMass returns senior netminder Paul Dainton who has proven capable and dependable throughout his career. The British Columbia native has a 2.70 career GAA and a .908 save percentage in 91 games. Backing up Dainton will be junior Kevin Moore and freshman Jeff Teglia. Moore has been with the team for the past two years, but has not received any game action. Teglia was an 2010 USHL All-Star with the Omaha Lancers.

UMass Hockey Show Airs ON CBS3
• Looking to provide fans with the best in-depth cover of UMass Athletics, CBS3 Springfield, the official television home of the Minutemen, produced the UMass Hockey Season Preview Show which is available to watch on UMassAthletics.com. The 30-minute show will have feature stories on several key skaters, look back at the Minnesota series to show fans several of the new players, and give insight on the team from head coach Don “Toot” Cahoon.

UMASS FEATURED 23 TIMES ON TV
• A total of 23 games including 13 games on CBS3Now, four on NESN, and one on CBS College Sports have been announced for the UMass hockey 2010-11 season. This is the most comprehensive television package in program history for UMass fans. Additionally, nearly every game this season will feature online streaming video for fans.

1510 The Zone To Carry UMass Hockey In Boston
• Fans in Boston will be able to listen to UMass hockey along with Coach Don Cahoon’s weekly radio show on WWZN AM 1510 “The Zone” this season. The Zone joins WRNX 100.9 FM in Springfield - the flagship radios station of the UMass Sports Network - in carrying the Minutemen this season.

Streaming Video Updates; CBS To Air UMass Hockey
• UMass launched a new streaming video platform over the summer enhancing fans ability to watch the Minutemen all season long. The Flash-based video player will work on any computer and is presented in a wide-screen format.
• In addition to the updates to the streaming video, UMass will also air select games throughout the year on CBS’ digital cable channel throughout Western Massachusetts bring the Mass Attack to your television.

Scoreboard

Players Mentioned

Darren Rowe

Scoreboard

University of Massachusets Athletics