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UMass Heads To Top-Seeded Boston College For Hockey East Quarterfinals
• For the second straight season, the UMass hockey team will head to Chestnut Hill to square off with Boston College in the first round of the Hockey East Tournament, beginning Friday night at Conte Forum. The Minutemen secured the eighth and final playoff spot with a tie against No. 14 Maine on Saturday, and will now take on the defending Hockey East and National Champion Eagles in a best-of-three set.
• The Minutemen finished the regular season in eighth place in the league standings with 16 points (5-16-6). UMass narrowly beat out Providence, which would have overtaken UMass via tiebreaker had Massachusetts lost to Maine on the final day of the regular season.
• Boston College, who enters the weekend ranked second in the country swept the season series with the Mass Attack, 3-0-0, with two of UMass’ losses coming by just one goal.
BROADCAST INFORMATION
• All games will be broadcast live on the Flagship Station of UMass Athletics, 100.9 FM WRNX, with John Hennessy calling the play-by-play and Brock Hines providing color commentary. The pregame show for both games will begin 30 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Links for streaming video, audio, and live stats can be found at UMassAthletics.com.
• Every Hockey East Quarterfinal game will be streamed live by Pack Network (HockeyEastOnline.tv) for $7.95 per game, with the exception of Saturday’s Maine vs. Merrimack game on NESN. Fans can purchase a tournament pass for $39.95 and watch all games simultaneously on the web browser.
UMass In The Hockey East Playoffs
• This is the 9th consecutive year that UMass has qualified for the Hockey East Tournament and the 14th time overall since joining the league in 1994-95. UMass is 9-22 in Tournament games.
• UMass has reached the HEA Semifinals on three occasions (3 of the last 8 years) facing New Hampshire each time: 2007 (L, 3-2 OT); 2004 (W, 5-2); and 2003 (L, 5-4).
• UMass reached the Championship Game once - in 2004 in an epic 2-1 three overtime loss to Maine - considered one of the best Hockey East games ever played.
• Boston College swept the Minutemen in two games in last year’s Quarterfinal series with scores of 6-5 and 5-2, respectively. In Game One, The Minutemen nearly overcame a three-goal deficit in the third period with two quick goals in the first minute of the frame and holding a 14-7 edge in shots. With the score tied at two in the second game of the series, BC exploded for a three goal third period to eliminate the Minutemen.
The Series With Boston College
• The Eagles swept the Minutemen, 3-0-0, in the regular season series, with two of the three games played at Conte Forum. The Eagles lead the all-time series, 47-10-3.
• UMass and Boston College first met in the Hockey East Tournament in 1995 - the Minutemen’s first ever apperance in the playoffs. UMass won that play-in game 5-4 before losing to Maine in the Quarterfinals. Before last season, the only other time UMass and Boston College had met in the post-season was 2005 where the Eagles defeated UMass 2-1 in overtime and 5-1 in two quarterfinal games. Boston College would advance to win the Hockey East Tournament title that season.
• UMass last won at Conte Forum on Nov. 17, 2007 by a score of 3-2 thanks in part to 30 saves by Paul Dainton. In his career, Dainton has five 30+ save games against Boston College including a career-high 39 which he set on Nov. 22, 2008. In the Feb. 26 overtime loss at Boston College this year, Dainton made 31 saves.
LAST TIME: UMass Picks Up A Point In Two Games vs. #14 Maine
• In a battle for the final playoff spot in the last weekend of the regular season, the Minutemen took one-of-four points against No. 14 Maine, thanks to a big third period on Saturday.
• On Friday, UMass trailed 3-0 in the third period before the offense came alive with three scores in 1:27. Robby Dee, however, scored the eventual game-winner with 9:57 left in regulation for a 4-3 Black Bear victory.
• The Minutemen found themselves in a similar situation on Saturday as Maine potted three goals in the first period. UMass began to chip away in the second as Rocco Carzo scored his first goal of the season before the Mass Attack score three times in the third period. Dee, however, knotted the game at four with 1:45 left in regulation to force overtime and the eventual draw, sending the Minutemen into the playoffs.
• Paul Dainton made several game-changing stops throughout the weekend, highlighted by 23 saves during the second, third and overtime periods on Saturday.
STORY LINES: Boston College
• UMass has had five of the last six games decided by one goal and eight straight decided by one or fewer goals.
• UMass is 1-10 this season in 1-goal games
• After going 0-for-33 on the power play in the previous six games, UMass is 5-for-27 with the extra-man in the last six games.
• UMass has made a habit recently of generating offense late in games- the Minutemen six third period goals last weekend against Maine and have seven third period scores in the last four games.
• Assistant captain Danny Hobbs has been playing well of late with 12 goals and 17 assists in the last 22 games played ... He has 4 multi-point games in the last 14 outings.
• Michael Pereira now has 12 goals and 13 assists which is tied for second in Hockey East Rookie Scoring with 25 points ... He leads all rookies in goals with 12.
• Chase Langeraap has 8 goals and 8 assists in this season ... He has scored 11 points in his last 16 games and has tallied a point in 12-of-18 games since the New Year.
• T.J. Syner has a 9-game active point streak entering the weekend (2g, 7a), the longest for any Minuteman this season.
• Paul Dainton now holds the UMass all-time career saves record with 3,165 passing Brian Regan who posted 3,050 saves from 1994-98.
• Paul Dainton will serve as team captain in 2010-11 and is just the eighth goalie in program history to serve in that role. Dainton was named one of 20 candidates for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award. He is the only goalie on the list.
• 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.
Special Teams
• UMass has struggled this season on the power play converting 21-of-163 chances (12.9%). After a 1-for-41 effort over eight games, the Minutemen have gone 5-for-27 over the last six games. The PP unit has largely been revamped this year with the loss of four key members from last year.
• The penalty kill is 114-for-147 (77.6%) for the season ... The Minutemen only allowed three power play opportunities to Maine last weekend.
First Period Scoring Critical
• In six of the last 18 games, UMass has posted two goals in each of the first periods ... After being outscored in the first period by a fairly wide margin early in the season, UMass now trails opponents 25-to-34 in first period goals.
• The second period has become an issues, however, with UMass trailing opponents 30-to-41.
Scoring Breakdown
• 54 of UMass’ goals this year have been scored in 5x5 situations, the remainder of the 31 goals have come in penalty situations. UMass has 17 power play goals, three 5x3 goals, 7 4x4 goals and 3 goals with the extra skater (6x5). UMass has not scored a shorthanded goal 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.
• UMass freshmen have now scored 39 of 85 goals this season and 62 of 141 assists.
Looking For A Lead
• When UMass is able to jump out to a first period lead, the Minutemen are 5-5-2 this season. If the Minutemen carry that past the second period, they are 5-1-0. Trailing after two periods is not a good omen, however, as UMass is 0-17-4 for the year.
Offense, Defense Click In UMass Wins
• When UMass wins, the Minutemen play well on both sides of the ice. Offensively, they average nearly five goals per game while allowing just under two. The power play unit converts at 25.9% which is 10 points higher than all games combined, while the penalty kill unit is 25-for-27 (92.6% - nearly 13 points higher than normal).
• Paul Dainton is the goalie of record in each of UMass’ wins with a 1.67 GAA and a .948 save percentage allowing 10 goals while making 181 saves.
• UMass also wins the faceoff battle when it wins averaging 55% (186-of-338) and averages 11 minutes of penalty time compared to 16.6 minutes in all games combined.
MULLINS MAGIC
• UMass is 4-8-4 this season at the Mullins Center.
• Over the last 91 games at the Mullins Center, UMass is 47-33-101 (.590) including a 14-3-4 mark in 2006-07. All-time, UMass is 134-130-30 in the Mullins Center including a 81-113-24 record among Hockey East foes. Under Don Cahoon, UMass sports a 90-76-18 record at home.
VS. RANKED TEAMS
• UMass is 0-16-3 this season against ranked teams. Seven 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).
• All-time, UMass is 54-200-23 against ranked opponents including a 5-7-2 record at neutral sites and a 7-25-4 record against non-conference teams.
• UMass posted its second ever win over a No. 1-ranked team on Friday, Nov. 14, 2009 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 New Hampshire and Maine, yet were unable to get the ‘W’. UMass is 6-9-4 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 86 games where UMass scores four-or-more goals, the Minutemen are an amazing 78-6-2.
FANS SET 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.
• 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.
Pereira One Of Nation’s Top Rookies
• Michael Pereira has quickly established himself as one of the top rookie scorers in Hockey East and in the nation. Pereira is tied for the team lead in points with 10 goals and 13 assists along with a plus-5 rating in 30 games. Pereira is second in Hockey East in Rookie Scoring. Nationally, he is 22nd in rookie scoring (0.78 p/gm).
Gracel Becoming Center Of Attention
• Rookie center Branden Gracel is making an immediate impact for the Minutemen. He has 4 goals and 9 assists in 31 games and is one of UMass’ top face-off specialists (208-of-411, 51%). Gracel scored his first collegiate goal against New Hampshire on Nov. 13.
Dainton Rewrites UMass Goalie Record Book
• Paul Dainton set three program records two weeks ago in the series conclusion with Boston College. The senior goalie set a new UMass record for career saves (3,165), games played (121), and minutes played (6,929).
• He ranks 2nd behind former All-American and current L.A. Kings goalie Jon Quick in career save percentage (.908) and goals-against-average (2.77).
Hobbs Having Breakout Year
• Assistant captain Danny Hobbs is in the midst of having the best season of his career. So far this season, Hobbs has 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points in 29 games - all career best totals.
• Hobbs has seven multi-point games this season and had a six-game point streak in place (2g, 6a) from Dec. 30-to-Jan. 15.
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 33 games, he has 27 points with 9 goals and 18 assists. For his career, he is the active team leader as well with 97 games played, 24 goals, and 36 assists.
• Along with regular shifts, the Springfield native plays on UMass’ top penalty kill, power play, 4x4 and 5x3 units. He is referred to as a “world class skater” and one of the fastest skaters in the country.
Langeraap Having Best Season Of Career
• Senior forward Chase Langeraap is having the best season of his four-year career thanks mostly to consistent health. In 2010-11, Langeraap has 8 goals and 8 assists and has been a key member of the power play unit in addition to his normal shifts on the ice. In his previous three years, Langeraap fought through injury in his freshman and junior seasons playing 21 and 20 games respectively.
Big Phil Has A Big Shot
• Freshman blueliner Adam Phillips has not only made an impact on the defensive side of the ice, but his booming shot from the point on the power play and instinct on when to crash the net has yielded eight goals this year - the second most on the team. Of his eight goals, Phillips leads the team with five power play tallies. Phillips was previously a forward before being converted to a defenseman in his year with the Indiana Ice.
• Phillips is the only defenseman in Hockey East to have double digit goals, and is one of only six blueliners in the nation to reach 10 scores.
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 2 goals and 5 assists, 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, including a huge block in the final seconds of overtime against Maine last weekend.
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 A Candidate For Senior Class & Humanitarian Awards
• 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 and one of 25 candidates for the Hockey Humanitarian Award as announced in late January. 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.
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 three goals and seven assists, while Kublin is more known as a strong, stay-at-home defender who scored his fourth career goal in the win over UMass Lowell (12/4) and was a career-best +4 at Vermont (1/22). The duo was able to limit Maine’s top line of Flynn, House and Nyquist to limited damage last weekend.
ROOKIE BLUELINERS
• With as much offense that was lost following last season, the loses of Justin Braun, Martin Nolet and Matt Irwin on defense were overshadowed a bit. Freshmen Conor Allen, Joel Hanley, Colin Shea and Adam Phillips have been able to contribute right away - not just on regular shifts, but also on special teams. Shea has a goal, 4 assists, an even rating and has taken just six penalties, while Hanley has 3 goals and 15 assists. 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 and has 10 goals and 5 assists as well.
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 played his older brother Edwin when UMass took on Boston College on February 4th. The next matchup will take place this weekend. 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 153-205-37 record at UMass in 11 seasons. Overall, in 24 years as a head coach, Cahoon is 333-378-73.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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