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Quick Hits: Home Weekend Vs. Notre Dame
- In their last game action before breaking for final exams the Minutemen dropped a pair of home games to Notre Dame, Dec. 5-6, 7-5 and 4-0.
- The 7-5 setback saw seven goals come in the third period, five for the Irish and two for the Minutemen.
- Redshirt sophomore Frank Vatrano capped off a three-game goal-scoring streak in the Friday night contest against the Irish, pocketing his team-leading sixth and seventh goals of the season while also adding an assist for his second multi-point game and multi-goal game of the year, tying a career high with three points.
- After being held off the score sheet for the first four games of the season, Vatrano now has 12 points over the past 11 games (7g, 5a) and is tied for the team lead in scoring.
- Redshirt senior Troy Power logged a goal and an assist on Dec. 5 vs. Notre Dame for his second multi-point game of the season and ninth of his career.
- Freshman Anthony Petrella netted his first collegiate goal in the third period against Notre Dame on Dec. 5, which also marked his first collegiate point. He his the fifth member of the Minutemen's freshman class to register a goal this season, bringing the class total to 13 on the year in 15 games.
- Freshman Dennis Kravchenko contributed an assist against Notre Dame on Dec. 5, his sixth of the year and 11th point.
- Sophomore Steven Iacobellis registered an assist in the Friday meetign vs. the Irish, his eighth of the season and 12th point overall, tying him for the team lead in scoring. He is just two shy of matching his season total in helpers from his freshman campaign, 10 in 34 games in 2013-14.
- Freshman Keith Burchett picked up his first collegiate on Dec. 5 against Notre Dame, his third point of the season (2g, 1a)
in 13 games.
- Junior Shane Walsh scored his second goal of the year on Dec. 5 vs. the Irish, one shy of matching his career high of three goals in 28 games as a freshman in 2012-13.
- Sophomore Brennan Baxandall's assist against the Irish on Dec. 5 was his third career point and third of the season in 10 games. Baxandall skated as a forward for the first time in his career in the contest.
- 74 of UMass' 107 points (69.2%) have been provided by members of the freshman and sophomore classes and 28 of 40 goals (70.0%). - The Minutemen are seventh nationally in underclassmen scoring (4.93 points per-game), sixth in goals per-game (1.87).
New Kid On The Block
- UMass hockey recently added its 10th member of the freshman class with defenseman Brandon Montour joining the squad from the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL, eligible immediately.
- Back in July, Montour became the highest draft pick in UMass history (surpassing current Los Angeles Kings' goaltender Jonathan Quick - third round, 72nd overall in 2005), when the Anaheim Ducks selected him in the second round of the 2014 NHL Entry Draft (55th overall).
- The 6-0, 190-pound native of Ohsweken Ontario was named both the USHL Defenseman of the Year and USHL Player of the Year in 2013-14 after appearing in all 60 regular season games and totaling 62 points on 14 goals and 48 assists
- Montour finished his USHL career with 83 points on 20 goals and 63 assists over 77 games played (1.08 points per-game), including 21 points (6g, 15a) in 17 games this season.
- Also an accomplished lacrosse player, Montour won a Minto Cup national championship in the summer of 2014 with the Six Nations Arrows.
Young Guns
- UMass' nine-man freshman class has provided 13 of UMass' 40 goals on the season through 15 games and 29 of the squad's 107 points.
- The Minutemen are eighth in the nation in goals per-game by freshmen (.87), tied for ninth goals by freshmen (13) and tied for 18th in points (29).
- Individually, Dennis Kravchenko is tied for 16th nationally in points by a freshman (11) and is tied for 12th in goals (5), while ranking 16th in points per-game (0.73). He is fifth in Hockey East in freshman scoring.
- Keith Burchett and Kravchenko have each posted multi-goal games thus far, while Patrick Lee has logged three multi-point efforts at Michigan State (1g, 2a - 10/18), at Maine (1g, 1a - 10/31) and at #14 Quinnipiac (2a - 11/29). Kravchenko registered his second mutli-point game of the year with a goal and an assist against American International.
- In the Minutemen's win at Michigan State on Oct. 18, underclassmen contributed 11 of the team's 12 points on the night.
- In UMass' victory at Michigan State, Lee scored the game winner and also collected a pair of assists for a three-point night, his first three points of his collegiate career. His goal came with just 9.9 seconds remaining in the third period, the latest a game-winning goal has been scored in regulation in the Modern Era of UMass hockey.
Trio Of Upperclassmen Off To Solid Starts To 2014-15
- Seniors Zack LaRue, Oleg Yevenko and junior Shane Walsh have provided the Minutemen with offensive contributions in the early goings of the 2014-15 campaign.
- With seven points on four goals and three assists over 15 games, LaRue has already surpassed his previous career high in goals and points in a season (2-3-5 in 21 GP in 2012-13). He had 10 career points over 69 career games entering the 2014-15 campaign.
- Yevenko has four assists in 15 games, setting a new career high for helpers and a career best in points (previous was 3 in 33 GP in 2011-12).
- Walsh has two goals and four assists for six points in 15 games after posting a 1-3-4 stat line in 33 games in 2013-14. Walsh also holds a 52.0% (78-for-150) faceoff percentage on the year.
Dill Claims Rookie Accolade
- Freshman goaltender Henry Dill was selected as the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Monday, Oct. 27. It marked the first honor of Dill's career and the second for the Minutemen from Hockey East this season following sophomore Steven Iacobellis' Player of the Week nod the previous week.
- In his first two Hockey East starts of his career, Dill made a total of 69 stops over the pair of contests for a .932 save percentage on the weekend to go along with a 2.51 goals-against average to help UMass to a 1-1-0 weekend on the road.
- On Oct. 24, he backstopped the Minutemen to their first Hockey East win of the season, turning aside 42 shots en route to a 3-2 victory over Northeastern and was selected as the No. 1 Star of the Game. His 42 stops were the most by a UMass netminder since Paul Dainton `11 made 44 vs. Vermont on Nov. 23, 2010.
Dill's Debut
- Freshman Henry Dill made his first collegiate start in net for the Minutemen night on Oct. 18 Michigan State and made 28 saves en route to his first collegiate win.
- Dill is the first UMass netminder to win his starting debut since Dan Myers backstopped the Minutemen to a 3-2 win over Sacred Heart on Oct. 13, 2006. He is the first to win a debut on the road since Jonathan Quick picked up a 4-2 win at Clarkson on Oct. 15, 2005.
A Fine Line
- UMass' line of sophomores Ray Pigozzi, Steven Iacobellis and Patrick Lee had a huge night as the Minutemen defeated Michigan State on Oct. 18. The trio contributed 10 of the Minutemen's 11 points in the contest, including teaming up for the game-winning goal. Iacobellis finished the evening with four points (2g, 2a), while Pigozzi (3a) and Lee (1g, 2a) had three apiece.
Iacobellis Honored
- Sophomore forward Steven Iacobellis was named the Hockey East Player of the Week on Oct. 20 as well as the co-UMass Athlete of the Week.
- Iacobellis, who earned his first career Hockey East accolade and second career UMass honor, factored in all four of the Minutemen's goals in a 4-3 come-from-behind win at Michigan State on Oct. 18, posting a career-high four points on two goals and two assists.
-The Port Coquitlam, B.C., native scored the game-tying goal late in the third period and set up the game-winning goal with 9.9 seconds left in regulation. Iacobellis was +3 over the two games against the Spartans and won 21 of 41 faceoffs on the weekend (51.2%), as well.
- Iacobellis became the first Minuteman to win Hockey East Player of the Week since Feb. 4, 2013.
Minutemen Featured In NCAA Plays Of The Week
- The Minutemen made an appearance in the NCAA's Top 5 Plays of the Week on Dec. 2 with Frank Vatrano's goal at No. 2, UMass' third Play of the Week this season.
- UMass hockey owned two of the NCAA's Top 5 Plays of the Week on Oct. 21, with Jake Horton's goal at Michigan State coming in at No. 3, and Patrick Lee's game winning tally coming in at No. 1, the Minutemen's first-ever No. 1 play.
- Last season, UMass cracked the Top Plays countdown on five occasions.
Youth On Display In Exhibition Win Over Dalhousie
- Four goals from freshmen propelled the UMass hockey team to a 5-2 exhibition win over Dalhousie on Oct. 4 at the Mullins Center. All five tallies by the Minutemen came from underclassmen, including a pair from freshman Dennis Kravchenko.
- Eight of the freshmen who saw action in the contest combined for six of UMass' 12 points in the contest with goals from Kravchenko, Jake Horton and Dominic Trento and assists from Riley McDougall and Keith Burchett.
- Redshirt sophomore Frank Vatrano, who enters 2014-15 as a relative newcomer after appearing in only one game last season, registered a goal and an assist in the win over Dalhousie.
- Freshman goaltender Henry Dill also made eight saves on nine shots, playing 20 minutes in net for the Minutemen in the contest.
Second Act
- Sophomore Steven Iacobellis is the team's leading returning scorer from 2013-14 after he became the first UMass true freshman to reach the 10-goal mark in a season since 2014 graduates Michael Pereira and Adam Phillips did so in 2010-11.
- Iacobellis was honored as the team's 2013-14 Rookie of the Year after he tied for third on the team in scoring with 21 points on 11 goals and 10 assists.
- He saw significant time on both the power play and penalty kill units, tallying six power-play goals (third on the team), one short-handed goal and had two game-winners, as well.
- In 2013-14, Iacobellis ranked fourth among Division I freshmen with 383 faceoff wins and was eighth in faceoff winning percentage (.563, 383-for-680), while finishing the year tied for 16th among the nation's freshmen in goals scored and third in power-play goals.
Captain Back
- Redshirt senior Troy Power is wearing the captain's "C" for a second season for the Minutemen in 2014-15, the program's ninth two-year captain in program history (fourth in the Modern Era) and first since Brett Watson (2008-09, 2009-10).
- Power, who is in his fifth season with UMass as a result of receiving a medical redshirt for 2011-12, is coming off a breakout 2013-14 campaign that saw him log career highs in points (17) and goals (10) and tie a career best in assists (7).
LaRue And Yevenko Named Alternate Captains
- Seniors Zack LaRue and Oleg Yevenko were named UMass hockey alternate captains for the 2014-15 season, the team announced prior to the squad's season opener against Boston University.
- The pair played a combined 165 games over three previous seasons with the Minutemen and will bolster the leadership of redshirt senior captain Troy Power.
- "I am excited for and proud of Zach and Oleg," said head coach John Micheletto. "They've approached each day since last season with a positive attitude, competitive spirit and helpfulness. These traits have helped cement the respect of their teammates and put them in a great position to help our captain, Troy Power, lead us to great things this season."
An Eventful Summer
- Senior defenseman Oleg Yevenko is coming off an eventful summer that saw him face top international competition at the 2014 IIHF World Championship in his hometown of Minsk, Belarus. Yevenko was the only player to participate in the tournament with any NCAA eligibility remaining.
- At the World Championship, Yevenko saw action in all eight of Team Belarus' contests, playing a total of 142:58 with a time on ice average of 17:52 per-game.
- He logged two assists and was +3 with five shots, helping Belarus reach the quarterfinals with a record of 4-3 in the preliminary round.
- Yevenko also attended Bruins' Development Camp, his third NHL rookie camp invitation of his career, after going to development camps with the New Jersey Devils in 2013 and the New York Islanders in 2012.
- As a junior in 2013-14, Yevenko appeared in 32 games and recorded one assist and a team-high 63 blocked shots to rank eighth in Hockey East.
Two By Two
- UMass' freshman class features three pairs of Minutemen who were teammates in juniors: Patrick Lee and Maddison Smiley played together with the Brooks Bandits for three seasons (2011-14), Jake Horton and Henry Dill were teammates with the Aberdeen Wings in 2013-14 and Dennis Kravchenko and Keith Burchett were teammates with the Sioux Falls Stampede in 2013-14.
- Kravchenko was also a teammate of Minuteman senior goaltender Steve Mastalerz for two seasons at Kimball Union Academy where current UMass assistant coach Ryan Miller served as their head coach.
All They Do Is Win, Win, Win
- The freshman class has come to Amherst with quite the reputation of winning as seven individuals (two with the same junior team--Patrick Lee and Maddison Smiley) won a combined three junior league championships, two high school hockey state titles, a Gold medal at the World Junior A Championships, a USA Hockey National Championship and a Canadian National Junior A Championship.
- They not only won titles, but they also played important roles in those championship runs. When Lee and Smiley won back-to-back AJHL league titles as well as the 2013 RBC Cup National championship (Canada's National Junior A Championship) with the Brooks Bandits, Lee led the squad in postseason scoring in 2013 and Smiley was named the 2013 AJHL Playoff MVP.
- Anthony Petrella was the leading goal scorer (34g) and second in points (66) for Shattuck-St. Mary's in their USA Hockey National Championship season in 2013-14.
- Dominic Trento collected 2012-13 EJHL Playoffs Most Valuable Player honors after helping the New Jersey Hitmen to the league crown.
- Dennis Kravchenko captained Team USA to the Gold medal at the World Junior A Championships in the Fall of 2013.
- In addition to his Minnesota State AA title in hockey with Benilde-St. Margaret's in 2011-12, Jake Horton also won a high school state championship in soccer in 2011, scoring goals in all three games of the state tournament.
Success In The Classroom
- Headlined by defenseman Oleg Yevenko's Top Scholar-Athlete honor and three Academic All-Star Team members, 11 student-athletes from the UMass hockey program were named to the Hockey East All-Academic Team in 2013-14. The honorees achieved a grade point average of 3.0 or better in each of the two academic periods during which they were actively competing.
- Yevenko was one of two individuals recognized as Hockey East's Top Scholar-Athlete with a perfect 4.0 GPA for the season. He was also one of three Minutemen on the Hockey East Academic All-Star team for top grade point average by position, along with second-time Academic All-Star forward Evan Stack and goaltender Alex Wakaluk. Stack and Wakaluk boasted GPAs of 3.97 and 3.92, respectively.
- The 11 All-Academic Team selections were the most for the program since 2009-10 when a record-tying 13 Minutemen were recognized.
A Captain's Blog
- Redshirt senior co-captain Troy Power has been blogging about his experiences with the team this season on a weekly basis in "Inside The Glass with Troy Power." New posts are added to UMassAthletics.com every week.
Hitting The Century Mark
- Three Minutemen entered the 2014-15 season on the verge of hitting the century mark in career games played.
- Senior Oleg Yevenko played in his 100th career game at Northeastern on Oct. 24. Steven Guzzo reached the milestone on Oct. 31 at Maine.
- Redshirt senior Troy Power has reached the milestone, as well, playing in his 100th career game on Nov. 21 against Boston College and scoring his first goal of the season in that contest.
Vs. Ranked Teams
- The Minutemen posted their first win over a ranked opponent in 2014-15 on Nov. 28, 3-2 at #14 Quinnipiac.
- UMass went 2-13-2 against ranked teams in 2013-14 with wins over #13/11 Notre Dame and #12 Northeastern.
- The Minutemen opened up the previous season with five games against ranked foes over its first six contests and went 4-9-2 against ranked teams in 2012-13, including wins over #9 New Hampshire (11/2), #8 Dartmouth (12/31), #2 Boston College (1/18) and #11/9 Boston University (2/1).
- UMass was 7-9-1 against ranked teams in 2011-12 with wins over #1 Boston College (11/15), #17 Yale (12/7), #13 Cornell (12/29), #4 Boston College (1/13), #1 Boston University (2/10, at #11 Maine (2/18) and vs. #12 Merrimack (3/2).
- In 2010-11, the Minutemen posted an 0-16-3 record against ranked teams.
- UMass record of 9-8-0 in 2009-10 was the program's best all-time record against ranked foes. UMass had wins over #2 Boston University (10/18), #9 Yale (11/19), #18/17 Vermont (11/24, 1/23), 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 67-210-26 against ranked opponents including a 6-4-1 record at neutral sites and a 11-31-5 record against non-conference teams.
- UMass posted its fourth-ever win over a #1-ranked team, its first-ever on the road, on Feb. 10, 2012, 3-2 at Boston University. It was the squad's second over a #1 on the season. On Nov. 5, 2011, the Minutemen earned a 4-2 victory over Boston College in the Mullins Center. Previously, UMass had defeated then #1-ranked Boston University, 5-1, on Nov. 14, 2008 - also at the Mullins Center. The first came in 1994-95 with a 4-2 win over #1 Maine on Jan. 28. In the modern era, UMass is 4-14-1 against teams ranked #1.
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