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Quick Hits: Providence Weekend Split
- UMass split its home-and-home with Providence last weekend with both games going to ovetime. The Minutemen fell to the Friars, 3-2 on Friday before defeating Providence, 2-1 on Saturday on Senior Night at the Mullins Center.
- Junior Shane Walsh and senior Zack LaRue provided the goals for the Minutemen in the setback on Friday.
- Walsh’s marked his 12th of the season, his 10th tally since Jan. 2, currently a 14-game span. - LaRue’s goal was his fifth of the year and first since being sidelined for five games due to an illness in Dec./Jan.
- Freshman Dominic Trento picked up an assist on Walsh’s goal, his seventh point in his past seven games.
- Junior Ben Gallacher contributed his fourth assist in the past seven contests on Friday at PC.
- On Saturday, redshirt sophomore Frank Vatrano scored the overtime game winner for his team-leading 17th tally of the season.
- His 17 goals on the year match the seventh highest total for a Minuteman in the Hockey East era.
- It was UMass’ first overtime game winner since Nov. 11, 2012 when Darren Rowe scored in the extra frame to lift the Minutemen to a 2-1 win over New Hampshire.
- Freshman Dennis Kravchenko logged a pair of assists in the victory for his ninth multi-point game of the year and now has a team-high 30 points on the season.
- Freshman Maddison Smiley netted his first career goal in the win, as well, becoming the ninth UMass freshman to register a goal this season.
- Sophomore Steven Iacobellis tied a career high with his 21st point of the year as he collected an assist on the night.
- Senior goaltender Steve Mastalerz had 40 and 42 saves, respectively, getting the nod in both games against the Friars last weekend. It marked the first time a UMass netminder posted back-to-back 40 save performance since Paul Dainton had 43 and 44 at New Hampshire (11/13) and vs. Vermont (11/23) in 2010. The last UMass goaltender to put up 40 or more stops in back-to-back games was Markus Helanen in 1998-99, twice vs. Maine (40 & 43 - 3/11-3/12; 44 & 43 - 11/13-11/14).
On The Upswing
- In the 16 games since the Holiday Break, UMass holds a record of 6-8-2 after going 4-12-0 in the first half of the season. During that stretch, the Minutemen are scoring 3.06 goals per-game (compared to 2.7 in the first half), while decreasing its goals allowed from 4.7 per-game to 3.62.
- Through the first 16 games, UMass had scored eight power-play goals and has 12 through the last 16 contests with four of seven shorthanded tallies on the year during that span, as well.
- Freshmen Dennis Kravchenko and Brandon Montour have led the squad in scoring during the 16-game stretch with 18 points and 16 points, respectively. Shane Walsh has scored a team-high10 goals in those 16 games in what has otherwise been a fairly balanced scoring effort. Seventeen Minutemen have combined for UMass’ 49 goals thus far in the second half of the season with six different players accounting for the team’s 12 power-play goals during that stretch.
- In games played since Dec. 27, UMass leads the nation in freshmen scoring with 70 points, goals (21) and assists (49). Air Force, the next closest team on the list behind UMass, has 51 points from its freshmen in 18 games in the second half.
Mastalerz Collects Hockey East Weekly Award
- Senior Steve Mastalerz was named the Hockey East Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Feb. 23. The award marked the fifth for the goaltender in his career and first of the season.
- Last weekend, Mastalerz logged back-to-back 40+ save performances, helping UMass to a weekend split with #12 Providence.
- On Saturday, Feb. 21, Senior Night for the Minutemen, Mastalerz backstopped UMass to a 2-1 overtime victory over the Friars with 42 saves, including turning aside a breakaway late in the third period, and was named the No. 2 Star of the Game.
- The North Andover, Mass., native was also named the No. 2 star the previous night after making 40 stops in a 3-2 overtime loss on the road at Providence.
- For the weekend, the senior posted a 1.92 goals-against average and a .953 save percentage over 125:44. Since Jan. 2, he is 3-4-1 with a 3.12 GAA and a .919 save percentage.
30 For 24
- In last Saturday’s win against #12 Providence, freshman Dennis Kravchenko tallied a pair of assists to become the fifth Minuteman freshman to reach the 30-point plateau in the program’s Hockey East era. Currently his 30 points are the fifth-most by a UMass rookie since the Minutemen began play in Hockey East in 1994-95.
- Freshman Scoring in Hockey East ERA
1. Stephen Werner (16-22-38, 37 GP - 2002-03)
2. Casey Wellman (11-22-33, 39 GP - 2008-09)
3. James Marcou (8-24-32, 36 GP - 2007-08)
4. Matt Anderson (10-21-31, 36 GP - 2002-03)
5. Dennis Kravchenko (10-20-30, 32 GP - 2014-15)
Block Party
- As a team, UMass ranks fifth in the nation in blocked shots with 467 on the year.
- Individually, senior Oleg Yevenko ranks first in Hockey East and is third in the nation in blocks with 72, two shy of the national lead.
Montour Earns Rookie Of The Month Accolade
- Freshman defenseman Brandon Montour was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for January 2015.
- In his first full month of college hockey, Montour led UMass with 10 points in eight games in January on two goals and eight assists, including four multi-point games, and posted an even rating.
- Seven of the defenseman’s 10 points came in special teams situations with a goal and three assists on the power play and a goal and two assists shorthanded, factoring in all of the squad’s three shorthanded tallies on the month. He was named the No. 1 star of the game on Jan. 23 at Merrimack and the No. 3 star of the game on both Jan. 2 vs. UConn and Jan. 16 vs. New Hampshire.
- Montour, a native of Ohsweken, Ontario, has moved into a tie for eighth in the nation in scoring among freshmen defensemen (12 points), despite having played just 11 career games.
- His 10 points tied for third nationally in freshmen scoring for the month of January, second in assists. Montour averaged 1.25 points per-game in January and 1.00 assists per-game, which ranked third in the nation among all defensemen in points per-game, tied for second in assists per-game, while he tied for second nationally in points by a defenseman for the month.
Vatrano Named Walter Brown Award Semifinalist
- Redshirt sophomore forward Frank Vatrano was named one of 20 NCAA Division I semifinalists for the 63rd Walter Brown Award, the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston announced on Feb. 4 The nation’s oldest nationally-recognized college hockey honor, the Walter Brown Award is presented annually to the top American-born college hockey player in New England.
- Vatrano, one of 12 nominees from Hockey East, is currently second for the Minutemen in scoring with 26 points on 17 goals and nine assists over 32 contests, including four multi-goal games and six multi-point efforts. The East Longmeadow, Mass., native who is also a candidate for the Hobey Baker Award, is tied for fourth in the league goal scoring, tied for 19th in points, tied for third in power-play goals (6) and first in shots on goal with 173.
- Nationally, Vatrano ranks second in shots on goal and has put at least one shot on goal in every game and seven or more 11 times.
Kravchenko & Montour Recognized Following Merrimack Weekend
- Freshmen Dennis Kravchenko and Brandon Montour both collected weekly honors Jan. 26 following the Minutemen’s three-point Hockey East weekend vs. #14/15 Merrimack.
- Kravchenko became the second UMass freshman to nab a Hockey East Rookie of the Week recognition this season, while Montour was named the UMass Athlete of the Week.
- Kravchenko contributed two goals and an assist with four blocked shots on the weekend vs. the Warriors.
- Montour continued his hot start to his young collegiate career with a goal and two assists on the weekend vs. Merrimack with all three points coming in special teams situations via a shorthanded goal and assist and an assist on the power play. The defenseman was named the No. 1 Star of the game on Jan. 23 at Merrimack as his two points (1g, 1a) in the third period helped the Minutemen erase a 3-1 deficit.
- Montour was +2 and had six blocks over the two games.
Walsh Earns Weekly Awards
- Junior forward Shane Walsh was honored as the Hockey East Player of the Week on Jan. 12. It marked the first career weekly accolade for Walsh, who became the third Minuteman to earn a weekly recognition from Hockey East this season.
- Walsh led a third period comeback for UMass on Jan. 9 as the Minutemen rallied for a 3-2 win over Maine in a non-conference matchup with the Black Bears.
- He factored in all three tallies for the Minutemen as he logged a career-high three points with two goals and an assist, including the game winner and first career shorthanded goal. It was Walsh’s first career multi-goal game and second career multi-point game.
- With his three-point performance Walsh set new career highs for goals and tied his career high for points in a season.
- The following week on Jan. 20, Walsh was named the Co-UMass Athlete of the Week after scoring a pair of third period goals in a 6-4 win over New Hampshire, including the game-winning tally. He was named the game’s No. 1 star in that contest as well.
Vatrano Tabbed Hockey East Player Of The Month
- UMass redshirt sophomore Frank Vatrano was named the Hockey East Player of the Month for December, it was announced by the league on Jan 6. It marked the first honor of Vatrano’s career and first of the monthly award of the season for the Minutemen.
- Vatrano tied for the national lead in scoring for the month, amassing nine points on six goals and three assists over five games, including three multi-point efforts, which began with a three point night (2g, 1a) vs. Notre Dame on Dec. 5 to tie a career high.
- His 1.80 points per-game was the highest in the NCAA for the month, while he was just one tally short of the national lead in goals, converting 24% of his shots for the month.
- Vatrano ended December on a three game goal-scoring streak, including two goals and two assists at the Catamount Cup, a performance that landed him on the Catamount Cup All-Tournament Team.
New Kid On The Block
- In mid-December, UMass hockey 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.
- Montour made his collegiate debut on Dec. 16 vs. Northeastern and finished with two shots and an even rating. He registered his first two career points, a pair of assists, in back-to-back games at the Catamount Cup (12/28-29).
- In July 2014, 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’ 10-man freshman class has provided 35 of UMass’ 92 goals on the season through 32 games and 102 of the squad’s 246 points.
- The Minutemen are first in the nation in goals by freshmen, second in points by freshmen, second in points per-game by freshmen (3.19) and goals per-game (1.09) by freshmen.
- Individually, Dennis Kravchenko is tied for fourth nationally in points by a freshman (30), fourth in assists (20) and tied for 12th in goals (10) by a freshman. He is third in Hockey East in freshman scoring.
- Keith Burchett and Kravchenko have each posted multi-goal games thus far, while Kravchenko and Lee have posted nine and six multi-point efforts apiece, respectively.
- Brandon Montour notched his first career multi-point game on Jan. 2 vs. Connecticut (1g, 1a) and contributed another multi-point effort with two assists vs. UNH on Jan. 16. His third multi-point game came on Jan. 23 at #14/15 Merrimack as he had a shorthanded goal and an assist to earn No. 1 star recognition. On Feb. 7, he posted his fifth multi point game of the season
with two assists in a win over #12/11 UMass Lowell.
- In the Minutemen’s win at Michigan State on Oct. 18, underclassmen contributed 11 of the team’s 12 points on the night.
- The Minutemen are fourth nationally in underclassmen scoring with 179 points, fourth in points per-game (5.59), tied for third in goals (65) and tied for fourth in goals per-game (2.03). UMass freshmen and sophomores account for 70.7% of the squad’s goals and 72.8% of the team’s points.
- 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.
Kravchenko In Hockey East
- Through 21 Hockey East games, Freshman Dennis Kravchenko leads the Minutemen in scoring with 21 points, which ranks tied for seventh overall in Hockey East.
- Among the league’s freshmen in Hockey East games, Kravchenko is second to only Boston University’s Jack Eichel in scoring.
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 on Oct. 18 at 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 Feb. 24 with Frank Vatrano’s overtime game winner coming in as the No. 3 play of the week, UMass’ fourth Play of the Week this season.
- Vatrano’s goal at Quinnipiac on Nov. 28 was the No. 2 play of the week on Dec. 2.
- 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 entered 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 then 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.
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 mark 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 and collected three Hockey East points in a weekend vs. #14/15 Merrimack with a 4-4 tie and a 4-1 win over the Warriors on Jan. 23 and Jan. 25, respectively. The Minutemen defeated #12/11 UMass Lowell on Feb. 7 for their third victory over a ranked foe this season and tied the #16/15 River Hawks, 3-3 on Feb. 13, before defeating #12 Providence in overtime, 2-1, on Feb. 21.
- 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 opponents 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 70-214-28 against ranked opponents including a 6-5-1 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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