University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Merrimack
Hockey Travels to Merrimack, Hosts Vermont This Weekend
November 10, 2016 | Hockey
| University of Massachusetts Hockey Game Notes | |
| Games 8-9 | Massachusetts (2-4-1, 0-2-1 HEA) at Merrimack Warriors (4-4-2, 0-1-2 HEA) | vs. Vermont Catamounts (4-3-1, 1-2-0 HEA) |
| Dates | Times | Friday, Nov. 11 | 7 p.m. & Saturday, Nov. 12 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Friday: North Andover, Mass. - J. Thom Lawler Rink (2,549) | Saturday: Amherst, Mass. - Mullins Center (8,373) |
| Series History | Merrimack leads (40-38-7) / Vermont leads (41-20-7) |
| Live Statistics | Friday: Presto Sports | Saturday: SideArm |
| Watch Live | Friday: MerrimackAthletics.tv (Subscription Required) | Saturday: UMass All-Access (Subscription Required) |
| Listen (Radio) | WHMP AM 1400/1240 FM 96.9/107.5 |
| Listen (Online) | WHMP Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Merrimack | Vermont | Hockey East |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Merrimack | Vermont |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| Massachusetts Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
| Tickets | Friday: Merrimack | Saturday: UMass Ticket Central |
| Game Promotions | Friday: Armed Forces Appreciation & Scout Night | Saturday: Saturday Night Skates |
Quick Hits: Minutemen Rally for 2-2 Tie vs. UConn
- In its only game of the weekend, Massachusetts hockey battled back from an early 2-0 deficit to earn its first Hockey East point of the season with a hard-fought 2-2 tie against UConn last Friday night at the Mullins Center.
- UMass out-shot the Huskies, 25-22, including 23-12 over the final 45 minutes of the contest. The Minutemen held the advantage over the dots, as well, winning 34 of 66 faceoffs (51.5%), led by Steven Iacobellis' 16 for 26 (61.5%) performance.
- Both teams netted power-play goals on the night with UMass finishing 1-for-7 with the man advantage and UConn 1-for-6.
- After missing four games with an illness, senior Ray Pigozzi logged an assist in his return to action and has an active three-game point streak to start the year.
- Sophomore Austin Plevy netted his second goal in as many games and second power-play goal of the season. He how has an active three game point streak.
- Freshman Jack Suter's assist marked his first of his collegiate career and second point of the season.
- Sophomore Kurt Keats scored for a second straight game and now has four points in seven games on the year.
First Timers
- There have been a lot of "firsts" for the Minutemen over the opening month of the 2016-17 season.
- In the first two games of the Greg Carvel era, all eight members of the freshmen class made their college hockey debuts, three of them picked up their first career points, one goaltender recorded his first career shutout (in his first career game), all while the Minutemen notched their first win of the young season.
- Freshmen forwards Jonny Lazarus and Griff Jeszka each tallied their first goals of their collegiate careers, with Lazarus scoring in both games against the Tigers, and Jeszka getting on the scoresheet with an assist in game one vs. Colorado College and a goal in game two. Defenseman Shane Bear also recorded his first collegiate point, assisting on a goal scored by Steven Iacobellis.
- Freshman goaltender Ryan Wischow started his first college game in the Minutemen's season debut against the Tigers, turning in a stellar 31-save shutout on the way to a 3-0 victory for UMass, and his first career shutout. Over the Division I history of Minutemen hockey, Wischow is the only netminder to record a shutout in his first career game.
- Freshman Niko Hildenbrand logged his first collegiate point with a goal against Army West Point on Oct. 21.
- Freshmen Jack Suter and Jake McLaughlin both collected their first career points at No. 6/7 Quinnipiac with a goal and an assist, respectively.
- Defensemen Shane Bear picked up his first career goal for the Minutemen last Friday vs. New Hampshire.
- Suter collected his first collegiate assist on the game-tying goal vs. UConn on Nov. 4.
The Second Line Effect
- UMass' second forward line, made up of junior Patrick Lee, junior Dominic Trento and freshman Jonny Lazarus, has been quite productive for the Minutemen thus far, tallying 17 (4g, 13a) of the squad's 56 points through the first six games of the season.
- Trento (6a) and Lee (2g, 4a) are tied for the team lead in scoring for the Minutemen. Meanwhile Lazarus leads all rookies in scoring for UMass registering two goals and three assists for five points in seven games.
- In the Oct. 29 contest vs. Boston College, Lee tallied a goal and an assist for his second multi-point game of the season while Trento also picked up his team leading sixth assist.
Youth Movement
- Through seven games, freshmen have provided 36.8% of the Minutemen's goals as Jonny Lazarus and Griff Jeszka both have two tallies apiece on the season and Niko Hildenbrand, Jack Suter and Shane Bear each have one as well, combining for seven of the team's 19 goals to date.
- A total of six freshmen have found the scoresheet over the first seven games of the year, combining for 17 points or 30.3% of the team's scoring.
- In addition, of the Minutemen taking 10 or more faceoffs per-game, Griff Jeszka leads the way for UMass with a 61.0% faceoff percentage (47 for 77). His faceoff percentage is good for seventh among freshmen nationally.
- A freshman has also accounted for both of the squad's wins in net as Ryan Wischow is 2-1-1 on the year and holds a team-best .907 save percentage and a 2.63 goals-against average.
Balanced Attack
- Of the 18 Minutemen skaters to dress against Boston College on Oct. 29, 11 of them combined for 12 points, including assists from five of six defensemen.
- Over the first seven games of the season, not one Minuteman has registered more than 2 goals and 21 players out of the 26 who have seen action have tallied at least one point.
Mr. Consistent
- Senior Steven Iacobellis was named the 10th two-year captain in UMass history and fifth in the program's modern era this September.
- The Port Coquitlam, British Columbia native has appeared in 110 of a possible 113 games over his three-plus seasons with the Minutemen, totaling 68 points on 24 goals and 44 assists. Iacobellis, who was second on the squad in assists with 17 in 2015-16, has ranked in the top-five in scoring for UMass in each of his first three seasons with three straight seasons of 20+ points.
- As a sophomore in 2014-15, Iacobellis bested his freshman year total with 24 points to rank third on the team, while finishing fourth on the squad in goals (8) and third in assists (16).
- 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.
- 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.
A Little Help from My Friends
- In addition to Steven Iacobellis being named the UMass captain for 2016-17, senior defenseman Brennan Baxandall, junior forward Dominic Trento, senior goaltender Alex Wakaluk and sophomore defenseman William Lagesson will serve as the team's assistant captains this season.
- Baxandall has seen action in 55 games with the Minutemen and has logged seven points on two goals and five assists. The three-time Hockey East All-Academic Team member appeared in 14 games last season and contributed 23 blocks in addition to a goal and an assist.
- Trento is coming off a 2015-16 campaign that saw him set career bests in virtually every statistical category, finishing tied for fourth on the team in goals (8) and sixth in points (17). The Brockport, New York, native, who was named the NCAA's No. 2 Star of the Week last Oct. 10, has 29 career points over 60 games on 13 goals and 16 assists.
- Wakaluk is a two-time Hockey East Academic All-Star and three-time Hockey East All-Academic Team selection from Bellevue, Alberta. As a junior in 2015-16, the netminder logged a career high 439 minutes, 10 games played and 206 saves. He recorded his first career victory on January 2, 2016, turning aside 22 shots in a 2-1 overtime win at Army West Point.
- Lagesson, who was named an assistant captain prior to UMass' game vs. UConn on Nov. 4, played in 27 games as a freshman in 2015-16 and registered seven points on two goals and five assists.
Dynamic Duo
- Over the past three-plus seasons, a total of 113 games, seniors Steven Iacobellis and Ray Pigozzi have missed just a combined 13 contests between them.
- Of the 100 games where they have both been in the lineup, Pigozzi and Iacobellis have been linemates in 72 of those contests, combining for 104 points (33g, 71a).
Plevy Makes Big Impact in First Season
- Sophomore forward Austin Plevy made a splash as a rookie in 2015-16, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 24 points (10g, 14a), which led the freshman class, and tied for the team lead in power-play goals with four, while pacing the squad with three game-winners.
- Plevy recorded a hat trick in his collegiate debut on Oct. 9, 2016, at Colorado College to join Connecticut's Max Letunov's as the first players in Division I hockey to do so in their first career games since Notre Dame's Anders Lee in 2010.
- Plevy's hat trick was the first by a UMass rookie since James Marcou found the back of the Vermont net three times as a freshman on Jan. 25, 2008.
- Following his five-point weekend with four goals and an assist to open the 2015-16 season, Plevy was named the Co-Hockey East Rookie of the Week and Co-UMass Student-Athlete of the Week on Oct. 12, 2015.
- Plevy was also tabbed NCAA Hockey's No. 1 Star of the Week and had the No. 1 play of the week on the NCAA's Top Plays, as well.
- The Langley, British Columbia, native was featured in Sports Illustrated's "Faces In The Crowd" for that debut performance.
On the Blueline
- The Minutemen return seven of eight defensemen from their 2015-16 roster, including four individuals who played 25+ games on the UMass blueline last season, three of whom where freshmen (Ivan Chukarov, Callum Fryer and William Lagesson).
- As a rookie in 2015-16, Ivan Chukarov was one of three players on the Minutemen roster to appear in all 36 games and was second among the team's defensemen in scoring with eight points on three goals and five assists. Drafted by the Buffalo Sabres in the 7th round of the 2015 entry draft, Chukarov was named a co-recipient of the Craig Ramsay award winner at Buffalo's development camp this summer, given to the "hardest working player" at camp.
- This year, the Minutemen's roster features 10 defensemen, with seven freshmen and sophomores in the group. Freshman Shane Bear comes to Amherst with impressive credentials as he won an AJHL Championship with the Brooks Bandits and a gold medal with Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge in 2015-16, amassing 108 points over 156 career games with Brooks.
International Experience
- Defenseman William Lagesson took part in the 2016 World Junior Championship as a member of Team Sweden and reached the Bronze Medal game as a freshman in 2015-16.
- Lagesson, who played for Sweden at World Juniors in 2015, became the first Minuteman to compete for his country in the tournament since Stephen Werner '06 was a member of Team USA in 2004.
- Lagesson previously dressed for Team Sweden in 65 international contests between the U16, U17, U18 and U20 levels.
- At the 2015 World Junior Championship, he helped Sweden to a 4-0 record in the preliminary round and an appearance in the Bronze Medal game.
- Lagesson finished the 2016 WJC tournament two goals and one assist and a +7 rating over seven games. He was among the plus-minus leaders for the tournament.
Eight is Great
- UMass has welcomed a group of eight freshmen to the fold for the 2016-17 season, including five forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender.
- The group represents five states (California, Illinois, Nebraska, New York and Wisconsin) and one province (Alberta).
- Five of the freshmen previously played in the USHL, including three who were previously teammates with the Fargo Force: Niko Hildenbrand, Jake McLaughlin and Ryan Wischow.
Settling In
- The Minutemen play seven of their first 10 games of the season at home in Amherst before heading overseas to Belfast, Northern Ireland for the 2016 Friendship four Nov. 25-26.
- During that stretch, UMass only leaves the state twice with quick trips to Quinnipiac (80 miles) and New Hampshire (135 miles).
TV Time
- A pair of Massachusetts' Hockey East contests have been selected as a part of the 2017-16 Hockey East Television Package. The Minutemen's Dec. 2 matchup vs. Notre Dame and Dec. 9 game at Connecticut have been selected as a part of the 14-game slate that will be produced by American Sports Network and shown on NESN across New England.
- ASN will broadcast select Hockey East contests as part of a Friday night double-header showcasing eastern college hockey programs at 6 p.m. ET followed by western teams at 8:30 p.m. UMass' game times for its televised contests have been adjusted accordingly as the Notre Dame matchup at the Mullins Center has been moved to a 6 p.m. start and the game at UConn will now begin at 6:30 p.m.
