University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Providence
Minutemen Set for Hockey East Playoff Series at No. 10/11 Providence
March 02, 2017 | Hockey
| University of Massachusetts Hockey Game Notes | |
| Games 35-36 (37 If Necessary) | Massachusetts (5-27-2, 2-19-1 HEA) at No. 10/11 Providence Friars (20-9-5, 12-7-3 HEA) |
| Dates | Times | Friday, March 3 | 7:05 p.m. / Saturday, March 4 | 7:05 p.m. / Sunday, March 5 | 7:05 p.m. (if necessary) |
| Location | Providence, R.I. - Schneider Arena (3,030) |
| Series History | Providence leads 45-23-6 |
| Live Statistics | Friday: GameTracker | Saturday: GameTracker | Sunday: GameTracker |
| Watch Live | HockeyEast.tv (Pack Network) |
| Listen (Radio) | WHMP AM 1400/1240 FM 96.9/107.5 |
| Listen (Online) | WHMP Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Providence | Hockey East |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Providence |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| Massachusetts Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
| Tickets | Providence College |
| Game Promotions | None |
Quick Hits: Drops Pair to No. 10 Providence in Final Weekend of Regular Season
- UMass hockey closed out the regular season last weekend with a pair of losses to Providence in a home-and-home series against hte Friars. A 3-0 start helped No. 10 Providence skate past the Minutemen, 6-2 on Friday at the Mullins Center. UMass then took No. 10 Providence to overtime, tied 1-1, but the Friars found the back of the net 2:16 into the extra period to edge the Minutemen, 2-1 in the regular season finale last Saturday night at Schneider Arena.
- In Friday's contest, Providence edged UMass in shots, 35-31 and went 2-for-7 on the power play, while the Minutemen were 0-for-3. Senior Alex Wakaluk totaled 29 saves for UMass, while Hayden Hawkey stopped 29 for the Friars, as well.
- Ivan Chukarov's goal last Friday was his second of the season and eighth point of the year, matching his freshman year total of eight points in 36 games.
- With his fourth assist of the season last Friday, Joseph Widmar now has five points (2g, 3a) in the past eight games. His current total, of two goals and four assists match his freshman year numbers over 32 games played in 2015-16.
- Sophomore Callum Fryer's assist, his fourth of the year, equals his freshman year total of four helpers in 34 games.
- Junior Jake Horton's goal last Friday was his third of the year and seventh point of the season.
- Senior Ray Pigozzi's assist in Friday's game marked his 80th career point. His assist was his 57th of his career, moving him into a tie for 18th for career assists, three shy of cracking the program's top-10.
- Pigozzi's goal on Saturday was his second point of the weekend, his seventh tally of the season and 24th of his career. He is now tied for 27th all-time in UMass history with 81 career points.
- Senior Steven Iacobellis had assists in both games on the weekend to bring his career total to 56, tying him for 21st all-time in program history for career helpers.
- Freshman Niko Hildenbrand's assist on Saturday at Providence marked his fifth of the year and ninth point.
- On Saturday the Friars out-shot UMass, 42-20, while the Minutemen held Providence to a 0-for-8 night on the power play. UMass was 0-for-4 with the man advantage.
- Iacobellis went 20 for 32 (62.5%) over the dots on Saturday, but Providence finished with a slight edge in faceoffs, winning 36 of 70 (51.4%).
- Freshman Ryan Wischow finished Saturday's contest with 40 saves, his third game of the season with 40 or more stops, and was named the game's No. 2 star.
Iacobellis in Elite Company
- Senior captain Steven Iacobellis' assist last Friday vs. Providence marked his 20th point of the season to put him in some elite company in UMass history.
- Iacobellis is just one of seven individuals to register four straight seasons of 20 points or more in the program's Division I era and just the fifth during the program's time in Hockey East.
- In addition to Iacobellis, the following individuals posted four 20-point seasons during their time in a UMass uniform: Matt Anderson (2002-07), Rob Bonneau (1993-97), Warren Norris (1993-97), Michael Pereira (2010-14), Tim Turner (1999-2003) and Stephen Werner (2002-06).
Boeing Lands in Amherst
- UMass added 5'8", 187-pound forward Brett Boeing to the roster following the close of the fall semester.
- Boeing, a sophomore, played one semester of college hockey at Michigan Tech last season where he totaled six points on a goal and five assists over 11 games and is eligible immediately for the Minutemen.
- Boeing returned to the Dubuque Fighting Saints of the United States Hockey League (USHL) for the second half of the 2015-16 season and logged a combined 25 points (7g, 18a) over 31 regular season games and 12 postseason contests. Over the course of three campaigns with Dubuque (2013-16), he logged 47 goals and 60 assists for 107 points in 170 games with a +9 rating. He served as the team's assistant captain in 2014-15, as well.
- Prior to his time in Dubuque, Boeing played one season of high school hockey at Shattuck-St. Mary's where registered 42 points on 25 goals and 17 assists in 2012-13.
A Historic Night for Wischow
- In a 4-3 loss to Princeton on Dec. 13, freshman Ryan Wischow made a career high 52 saves.
- Wischow's 52 saves marked the most stops for a UMass netminder in a regulation length game since Mike Johnson turned aside 60 shots vs. Boston College on Feb. 23, 2001.
First Timers
- There have been a lot of "firsts" for the Minutemen over the course of 34 games into 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 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. His first career assist came on Dec. 30 vs. Alabama Huntsville.
- Freshmen Jack Suter and Jake McLaughlin both collected their first career points at No. 6/7 Quinnipiac with a goal and an assist, respectively.
- Defenseman Shane Bear picked up his first career goal for the Minutemen on Oct. 28 vs. New Hampshire.
- Suter collected his first collegiate assist on the game-tying goal vs. UConn on Nov. 4.
- Sophomore Brett Boeing registered his first point in a UMass uniform with an assist at Maine on Jan. 28.
- Freshman Jake McLaughlin netted his first collegiate goal on Jan. 31 against Northeastern and added an assist in that game for his first career multi-point game, as well.
Reaching a Milestone
- Senior defenseman Marc Hetnik played the 100th game of his career at UMass on Nov. 18, 2016 at New Hampshire.
- Hetnik has four goals and 14 assists for 18 points thus far in his career with the Maroon and White and became the third member of the Minutemen's current roster to reach the century milestone in games played, joining classmates Steven Iacobellis and Ray Pigozzi.
Youth Movement
- Through 34 games, freshmen have provided 36.9% of the Minutemen's goals as Griff Jeszka leads the group with seven followed by Jonny Lazarus (5), Nico Hildenbrand (4), Shane Bear (3), Jack Suter (3) and Jake McLaughlin (2), combining for 24 of the team's 65 tallies to date.
- A total of six freshmen have found the scoresheet over 34 games, combining for 52 points or 28.7% of the team's scoring.
- In addition, of the Minutemen taking 10 or more faceoffs per-game, Jeszka is second for UMass with a 52.4% faceoff percentage (164 for 313).
- A freshman has also accounted for four of the squad's wins in net as Ryan Wischow is 4-18-2 on the year and holds a team-best 3.22 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 34 regular season games, not one Minuteman registered more than eight goals and 24 players out of the 29 who have seen action have tallied at least one point.
- Senior Steven Iacobellis leads the team in scoring with 20 points on eight goals and 13 assists, while senior Ray Pigozzi, sophomore Austin Plevy and sophomore Kurt Keats follow with, 15 points (7g, 8a), 15 points (5g, 10a) and 13 points (5, 8a), respectively. Ten more players have seven points or more.
Mr. Consistent
- Senior Steven Iacobellis was named the 10th two-year captain in UMass history and fifth in the program's modern era this past September.
- The Port Coquitlam, British Columbia native has appeared in 137 of a possible 140 games over his three-plus seasons with the Minutemen, totaling 87 points on 31 goals and 56 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 four seasons with four straight years of 20 or more 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 60 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 on Oct. 10, 2015, has 36 career points over 82 games on 14 goals and 22 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 140 games, seniors Steven Iacobellis and Ray Pigozzi have missed just a combined 20 contests between them.
- Of the 120 games where they have both been in the lineup, Pigozzi and Iacobellis have been linemates in 88 of those contests, combining for 127 points (43g, 84a).
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, 2015, 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 six 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 seventh 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 nine defensemen, with six 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.
