University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
UConn
#7 Massachusetts Hockey Set To Open Season Against UConn
November 19, 2020 | Hockey
The teams will play a home-and-home beginning in Amherst Friday evening.
| University of Massachusetts Hockey Game Notes | |
| Games 1-2 | #7 Massachusetts Minutemen (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HE) vs. UConn Huskies (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HE) |
| Dates | Times | Friday, November 20, 2020 - 6 p.m. Saturday, February 29, 2020 - 4 p.m. |
| Locations | Friday: Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) Saturday: Storrs Conn. (Freitas Ice Forum) |
| Series History | UMass leads 39-15-3 |
| Live Statistics | Friday: Sidearm Saturday: TBD |
| Watch Live | Friday: NESNplus | SportsLive (outside New England) | CBS Sports App Saturday: SportsLive | CBS Sports App Hockey East Streaming Information |
| Listen (Radio) | WHMP AM 1400/1240 FM 101.5/107.5 |
| Listen (Online) | WHMP Streaming Player | TuneIn App (mobile devices) |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | UConn | Hockey East |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | UConn |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
The Last Time They Met: No. 8/9 Minutemen Battle UConn To Home-And-Home Split
- No. 8/9 Massachusetts split its season series with UConn in its penultimate weekend of the 2019-20 regular season. UMass rebounded from a last second 3-2 loss on the road in the Friday matchup against the Huskies with a 4-3 victory the following night at the Mullins Center.
- UConn opened the scoring 8:32 into the second in game one of the weekend as Carter Berger snapped a shot from the top of the left faceoff circle off a feed from Jachym Kondelik on the rush.
- Before the period was complete, though, UMass came up with the equalizer. After receiving the puck from Niko Hildenbrand and Bobby Trivigno, John Leonard sent a shot through traffic from the blueline that found its way past Tomas Vomacka at the 13:56 mark.
- Midway through the third, Leonard converted on the Minutemen's only power play of the night to give UMass a 2-1 lead, taking the puck from defensemen Zac Jones and Marc Del Gaizo and circling the top of the zone before snapping home a wrister from the slot at 9:03.
- With the period winding down, however, Marc Gatcomb drove to the net to pick up the tying goal for the Huskies at 18:29. Kale Howarth then knocked the game-winner at the top of the crease with 7.8 seconds remaining in regulation.
- UConn out-shot the Minutemen, 38-23 on the night and went 0-for-1 on the power play to UMass' 1-for-1.
- Sophomore goaltender Filip Lindberg made 35 saves for the Minutemen, while Vomaka totaled 21 stops for the Huskies.
- The following night at the Mullins Center on February 29, UMass gutted out a 4-3 win over UConn oat the Mullins Center. The victory moved the Minutemen to 20-11-2 overall, matching the third-highest wins total in program history.
- Just 3:28 into the contest, sophomore Marc Del Gaizo opened the scoring to give UMass a 1-0 lead. Senior Niko Hildenbrand dug the puck out of the corner and junior John Leonard found Del Gaizo streaking down the slot for to pick up his third tally of the season.
- Before the close of the frame, however, UConn managed to tie the score at 1-1.
- Del Gaizo put UMass back on top, 2-1, midway through the second, converting on the power play from the top of the faceoff circle after receiving the puck from freshman Zac Jones and Leonard along the half wall.
- Jake Flynn knotted things up for UConn 8:48 into the third, but sophomore Bobby Trivigno put the Minutemen in front once more, 3-2 at 12:58, cleaning up a rebound from Del Gaizo and Leonard for his ninth of the season.
- Leonard then gave UMass brief two-goal cushion with his 27th of the year, tucking in a rebound from Hildenbrand and Jones at the post at 16:41. The tally set a new UMass single-season record for goals in a season by an individual at the Division I level.
- The Huskies answered right back with Carter Turnbull flinging a puck past Matt Murray just 13 seconds later, but the Minutemen held firm at 4-3 over the final 3:06 of the contest.
- UMass finished the evening with a 38-34 shot advantage and went 1-for-2 on the power play, while UConn was 0-for-5.
- Murray totaled 31 saves for the Minutemen and Vomacka stopped 34 for the Huskies.
NewMass At A Whole New Level
- Entering his fifth season in 2020-21, UMass head coach Greg Carvel has taken the program to new heights during his first four seasons in Amherst. In addition to the program's first Hockey East Regular Season Championship and National Runner-Up finish in 2019, the Minutemen's wins totals over the past three years are all top-nine in the program's 90+ season history: 2018-19 (1st, 31), 2019-20 (tied 2nd, 21), 2017-18 (tied 9th, 17). With the team's 21 win campaign last year on the back of a 31 win season in 2018-19, it marked the first time UMass has had 20+ wins in back-to-back seasons in program history.
- The Minutemen's total of 52 wins over the past two seasons is second-most nationally behind Minnesota State (63), one ahead of Minnesota Duluth (52). UMass' 69 wins over the last three seasons tied for fourth nationally behind Minnesota State (92), Minnesota Duluth (76), Clarkson (72) - tied with Cornell.
- UMass has had eight Hockey East All-Star selections over the past two seasons, the most of any Hockey East team.
And The Beat Goes On
- From current NHLers 2019 Hobey Baker winner, 2020 Calder Trophy winner Cale Makar and 2019 Hockey East All-Star Mario Ferraro, UMass' hallmark has been its talent on the blueline during head coach Greg Carvel's tenure.
- UMass' defensemen have scored 21 goals last season, which ranked eighth nationally, while the squad's 90 points by defensemen ranked ninth. Minutemen blueliners averaged 12.06 shots per-game, which led the nation in 2019-20.
- Individually, Matt Kessel led all rookie defensemen nationally last season with seven goals and is UMass' top returning goal scorer from the blueline for 2020-21. He was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft (150th overall) by the St. Louis Blues this fall. He is one of three draft picks patrolling the UMass blueline this season along with 2019 New York Rangers third round pick Zac Jones (68th overall) and 2019 Nashville Predators fourth round pick Marc Del Gaizo (109th overall).
- Jones, a Hockey East All-Rookie Team selection in 2019-20 in UMass' top returning point scorer (23 points). He was the top scoring rookie defenseman in Hockey East last season, Jones finished the year 16th in the nation in freshman scoring at .72 points per-game, third for the Minutemen overall with three goals and 20 assists and was +12 on the year. The two-time Hockey East Rookie of the Week became the first UMass defenseman during the program's Division I era to post 20 assists in his rookie season.
- As a team, UMass was sixth in the nation in scoring defense (1.97) in 2019-20 after ranking seventh (2.02) the season prior. The 2019-20 squad set a program record for the fewest goals allowed in a season, 67.
Shots!
- UMass finished second in the nation in shots on goal margin per-game at +9.91 and fourth in shots on goal margin (+337) in 2019-20. The Minutemen allowed the fourth fewest shots on goal per-game nationally last season with an average of 24.44.
- UMass allowed 30 or more shots on goal only seven times during the 2019-20 and held opponents under 20 shots on 10 occasions in 34 games. In comparison, the Minutemen allowed 19 or fewer shots six times in 41 games in 2018-19 and were 6-0-0 in those contests.
Home Is Where The Wins Are
- UMass is 34-7-1 in its last 42 games at the Mullins Center, 29-5-1 over the past two seasons for an .842 winning percentage. This stretch included a 16-game unbeaten streak (15-0-1) began on Jan. 11, 2019 against Vermont and came to an end on Nov. 30, 2019 with a 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac.
- The Minutemen's home winning percentage over the past two seasons ranked second nationally behind only Minnesota State's .918. UMass' home wins total over the past two seasons was good for third nationally, trailing only Minnesota State (39) and North Dakota (30).
Name A More Iconic Duo
- The Minutemen have returned arguably one of the most experienced goaltending tandems in the country in junior Filip Lindberg and senior Matt Murray. Both finished the 2019-20 campaign among the NCAA leaders, including both ranking in the top 10 nationally in goals-against average (Murray seventh, Lindberg eighth), while Murray finished 10th in winning percentage (13-6-0, .684) and Lindberg ranked 15th in the nation in save percentage (.927) last season.
- Murray was the NCAA statistical champion for winning percentage in 2018-19 with a record of 20-5-0, a mark that also surpassed a program record for wins previously held by former Minuteman and NHL veteran Jonathan Quick.
- Lindberg, who started all four of UMass' NCAA Tournament games in 2018-19, ended his freshman campaign second in the nation with a 1.60 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage. The Espoo, Finland native ended his rookie season fourth nationally in winning percentage (.733) with a record of 11-4-0 and tied for 10th nationally in shutouts with four.
- As a freshman in 2018-19, Lindberg set a new program single-season record for goals-against average and tied Murray's record for single-season shutouts. His save percentage was the highest by a UMass netminder since 1969-70, second all-time.
- Murray and Lindberg tied the program's shutout record (5) from 1913-14 and served as the backbone of a UMass defense that allowed the fewest goals in the team's Division I era (83).
- Lindberg is currently the program's all-time career leader in save percentage (.930) and goals-against average (1.75), while Murray ranks third (.916) in save percentage and second in goals-against average (2.25) in school history. Murray is currently third all-time in career wins (42), three behind Paul Dainton (2007-11)'s total of 45 and eight away from matching Gabe Winer's record (50).
- Murray holds UMass' career shutout record with eight to his credit. He is tied for fourth among active NCAA netminders in shutouts, ninth in saves (1,527) and fourth in wins.
- Lindberg is fifth among active goaltenders nationally in career save percentage and third in goals-against average.
Watch Out For Marc Del Gaizo
- While many know Marc Del Gaizo for scoring the overtime game winner that sent UMass into the 2019 National Championship game, that was merely the exclamation point on one of the best rookie seasons by a Minuteman defenseman in program history.
- Del Gaizo received Hockey East Third Team All-Star and Hockey East All-Rookie Team accolades and earned an All-CHN Rookie Team nod, as well.
- One of seven Minutemen to see action in all 41 games, Del Gaizo ranked 17th in the nation for points per-game by a freshman (0.71), and third in Hockey East with 29 points on 13 goals and 16 assists.
- The Basking Ridge, New Jersey native tied for third in the nation in plus minus at +31, tied for ninth in Hockey East in power-play points (14), power-play goals (6) and ranked fourth in defenseman scoring.
- Del Gaizo was the first rookie defenseman in Hockey East history to score 10 goals in league play, which tied for fifth overall on the Hockey East list for goals by a defenseman in a single season all-time.
- Though hampered with injuries through much of the first half of the 2019-20 season, the now junior assistant captain still managed to put up 15 points in 22 games last season on four goals and 11 assists and was +9.
Top Of The Charts
- UMass entered the 2019-20 season ranked No. 4 in the USCHO.com poll and No. 5 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll, which was the first time the Minutemen opened a season ranked in either poll. Thus far in 2020-21, the Minutemen have been ranked No. 7 in both polls to begin the year.
- History was made on Dec. 3, 2018 as the Minutemen earned their first No. 1 national ranking in program history, sitting at the top of the USCHO.com poll with 26 first-place votes and 964 points. UMass was ranked for 20 straight weeks to end the 2018-19 season, and earned a No. 2 ranking in the final polls.
- UMass entered the national rankings on Oct. 22, 2018 coming in at No. 16 in the USCHO.com poll. The last time the Minutemen were ranked prior to October 2018 was in the USCHO.com poll released on Feb. 15, 2010.
- On November 5, 2018, UMass moved up to No. 9 in the USCHO.com Poll and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll in the No. 9 spot as well, the highest ranking for the Minutemen since November 30, 2009 (No. 9).
- UMass surpassed all previous highs in rankings on Nov. 12, 2018 when the squad was sitting at No. 4 in both polls.
- Previously the highest ranking in program history came in the USCHO.com poll on Dec. 31, 2007 at No. 5. The Minutemen spent six weeks in the top-10 during the 2007-08 season.
- After sitting in the No. 4 spot for two weeks, UMass improved upon its all-time highest ranking, moving up to No. 3 in both polls on Nov. 26, 2018.
- The Minutemen earned their first-ever top-10 ranking (No. 9) on Nov. 10, 2003 and ranked as high as No. 7 that season.
- UMass collected its first-ever national ranking on Jan. 6, 2003. (No. 15 USCHO.com poll/No. 14 USA Today/American Hockey Magazine Poll).
- On Jan. 14, 2019, UMass received its first No. 1 ranking in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
League Things And Other Tidbits
- Anthony and Marc Del Gazio's father Anthony played college hockey at Merrimack (1983-84). They are the fourth set of siblings to play for the Minutemen in the program's modern era (James Marcou 2007-10 and Michael Marcou 2008-12; Jeff Turner 1997-2001 and Tim Turner 1999-2003; Mike Warner 2000-04 and Tim Warner 2001-05).
- Bobby Trivigno is the second member of his family to play in Hockey East, following in the footsteps of his sister Dana who was a standout forward and former captain for Boston College, where she put up 138 points in 148 career games for the Eagles (2012-16).
- Filip Lindberg first started playing goal after receiving his first set of hand-me-down pads from former Merrimack goaltender and fellow Finland native Rasmus Tirronen, who played for the Warriors from 2011-15.
- Matthew Kessel is the third member of his family to play college hockey. His brother Will played at Western Michigan from 2011-15 and captained the Broncos in 2014-15, while his brother Peter plays at Holy Cross and is in his junior season with the Crusaders.
