University of Massachusets Athletics
#10 Massachusetts Hockey Hosts UConn In Midweek Matchup Wednesday
December 22, 2020 | Hockey
The contest will mark the third meeting this season between the Hockey East foes.
| University of Massachusetts Hockey Game Notes | |
| Games 7-8 | #10 Massachusetts Minutemen (4-3-1, 4-3-1 HE) vs. UConn Huskies (1-3-1, 1-3-1 HE) |
| Date | Time | Wednesday, December 23, 2020 - 3:30 p.m. |
| Location | Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) |
| Series History | UMass leads 40-15-4 |
| Live Statistics | Sidearm |
| Watch Live | NESN | SportsLive (outside New England) | 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 |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | UConn |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
Last Time Out: #10/13 UMass Sweeps Vermont At Mullins
- No. 10/13 University of Massachusetts hockey swept its series vs. Vermont at the Mullins Center this past weekend, winning Saturday's contest 4-0 and following up with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.
- After a barrage of chances for the Minutemen in the first period on Saturday, sophomore Cal Kiefiuk ultimately put UMass on the board just 2:05 into the second as his shot deflected off a Catamounts' defenseman and fluttered over the shoulder of Tyler Harmon with sophomore Eric Faith and freshman Oliver MacDonald picking up the assists.
- While killing off a five-minute major, the Minutemen managed to extend their lead to 2-0. Colin Felix's outlet pass sprung seniors Jake Gaudet and Oliver Chau on a shorthanded 2-on-1 and Gaudet dished to Chau for the finish at the 15:17 mark of the second.
- UMass added another 5:18 into the third with sophomore Matthew Kessel forcing a turnover in the offensive zone. Kiefiuk collected the loose puck and dished a no-look pass back to Kessel for the backhand score from the slot.
- With a power-play opportunity late, UVM elected to pull Harmon for a 6-on-4 advantage. However, junior Bobby Trivigno held off a pair of Catamounts on the back check to deposit the empty net goal from junior Marc Del Gaizo at the 18:40 mark.
- The Minutemen out-shot Vermont, 34-15, while both teams were 0-for-5 on the power play. Harmon made 30 saves for the Catamounts and senior Matt Murray had 15 stops en route to his ninth career shutout.
- On Sunday, UMass used three first period power-play goals to help carry the squad to victory. Redshirt senior Carson Gicewicz was first to convert for the Minutemen, knocking a loose puck home from Trivigno and Kiefiuk on the power play 6:39 into the first.
- Freshman Josh Lopina doubled the lead with his power-play goal from junior Marc Del Gaizo and Aaron Bohlinger, putting back his own rebound off the pad of Harmon at the 18:16 mark of the opening period at the tail end of a 5-on-3.
- Kessel followed with another just 1:09 later as the man advantage continued, hammering in his third goal of the season from the high slot with sophomore Zac Jones and Trivigno picking up the assists.
- UVM pulled to within 3-1 early in the third. Alex Esposito redirected William Lemay's shot through the legs of Murray on the power play, 1:48 into the stanza. The tally snapped a shutout streak of 236 minutes, 34 seconds for Murray against the Catamounts.
- Gicewicz later added his second of the night at the 17:08 mark, tapping in a cross-ice feed from Bohlinger and Trivigno to bring the score to 4-1.
- UMass out-shot Vermont 33-18 in the contest and went 3-for-5 on the power play, while the Catamounts were 1-for-3. Murray ended the night with 17 saves en route to his 46th career win, moving him into second all-time on the program's list for goaltender victories past Paul Dainton's (2007-11) career total of 45.
- Gicewicz's two-goal effort was his first multi-goal game since his sophomore year at St. Lawrence when he scored twice vs. Brown on Jan. 26, 2018.
- Trivigno tied his career single-game best for points and set a new career single-game best with three assists on the evening. He finished the weekend with four points (1g, 3a) and was tabbed the Hockey East Player of the Week for the first time in his career.
- Bohlinger's pair of helpers on Sunday marked his second multi-point game of his collegiate career.
Special Teams Success
- As of Dec. 22, UMass' penalty kill ranks eighth (90.9%) in the nation and its power play sits 15th nationally (24.3%) while the squad is tied for the national lead in shorthanded goals with three.
- To date, 12 of the team's 26 goals have come in special teams situations, 46% of the squad's scoring.
Quick Draw
- One of the Minutemen's biggest strengths thus far has been the team's success over the faceoff dots. As of December 22, UMass ranked sixth in the nation among the 49 teams that have played at least one game this season with a 55.9% faceoff percentage, tops in Hockey East.
- Individually, Philip Lagunov (61.8%, 47w, 29L) ranks 25th nationally, Eric Faith (58.9%, 43 of 73) is 37th and while Josh Lopina is 51st at 56.8% (92 of 162). Lopina is currently ninth nationally in faceoff wins with 92.
Immediate Impact
- UMass' newcomers have combined for 27 of the team's 73 points through eight games or 37% of the scoring. Four newcomers have provided a combined 10 goals of UMass' total of 26 or 38.4%.
- Four of the team's top-eight point providers through eight games are new additions to the Minutemen roster for 2020-21 with freshman Josh Lopina pacing the squad in goals (4) and tied for second on the squad in points with fellow newcomer redshirt senior Carson Gicewicz (3g, 3a) with six. Freshmen Oliver Macdonald (2g, 3a) and Aaron Bohlinger (0g, 5a) have contributed five points apiece.
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 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 38-8-1 in its last 47 games at the Mullins Center and went 29-5-1 over the past two seasons (2018-19 and 2019-20) 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 the last two years ranked second nationally behind only Minnesota State's .918. UMass' home wins total from October 2018 to March 2020 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 in 2018-19.
- Lindberg is currently the program's all-time career leader in save percentage (.927) and goals-against average (1.86), while Murray ranks third (.916) in save percentage and second in goals-against average (2.20) in school history. Murray is currently second all-time in career wins (46), and four away from matching Gabe Winer's record (50).
- Murray holds UMass' career shutout record with nine to his credit. He entered the season tied for fourth among active NCAA netminders in shutouts, ninth in saves (1,527) and fourth in wins.
- Lindberg entered the season fifth among active goaltenders nationally in career save percent-age 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 in the top-15 each week 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.
- Linden Alger's father Richard played for UMass in the program's inaugural Division I season (1993-94) and then played the next two campaigns at Boston University (1995-97).
