University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Boston University
#6 Massachusetts Hockey Set To Battle BU In Home-And-Home Series
January 16, 2021 | Hockey
The Minutemen will host the Terriers on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. before heading to Boston for Monday's 3 p.m. matchup.
| University of Massachusetts Hockey Game Notes | |
| Games 14-15 | #6 Massachusetts Minutemen (9-3-1, 9-3-1 HE) vs. Boston University Terriers (1-1-0, 1-1-0 HE) |
| Dates | Times | Sunday, January 17, 2021 - 3:30 p.m. Monday, January 18, 2021 - 3 p.m. |
| Locations | Sunday: Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) Monday: Boston, Mass. (Walter Brown Arena) |
| Series History | Boston University leads 63-14-7 |
| Live Statistics | Sunday: Sidearm Monday: Sidearm |
| Watch Live | Sunday: NESN | SportsLive (Outside New England) Monday: 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 | Boston University |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Boston University |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
Last Time Out: #8 UMass Shuts Out UNH, 4-0
- No. 8 University of Massachusetts hockey used three power-play goals to roll to its seventh straight victory, shutting out New Hampshire 4-0 last Wednesday at the Mullins Center. It marked the third time this season the team put up three power-play goals in a game.
- Back from a nine-game absence due to injury, sophomore Reed Lebster opened the scoring 11:57 into the first period, skating in alone on Mike Robinson thanks to a stretch pass from junior Marc Del Gaizo out of the UMass end.
- At the 6:38 mark of the second, junior Bobby Trivigno increased the lead to 2-0, putting home a rebound from senior Oliver Chau and sophomore Zac Jones on the power play for his fifth of the season.
- Sophomore Matthew Kessel added the Minutemen's second power-play goal moments later with a blast from the high slot from Chau and Jones 8:47 into the frame.
- Kessel later capped the scoring in the third, potting another tally with the man advantage from Jones and Trivigno at 14:51.
- UMass out-shot UNH 26-21 and went 3-for-6 on the power play, while going a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill. Senior goaltender Matt Murray made 21 saves to collect his 11th career shutout and become the all-time wins leader for the Minutemen with his 51st of his career.
- Kessel's two goals brought his season total to eight, a new career best for the sophomore. Trivigno registered a goal and an assist, extending his point streak to seven straight games and Jones' three helpers matched his single-game best for assists and points. Chau's two assists equaled his career single-game best and marked his third multi-point game of the season.
Strictly Numbers
- Redshirt senior Carson Gicewicz is in an eight-way tie for third in the nation in goals with eighth. He recently capped a five-game goal scoring streak, which tied the UMass record for consecutive games with a goal as he put up seven in that span. He is tied for 16th nationally in goals per-game (.62). Gicewicz is one away from tying his career high of nine goals in 37 games as a freshman at St. Lawrence in 2016-17.
- Junior Bobby Trivigno is tied for second in the nation with 18 points (5g, 32a), ninth in points per-game (1.38). He is second nationally in assists (13), tied for fourth in assists per-game (1.00). Trivigno currently has an active seven-game point scoring streak, a new career high, and has 13 points (3g, 8a) during that stretch.
- Sophomore Matthew Kessel leads all defensemen nationally in goals (8), points (14) and power-play goals (5), second in goals per-game (0.62) and third in points per-game (1.08). He takes an active seven-game point streak into Wednesday's game with 12 points (7g, 5a) in that span.
- Sophomore Zac Jones sits tied for second nationally behind Kessel in goals by a defenseman with five. He is tied for second in points (13), tied for seventh in goals per-game (.38) and tied for fourth in points per-game (1.00).
- Senior Matt Murray became the UMass career leader in wins by a goaltender with his shutout over UNH last week, passing Gabe Winer's '06 total of 50. Murray is sixth all-time in program history in career saves with 1863.
Special Teams Success
- As of January 12, UMass' penalty kill ranks fourth (91.7%) in the nation and its power play sits sixth nationally (27.4%) while the squad is tied for second in shorthanded goals with three.
- To date, 20 of the team's 49 goals have come in special teams situations, 40.8% of the squad's scoring.
- UMass has 17 power-play goals through 13 games, compared to 16 in 34 games in 2019-20. The Minutemen have put up 11 power-play goals in the past six games.
Quick Draw
- One of the Minutemen's biggest strengths thus far has been the team's success over the faceoff dots. As of January 12, UMass leads the nation among the 51 teams that have played at least one game this season with a 57.7% faceoff percentage.
- Individually, Philip Lagunov ranks 22nd nationally (60.2%, 62 of 103), while Carson Gicewicz (59.2%, 29 of 49) ranks 29th, Josh Lopina ranks 32nd (58.8%, 150 of 255) and Eric Faith ranks 34th (58.1%, 72nd of 124). Lopina is sixth nationally in faceoff wins (150), 67 more than the next closest rookie.
Immediate Impact
- UMass' newcomers have combined for 43 of the team's 135 points through 13 games or 31.9% of the scoring. Five newcomers have provided a combined 20 goals of UMass' total of 49 or 40.8%.
- Three of the team's top-eight point providers through 12 games are new additions to the Minutemen roster for 2020-21 with redshirt senior Carson Gicewicz tied for the team lead in goals (8) and fourth on the team in points (12), while freshman Josh Lopina has 11 points to date (5g, 6a) and junior transfer Garrett Wait has six points (4g, 2a).
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.
- Through 13 games this season, the Minutemen blueliners lead the nation in: points by de-fensemen (47), goals (13), assists (34), goals per-game (1.00), power-play goals (6), power-play assists (14) and power-play points (20), while ranking third in points per-game (3.62).
Home Is Where The Wins Are
- UMass is 41-8-1 in its last 50 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. UMass is 7-1-0 at home this season, tied with Robert Morris for the most home wins in 2020-21 thus far.
- 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 (.917) in save percentage and second in goals-against average (2.16) in school history. Murray is also the program all-time leader in career wins (51) and shutouts *11).
- Murray 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 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 in the top-15 every week.
- 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).
