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University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
#6 University of Michigan
Massachusetts Hockey Prepares To Host First Home Series Vs. No. 6 Michigan
October 11, 2023 | Hockey
| Games 2-3 | Massachusetts Minutemen (1-0-0, 0-0-0 HE) vs. #6 Michigan Wolverines (1-1-0, 0-0-0 B1G) |
| Dates | Times | Friday-Saturday, October 13-14, 2023 | 7 p.m. |
| Location | Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center) |
| Series History | Michigan leads 2-0-0 |
| Live Statistics | Friday | Saturday |
| Watch Live | Friday | Saturday International Stream |
| Listen (Radio) | WHMP FM 101.5, AM 1400/1240 |
| Listen (Online) | WHMP Streaming Player | App: Download The Varsity Sports Network on your mobile device |
| Game Notes | Massachusetts | Michigan |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Michigan |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
| Tickets | Friday | Saturday |
LAST TIME OUT: UMASS OPENS 2023-24 WITH WIN OVER AIC, 5-3
- University of Massachusetts hockey earned its first win of the season, 5-3 over AIC in its home opener on Saturday, October 7 at the Mullins Center.
- UMass opened the scoring midway through the first period. Senior Elliot McDermott sent a saucer pass to junior Taylor Makar, who found classmate Ryan Lautenbach in front of a wide-open AIC net. The goal, which came 9:44 into the period, marked Lautenbach's first of the season and eighth of his career.
- Graduate transfer Samuli Niinisaari then put the Minutemen up by two just before the intermission, jamming a loose puck past the pads of Yellow Jackets' netminder, Nils Wallstrom with 1:06 remaining. Junior Scott Morrow and freshman Bo Cosman earned assists on the play, Cosman's first collegiate point.
- The Yellow Jackets halved their deficit 5:06 into the second when Jordan Biro sent a cross-ice pass to Brian Kramer, who finished with a wrister from the faceoff circle.
- UMass regained its two-goal cushion moments later, converting on its second power play of the night at the 8:26 mark. Freshman Jack Musa earned his first collegiate tally, whipping the puck home from point-blank range off a no-look pass from junior Lucas Mercuri after the initial shot came from junior Ryan Ufko.
- Just 32 seconds into the third period, sophomore Michael Cameron went coast-to-coast for an unassisted tally that pushed the Minutemen lead to 4-1.AIC responded with the next two goals to pull back within striking distance. At the 12:16 mark, Julius Janhonan found Brett Callahan streaking towards the back post for a redirection past UMass goaltender Cole Brady.
- Seconds after a successful penalty kill by the Minutemen, Logan Jenuwine hammered home a one-timer from Kramer and Josh Barnes that closed the gap to 4-3 for AIC with 3:55 remaining in the third.
- Ufko quieted the Yellow Jackets' potential rally, however, with an empty net goal at 18:37 to complete the scoring.
- AIC out-shot UMass, 39-25 in the contest, while the Minutemen. Were a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill and 1-for-2 on the power play.
- Brady finished the night with 36 stops for UMass, while Wallstrom turned aside 20 for the Yellow Jackets.
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF DIVISION I HOCKEY
- On October 23, 1993, the University of Massachusetts hockey team took the ice for the first time as a Division I program, taking on Merrimack in North Andover. Thus began a new era for a program that was shuttered at the conclusion of the 1978-79 season, despite winning the ECAC Division II National Championship in 1972.
- Fast forwarding to the present day, as we enter the 2023-24 campaign, University of Massachusetts Athletics will celebrate 30 years of Division I hockey in Amherst throughout the upcoming season. In addition to honoring the 1993-94 squad, the top moments from the past 30 seasons will be highlighted on social media and at UMass hockey home games.
- After 15 years of no hockey program at UMass, the Minutemen went 20-9 in their return campaign in 1993-94, playing a mixture of Division I, II and III teams.
- The 1993-94 roster was comprised of 22 freshmen and one senior, former UMass baseball player Steve Corradi, and a football All-Yankee Conference defensive end, Brian Corcoran. The program's first signed recruit of the Division I era was defenseman Rich Alger, the father of current Minutemen senior defenseman Linden Alger.
- University of Massachusetts hockey has a balanced roster of youth and experience heading into its eighth season under head coach Greg Carvel in 2023-24 with 15 returnees and 13 newcomers making up the roster.
- UMass saw the bulk of its roster turnover among its forwards group with nine new players joining seven returning. The Minutemen return all five of their top-five goal scorers from 2022-23, including Taylor Makar who led the squad with 10 tallies as a sophomore. Kenny Connors and Michael Cameron are back as well after putting up nine goals apiece as freshmen. Three graduate transfers and six freshmen will give a new look to much of the front half of the UMass lineup with five of those newcomers being NHL draft selections.
- Defensively the script has flipped from a year ago as Carvel's squad now boasts a veteran defensive corps after dressing six freshmen and sophomores many nights last season.
- Seniors Linden Alger and Aaron Bohlinger are back healthy after both missing time due to injury last season, while senior Elliott McDermott heads into year two with the Minutemen after the Colgate transfer appeared in all 35 games last season.
- Pro prospects Scott Morrow and Ryan Ufko have returned for their junior campaigns and ranked first and third, respectively, among the team in point scoring last season.
- Owen Murray and Kennedy O'Connor round out the group of returnees on the blueline, having played in 21 and 22 games each last season as freshmen.
- The Minutemen have added even more of a veteran presence on the back end with the addition of graduate transfer Samuli Niinisaari from Brown, while Sebastian Törnqvist is the lone freshman defenseman for UMass this season.
- In net, Massachusetts returns Cole Brady who saw 600+ minutes for UMass last season over 13 games after transferring in from Arizona State. Brady, a 2019 New Jersey Devils' draft selection, will mentor two freshmen between the pipes with freshman Michael Hrabal, a 2023 second round pick of Arizona, and Massachusetts native Jackson Irving joining the squad.
MORROW MAKING HIS MARK
- Entering his junior season, Scott Morrow led the nation in career goals by active defensemen and ranked fourth nationally among active defensemen with 64 career points, second in game-winning goals by defensemen (5) and third in power-play goals by defensemen (7).
- Last year Morrow joined UMass Hall of Famer Thomas Poeck as the only Minutemen blueliners in program history to post multiple seasons with 30+ points, logging 33 as a freshman and 31 as a sophomore.
VEGAS BOUND IN OCTOBER 2024
- University of Massachusetts hockey will participate in the 2024 Men's Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, it was jointly announced by the University of Minnesota, the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, Sports Nevada USA, the Hockey Commissioners Association and College Hockey Inc. on October 3.
- In addition to the Minutemen and the host Gophers, Air Force and Omaha will also compete in the event, which is slated for Oct. 11-12, 2024.
- UMass previously played in the Ice Breaker Tournament in 2008 when Boston University hosted at Agganis Arena in Boston.
- The Ice Breaker Tournament, which began in 1997, traditionally marks the beginning of the NCAA Division I men's hockey season. The event brings together four teams, typically from different conferences, and is administered by College Hockey Inc. on behalf of the Hockey Commissioners Association.
PROSPECTS APLENTY
- The Massachusetts roster features 13 NHL draft picks, the most in program history, which is tied for second nationally, trailing only Boston University and Boston College's 14.
- Six of the 13 draftees are newcomers to the squad for 2023-24, including graduate transfer Liam Gorman who was selected in the sixth round (177th overall) by the Pittsburgh Penguins in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft and had his rights traded to Chicago in 2022. In addition to Gorman, UMass has also added Dans Locmelis (Boston, 2022 fourth round), Michael Hrabal (Arizona, 2023 second round), Cam O'Neill (Ottawa, 2022 fifth round), Aydar Suniev (Calgary, 2023 third round) and Nick VanTassell (Ottawa, 2023 seventh round).
- The returning draftees are: Cole Brady (New Jersey, 2019 fifth round), Kenny Connors (Los Angeles, 2022 fourth round), Scott Morrow (Carolina, 2021 second round), Cole O'Hara (Nashville, 2022 fourth round), Taylor Makar (Colorado, 2021 seventh round), Lucas Mercuri (Carolina, 2020 sixth round) and Ryan Ufko (Nashville, 2021 fourth round).
"BO" AND UFKO WEARING THE C'S
- University of Massachusetts hockey has named senior defenseman Aaron Bohlinger and junior defenseman Ryan Ufko as co-captains for 2023-24.
- Bohlinger appeared in 25 games in 2022-23 and totaled nine points on two goals and seven assists with one power-play goal and one game winner. He also blocked 43 shots and registered two multi-point games and one multi-goal game.
- Out of five career tallies for the Walden, New York native, one was the overtime winner in the 2022 Hockey East Championship and his first career goal was the game winner in the 2021 National Championship. Bohlinger helped the Minutemen win a Hockey East title in 2021, as well.
- He is a two-time AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar and a three-time Hockey East All-Academic Team honoree while earning the prestigious honor of being named Hockey East's Top Scholar-Athlete in 2021-22 and in 2022-23.
- This past summer, Bohlinger became just the second Academic All-American in program history. He enters his senior season having seen action in 84 games with 34 points (5g, 29a).
- Ufko garnered the team's Most Valuable Player recognition in 2023-24 after finishing his sophomore campaign third for the Minutemen in scoring with 24 points over 32 games on eight goals and 16 assists with four of his tallies coming on the power play. The Smithtown, New York, native led UMass in blocks with 48, as well. He finished tied for fourth in Hockey East in defenseman scoring and was named a Hockey East Second Team All-Star.
- In league play, Ufko tied for second for the Minutemen in points with 17 in 24 Hockey East contests on six goals and 11 assists with three power-play tallies.
- The 2022 Hockey East Honorable Mention All-Star was an AHCA Krampade All-American Scholar and a Hockey East All-Academic Team honoree in 2021-22 and 2022-23 and was tabbed an Academic All-District At-Large Team in 2023. To date, Ufko has appeared in 70 career games with 57 points on 14 goals and 43 assists.
MINUTEMEN FROM NEAR AND FAR
- UMass' 2023-24 roster is comprised of student-athletes from seven different countries. There are four different Canadian provinces (Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Quebec) represented and 10 different states (Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania).
- Springfield native Kennedy O'Connor is the closest to home at 27 miles, while Aydar Suniev is the furthest from home (Kazan, Russia) at 4,844 miles.
A HOMECOMING FOR MASTALERZ
- University of Massachusetts hockey alumnus Steve Mastalerz returned to his alma mater to join head coach Greg Carvel's staff as Director of Player of Development in July.
- Mastalerz, who was a goaltender for the Minutemen from 2011-15, comes back to Amherst with nine years of experience coaching goaltenders on a professional, collegiate and youth level.
- Most recently Mastalerz was the vice president and head instructor for Mike Buckley's Goaltending Development Services out of North Andover, Massachusetts, and served as the goaltending coach for the Northeast Generals of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), holding both positions since the Fall of 2015.
- Upon graduating from UMass, Mastalerz signed with the Manchester Monarchs, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Los Angeles Kings and was with the squad during their 2015 Calder Cup run. He remained with Manchester as their goaltending coach from 2016-18.
- In his career with the Minutemen, Mastalerz appeared in 77 career games for a total of 4217 minutes, 45 seconds, and logged a 3.12 goals-against average and a .894 save percentage. The North Andover, Massachusetts native posted 20 wins and four shutouts, which currently ranks 10th in program history, while his career saves total (1,953) is sixth all-time in the UMass record book.
- Mastalerz, a five-time Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week in his career, set UMass' Division I single game saves record, which was then sixth-most in NCAA history, with 75 stops in the Minutemen's five overtime victory at Notre Dame on March 6, 2015 in the Hockey East Tournament. He was a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and was twice named to the Hockey East All-Academic team.
- Mastalerz earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology from UMass in May 2015.
IN CARVEL WE TRUST
- Head coach Greg Carvel, in his eighth season of his UMass tenure, has led the Minutemen to four seasons of 20+ wins, including a program-record 31 wins in 2018-19, the second-highest wins total in program history (22 in 2021-22), 21 wins in 2019-20 (tied-third) and 20 wins in 2020-21 (tied-fifth).
- Carvel won his 100th game at the helm for the Minutemen on November 6, 2021 at Providence. He earned his 200th career victory on March, 12, 2022 vs. the Friars in the Hockey East Quarterfinals.
- Among active Division I Men's head coaches, Carvel is third in wins for coaches with tenures of 13 years or less, trailing only Mike Hastings (Wisconsin) and Casey Jones (Clarkson). Carvel, in his 13th year as a head coach, currently has 216 wins.
- Under head coach Greg Carvel, the Minutemen are 7-2 in the NCAA Tournament with two trips to the National Final (2019 and 2021) and one National Championship (2021) and have made three NCAA Tournament appearances under Carvel.
- UMass is 20-38 all-time in the Hockey East Tournament, 10-7 under Carvel and 8-2 since 2019 with consecutive Hockey East Tournament titles in 2021 and 2022, the first two in program history.
- Overall under Carvel (Hockey East and NCAA Tournament) UMass' postseason record is 17-9 with two Hockey East Championships, two Regional Championships and one National Championship.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
- UMass have gone 75-24-8 at the Mullins Center over the past four-plus seasons (2018-present) for a .738 winning percentage. This stretch included a 16-game unbeaten streak (15-0-1) that began on Jan. 11, 2019 against Vermont and came to an end on Nov. 30, 2019 with a 2-1 loss to Quinnipiac.
BLOODLINES AND FAMILY TIES
- Taylor Makar and his brother Cale (2017-19) are the fifth set of brothers to wear the Maroon & White in the program's modern era. The other four sets of brothers are: Anthony Del Gaizo (2018-22) and Marc Del Gaizo (2018-21), 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.
- 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). Kennedy O'Connor's father, Thomas, was a teammate of Alger's at UMass in 1994-95 and played with the program through 1998 before going on to a professional career with the Wheeling Nailers (1998-99) and Augusta Lynx (2000-01) of the ECHL and the Syracuse Crunch (1998-99) and Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins (1999-00) of the AHL. O'Connor's sister, Kayla, was a college hockey player as well, playing at Trinity from 2014 to 2018.
- Scott Morrow's uncle, Scott (1988-92), and dad, Steve Morrow (1988-91), both played college hockey at New Hampshire. His sister, Sydney, plays hockey at Colgate.
- Owen Murray's great uncle, Dallas Smith, played for the Boston Bruins from 1966 to 1977.
- Jackson Irving's father, Father, Bruce, was a goaltender at Cornell.
- Three newcomers have siblings playing college hockey. Jack Musa's brother, Joey, plays at Dartmouth, Liam Gorman's brother, Brendan, plays at Princeton and Sebastian Törnqvist's brother, Philip, plays at Vermont.
- Cam O'Neill's brother Colin played hockey at UMass Lowell (2016-18) and his brother Jason played hockey at Providence (2017-21).
