#13/12 Massachusetts Off To TD Garden To Face #1 Boston College In Hockey East Semifinal Friday

Game 36	Hockey East Semifinal - No. 5 Seed vs. No. 1 Seed #13/12 Massachusetts Minutemen (20-12-3, 12-10-2 HE) vs. #1 Boston College Eagles (29-5-1, 20-3-1 HE)
Date \| Time	Friday, March 22, 2024 \| 4 p.m.
Location	TD Garden \| Boston, Mass.
Series History	Boston College leads: 76-17-4
Live Statistics	Sidearm
Watch Live	NESN \| NESN+ \| ESPN+ \| 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 \| Boston College
Team Records	Massachusetts \| Boston College
Twitter	@UMassHockey \| @UMassAthletics
Instagram	UMass Hockey \| UMass Athletics
Tickets	Ticketmaster

LAST TIME OUT: MASSACHUSETTS PUNCHES TICKET TO TD GARDEN WITH 3-1 WIN AT PROVIDENCE
- No. 16 University of Massachusetts hockey scored twice in the first five minutes of the contest and never trailed en route to a 3-1 win over No. 13/14 Providence in the Hockey East Quarterfinals at Schneider Arena last Saturday afternoon.
- With the win, the Minutemen improved to 20-12-3, marking the seventh 20-win season in program history and the fifth under head coach Greg Carvel.
- Junior Ryan Lautenbach put UMass on the board just 67 seconds into the contest, skating to the front of the Providence net and batting home a feed from classmates Lucas Mercuri and Taylor Makar below the goal line.
- Then at the 4:16 mark, junior Ryan Ufko collected a faceoff win from sophomore Kenny Connors and drove in his 10th tally of the season from the blueline.
- Following a scoreless second and with the third period winding down, Connors made it a 3-0 margin, cleaning up a loose puck in the Providence slot with Lautenbach and Mercuri collecting the assists at 14:22.
- The Friars spoiled the shutout bid 28 seconds later, with Hudson Malinoski scoring a 6-on-4 power-play goal from Richard Guillaume and Tanner Adams.
- Providence finished the contests with a 28-25 edge in shots on goal and were 1-for-3 on the power play, while UMass was 0-for-5.
- Michael Hrabal logged 27 saves for the Minutemen and Philip Svedeback turned aside 22 in net for the Friars.

UFKO SELECTED AS HOCKEY EAST DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
- Junior defenseman Ryan Ufko was selected as the Hockey East Defender of the Week, the league announced on March 18, marking Ufko's third weekly honor of the season and 11th time a member of the Minutemen has been recognized
- Ufko scored the game-winner on Saturday in UMass' 3-1 Hockey East Quarterfinal victory at Providence and helped the Minutemen hold the Friars to one goal on 28 shots. The goal was the Smithtown, New York, native's 10th of the year and sixth game-winner, tying a program single-season record.

A BALANCED ATTACK
- Seven Minutemen have reached the 20-point plateau this season - Jack Musa (29), Scott Morrow (29), Ryan Ufko (26), Aydar Suniev (25), Lucas Mercuri (24), Ryan Lautenbach (23) and Kenny Connors (22).
- It marks the first time UMass has had seven or more 20-point scorers since the team first went to the Frozen Four in 2018-19.

UFKO BECOMES FIRST MINUTEMAN TO EARN LEN CEGLARSKI SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
- Junior captain Ryan Ufko was named a co-recipient of the 2023-24 Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award, Hockey East announced on March 13. Ufko, the first-ever winner from UMass, shared the honor with Eamon Powell of Boston College.
- The Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award, established in 1992, was named in honor of retired Boston College Head Coach Len Ceglarski and is s given by the league to one player who has consistently demonstrated superior conduct and sportsmanship on the ice.
- Ufko, a team co-captain, Hobey Baker candidate and 2024 Walter Brown Award semifinalist, has seen action in all 35 games this season, recording 26 points on 10 goals and 16 assists, including six power-play markers and six game winners. The Smithtown, New York native is +6 with 49 blocks and has helped UMass to a 20-12-3 record and a top-15 ranking thus far this year. He was named Hockey East Defender of the Week on Nov. 20 after playing a pivotal role in the Minutemen's sweep of then No. 5-ranked Providence and Hockey East Player of the Week after a four-point weekend against UMass Lowell, which included two OT game winners.
- In league action this season, Ufko posted 12 points on six goals and six assists over 24 games with four power-play goals and four game winners.
- The 2023 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 104 career games with 81 points on 23 goals and 58 assists.

UFKO HONORED AS HOCKEY EAST PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Junior defenseman Ryan Ufko was selected as the Hockey East Player of the Weeky on March 4. It marked Ufko's second weekly award of the season and the 10th time a member of the Minutemen has been honored.
- Ufko led UMass in scoring in a 2-0-0 week with four points on three goals and an assist, which included two overtime game winners over UMass Lowell. The Smithtown, New York native was +2 with four blocks and scored on three of five shots for a 60% shooting percentage, as well. In Friday's 2-1 OT road win at UMass Lowell, Ufko blocked three shots and scored the deciding goal in the extra frame of his 100th career game.
- In the Saturday matchup, he factored in three of four goals in a come-from-behind OT victory, starting the contest by setting up a shorthanded goal that opened the scoring. Ufko later netted a power-play goal in the third period to tie the score at three and followed with another power-play goal in overtime to seal the 4-3 win for the Minutemen over the River Hawks.

NIINISAARI NAMED DEFENDER OF THE WEEK
- Defenseman Samuli Niinisaari was selected as the Hockey East Defender of the Week on Feb. 26. It marked the first accolade for Niinisaari of the season and the ninth time overtall that a member of the Minutemen has been honored.
- Niinisarri helped UMass take four of six points in its weekend series against New Hampshire, scoring twice in the Feb. 23, 3-2 win for a new career high in goals, which included the game-winner, while also blocking two shots. He then blocked three shots in Saturday's contest in Durham.

HRABAL AND MORROW HONORED BY HOCKEY EAST
- Freshman goaltender Michael Hrabal and junior defenseman Scott Morrow were honored by Hockey East following a sweep of UConn on February 12. Hrabal was tabbed as the Goaltender of the Week and Morrow was selected as the Defensive Player of the Week. It marked the seventh and eighth weekly awards for the Minutemen this season.
- Hrabal stopped 72 of the 73 shots he faced in a 2-0 weekend against UConn for a .986 save percentage and a 0.50 goals against average over 119:45 minutes. The Prague, Czechia native turned aside all 36 shots he faced for his second career shutout in a 2-0 road win over the Huskies, setting a new career high in saves. He then matched his new career high in saves the following night at the Mullins Center to secure a 3-1 victory.
- Morrow helped lead a defense that allowed just one goal in the weekend sweep. He assisted the game-winning goals in both contests and had an additional assist in Saturday night's win. The Darien, Connecticut native passed long-time NHLer Justin Braun for second all-time in career scoring by a defensemen (88 points) at UMass on the weekend, now with 93 points in 107 collegiate games.

FINISHING STRONG
- UMass has been a third period team this season, outscoring opponents 43-28 over the final 20 minutes. The Minutemen are 14-4-2 when leading or tied after two periods and 17-3-2 when scoring the first goal of the third period.

SUNIEV TAPPED AS HOCKEY EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
- Freshman forward Aydar Suniev was selected as the Hockey East Rookie of the Week on Dec. 11. This marked the Kazan, Russia native's first weekly award and fifth time a member of the Minutemen was honored this season.
- Suniev led UMass to a sweep of Alaska Anchorage with a team-high six points on three goals and three assists in the two-game set against the Seawolves. He had a five-point game against UAA in game one, helping the Minutemen set a record for most goals against a Division I opponent as the squad won 11-2. Suniev's five points, which came on two goals and three assists, marked the most points by a UMass freshman in a single game in the program's DI era. He then followed up with his third goal of the weekend in Saturday's 3-2 win, putting the Minutemen in front 2-1 with less than three minutes to play in regulation. Suniev finished the weekend +5 with a .250 shooting percentage and four blocks.
- Suniev currently has 25 points on a team-best 12 goals and 13 assists though 33 games.

HRABAL AND LOCMELIS PLAY IN WORLD JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP
- Freshman forward Dans Locmelis and freshman goaltender Michael Hrabal represented their respective nations of Latvia and Czechia at the 2024 World Junior Championship in Gothenburg, Sweden.
- Both Czechia and Latvia reached the Quarterfinal round. Locmelis finished the tournament with five points on two goals and three assists in five games. Hrabal and Czechia earned Bronze with a win over Finland after falling to Sweden in the Semifinals.
-Locmelis previously represented Lativa at both the 2022 and 2023 World Junior Championships and registered four goals and an assist for five points over 11 games over the two tournaments. He was honored as one of Latvia's Top 3 players of the tournament in 2023. Locmelis also played in the senior World Championship with Latvia this in summer 2023 and had three points on two goals and an assist over nine games.
- Hrabal, a three-time Hockey East Goaltender of the week thus far this season, appeared in 12 games in his first semester of collegiate hockey, posting a 2.67 goals against average and a .905 save percentage over 673 minutes with a record of 7-3-1. The Prague native posted his first collegiate shutout on Oct. 21 at Minnesota State, stopping all 32 shots he faced.
- In previous international competition for Czechia, Hrabal registered a 3.11 GAA and a .920 save percentage at the 2023 U-18 World Hockey Championship and was named one of Czechia's top-3 players of the tournament. At the Hlinka Gretzky Cup in 2022 he logged a 2.73 GAA and a .917 save percentage over four contests.
- Massachusetts hockey has been represented well at World Juniors during Greg Carvel's tenure at UMass with Minutemen earning roster spots at five of the past six IIHF World Junior Championships.
- Hrabal joined a list of six previous medal winners from UMass in the tournament as current Minutemen Kenny Connors and Ryan Ufko were part of a Bronze Medal winning Team USA squad in 2023. Goaltender Filip Lindberg captured Gold with Finland in 2020 and Cale Makar took home Gold with Canada in 2018, while that same tournament Director of Equipment Operations Josh Penn earned a Bronze medal on staff with Team USA. Stephen Werner was the first Minuteman to collect a medal at the World Junior Championship, winning gold with the United States in 2004.
- Hrabal played in all seven of Czechia's games in the tournament, posting a 3-2 record with a .877 save percentage and a 3.40 goals-against average over 370:13 in net, totaling 150 saves. He helped the Czechs reach the Semifinal Round with 28 saves on 30 shots in a 3-2 victory over Canada in the quarterfinals. He also had 30 stops against the United States during group play in a contest that Czechia took down to the wire, 3-3, after regulation and overtime, before the squad ultimately fell in a shootout. He was selected as one of Team Czechia's Top-Three Players of the Tournament by the team's coaches.

UFKO AND HRABAL COLLECT HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
- Two members of the University of Massachusetts hockey program were recognized with Hockey East weekly honors following UMass' pair of wins over No. 5 Providence on Nov. 16 and 18. Junior captain Ryan Ufko was selected as the Hockey East Defender of the Week, while freshman Michael Hrabal earned a Goaltender of the Week nod for the second time this season.
- Ufko helped lead the Minutemen to two victories over the Friars, scoring in both contests. In the Thursday 3-2 come-from-behind victory in Providence, the Smithtown, New York native netted the game-tying goal on the power play in the third period. He also scored the overtime game winner in the Saturday matchup, a 2-1 victory after registering a team-high five shots on goal and blocking three shots. Ufko led a UMass defense that allowed just 1.50 goals per-game on the week and went 6-for-6 on the penalty kill, which included a five-minute major.
- Hrabal earned both wins in net for UMass against Providence, playing 120:56 and stopping 53 of 56 shots over the pair of games for a .946 save percentage and a 1.49 goals against average on the week. The Prague, Czechia native made 21 saves in Thursday's win on the road in Providence before tying his then-career best with 32 stops at the Mullins Center in the second matchup.

MUSA AND MORROW EARN MONTHLY HONORS
- Freshman forward Jack Musa and junior defenseman Scott Morrow were selected as the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month and the Hockey east Army ROTC Defender of the Month for October. The duo helped UMass go 4-2-1 for the month, which included six matchups against ranked teams.
- Musa led UMass in scoring in October with 10 points on three goals and seven assists with all three goals coming on the power play and was + 1. The Orange Park, Florida native had points in five of the seven games on the month, including four multi-point performances.
- Musa scored in his collegiate debut in a 5-3 win over AIC, had a five-point weekend against No. 6 Michigan, which included three assists in a third period comeback win for the Minutemen over the Wolverines. He also had two-point games with a goal and an assist in a 6-3 road win over No. 19/20 Minnesota State and again in a 3-3 tie against No. 9 Boston University.
- Morrow was second on the team in scoring for October, trailing only Musa, as he put up nine points on two goals and seven assists with both tallies coming on the power play.
- The Darien, Connecticut native had back-to-back multi-point games against No. 6 Michigan (1g, 1a) and No. 19/20 Minnesota State (3a), both 6-3 victories for the Minutemen. He also helped UMass post a 1-0 shutout on the road at No. 19/20 Minnesota State to complete a weekend sweep of the Mavericks.

FILL THE BILL
- UMass finished its home slate ranked 13th nationally in attendance and 11th average attendance (5,544) over 17 home games on the year.
- The attendance vs. No. 6 Michigan tied the program's Mullins Center attendance record at 8,412 after packing the building with 7,361 fans the night before against the Wolverines, good for 17th-most all-time. That weekend series against Michigan set a new non-conference weekend series attendance record with a combined total of 15,773 coming through the doors at Mullins on Oct. 13 and 14.
- Most recently, UMass drew 7,737 fans against Maine on Feb. 3, 6,342 against UConn on Feb. 10, 8,412 against Boston College on Feb. 16 and 6,089 on Feb. 23 vs. New Hampshire. It matched a program record of four straight home crowds of 6,000+, first set in 2007 (3/2, 3/3, 3/9, 3/10). Then for the home regular season finale, 6,289 fans came out to the Mullins center to break the record with a fifth-straight home crowd of 6K+.

MUSA TABBED HOCKEY EAST ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
- Freshman forward Jack Musa was selected as the Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week on Oct. 16. The Orange Park, Florida native helped the Minutemen earn a split with No. 6 Michigan, setting up five of UMass' eight goals on the weekend.
- Musa led UMass in points on the week with five helpers against the Wolverines, including three of the six goals the Minutemen scored in the third period in Saturday's 6-3 come-from-behind victory. He also assisted both goals in the Friday loss.

MINUTEMEN EARN PAIR OF WEEKLY AWARDS AFTER SWEEPING MAVERICKS
- Senior defenseman Aaron Bohlinger and freshman goaltender Michael Hrabal were selected as Hockey East Army ROTC Defender of the Week and Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Week on October 23 after the duo helped the Minutemen sweep #19/20 Minnesota State on the road with a 6-3 win in game one and a 1-0 victory in game two.
- Bohlinger collected three assists and was +1 with seven blocks over the two-game set against the Mavericks. The Walden, New York native had a pair of assists in Friday's contest with one coming on the first goal of the game and the other on a power play late that put UMass up 5-3, while also blocking three shots.
- On Saturday, Bohlinger helped lead a UMass defense the shutout win with four blocked shots and picked up the primary assist on the game's only tally. He also helped UMass' penalty kill go a perfect 14-for-14 on the weekend.
- Hrabal started both games in net for the Minutemen and posted a 1.51 goals-against average and a .952 save percentage with two wins on the weekend. The Prague, Czechia, native made 28 saves on Friday and followed up by stopping all 32 he faced on Saturday in his first career shutout.

CLEAN SWEEP
- UMass' 6-3 and 1-0 victories on the road at #19/20 Minnesota State on October 20-21 marked the first time since 2010 that the Minutemen swept a ranked team in a road weekend series. Massachusetts beat #17 Maine 5-2 and 4-3 on March 5-6, 2010.

BLOCK PARTY
- Graduate transfer Samuli Niinisaari had seven blocks in the Oct. 21 1-0 shutout at #19/20 Minnesota State, tying the program record previously set by Marc Hetnik (10/10/15 at Colorado College), Callum Fryer (vs. UMass Lowell 1/9/15), Oleg Yevenko (at Quinnipiac 11/28/14) and Colin Shea (12/7/13). The total also tied Niinisaari's personal best, which he set while at Brown playing against Colgate on Feb. 25, 2023.

FIRST TIMERS
- Graduate transfer Samuli Niinisaari scored his first goal in a UMass uniform vs. AIC (10/7) and picked up his first UMass assist vs. Vermont (11/10), while graduate transfer Lucas Vanroboys netted a pair for his first two goals as a Minuteman against Michigan (10/14), his first career multi-goal game.
- Freshman Jack Musa scored his first collegiate goal against AIC (10/7) and picked up his first two career assists vs. #6 Michigan (10/13).
- Freshman Aydar Suniev registered an assist for his first collegiate point in his UMass debut vs. Michigan (10/13) and scored his first career goal at #19/20 Minnesota State (10/20). Freshman Bo Cosman posted an assist in the season opener vs. AIC (10/7) for his first collegiate point.
- Graduate transfer Liam Gorman logged his first point as a Minuteman with an assist vs. Michigan (10/14).
- Dans Locmelis scored his first collegiate goal against Boston University on Oct. 28. He earned his first career assist at Vermont on Dec. 1.
- Freshman Cam O'Neill netted his first collegiate goal at Providence on Nov. 16 with Christian Sanda and Vanroboys adding their first assists as Minutemen on the play. O'Neill picked up his first career assist at Harvard on Nov. 24.
- Freshman Nick VanTassell logged his first collegiate point with an assist against Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 8. Classmate Sebastian Törnqvist also collected his first two collegiate points in that contest with a pair of helpers.
- Freshman Jackson Irving made his collegiate debut against Alaska Anchorage of Dec. 8 and made six saves in 8:50 of action.
- Senior Linden Alger picked up his first collegiate assist against UConn on Jan. 5.

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.
- 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.

TAKING STOCK
- University of Massachusetts hockey has a balanced roster of youth and experience in 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 the seven returnees. 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 mostly freshmen and sophomores many last season.
- Seniors Linden Alger and Aaron Bohlinger are back healthy after both missing time due to injury in 2022-23, while senior Elliott McDermott enters 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.
- Morrow is climbing UMass' defenseman scoring career list, currently second.

UMass Defensemen Career Scoring Leaders
102 - Thomas Pock (44g 58a) - 2000-04
93 - Scott Morrow (28g 65a) - 2021-24
88 - Justin Braun (23g 65a) - 2006-10
83 - Marvin Degon (27g 56a) - 2001-06
75 - Joel Hanley (17g 58a) - 2010-14

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 eighth 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.
- Last summer, Bohlinger became just the second Academic All-American in program history. He currently has seen action in 118 career games with 42 career points (8g, 34a).
- 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.

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 2023.
- 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 Gen
erals 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 five 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 and 2023-24 (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 second in wins for coaches with tenures of 13 years or less, trailing only Mike Hastings (Wisconsin, 325). Carvel is in his 13th year as a head coach and currently has 235 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 21-38 all-time in the Hockey East Tournament, 11-7 under Carvel and 9-2 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 18-9 with two Hockey East Championships, two Regional Championships and one National Championship.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
- UMass went 85-28-10 at the Mullins Center over the past five seasons (2018-present) for a .732 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).

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#13/12 Massachusetts Off To TD Garden To Face #1 Boston College In Hockey East Semifinal Friday

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Players Mentioned

Linden Alger

Aaron Bohlinger

Cole Brady

Michael Cameron

Kenny Connors

Bo Cosman

Anthony Del Gaizo

Marc Del Gaizo

Liam Gorman

Michael Hrabal

Jackson Irving

Ryan Lautenbach

Filip Lindberg

Dans Locmelis

Cale Makar

Taylor Makar

Elliott McDermott

Lucas Mercuri

Scott Morrow

Owen Murray

Jack Musa

Samuli Niinisaari

Kennedy O'Connor

Cole O'Hara

Cam O'Neill

Christian Sanda

Aydar Suniev

Ryan Ufko

Lucas Vanroboys

Nick VanTassell

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University of Massachusets Athletics