#17 Massachusetts Hockey Hosts #13 Boston College In Home Regular Season Finale Thursday

Game 33	#17 Massachusetts Minutemen (19-12-1, 12-9-1 HE) vs. #18/16 Boston College Eagles (19-12-1, 13-9-0 HE)
Date \| Time	Thursday, March 5, 2026 \| 7:00 p.m.
Location	Amherst, Mass. (Mullins Center)
Series History	Boston College leads 80-18-4
Live Statistics	Thursday
Watch Live	ESPN+ \| International Stream
Listen (Radio)	WHMP FM 101.5, AM 1400
Listen (Online)	WHMP Streaming Player \| App: Download The Varsity Sports Network on your mobile device
Game Notes	Massachusetts \| Boston College
Game Program	vs. Boston College
Team Records	Massachusetts \| Boston College
Twitter	@UMassHockey \| @UMassAthletics
Instagram	UMass Hockey \| UMass Athletics
Tickets	Thursday

LAST TIME OUT
- #19 UMass took five-of-six points in the Hockey East standings in its pair with #13/14 UConn last weekend.
- A trio of third period special teams goals helpedt the Minutemen skate past the Huskies 5-1 on Friday night in Storrs.
- Senior Owen Murray opened the scoring 4:25 into the first period with a quick wrister through traffic from the top of the right faceoff circle, set up by junior Owen Mehlenbacher and sophomore Cam Dunn.
- UConn leveled the score at the 12:44 mark, converting on the man advantage. Jake Richard collected the puck from Trey Scott and Alexandre Blais and his shot from the point found its way past a screened Michael Hrabal.
- Bo Cosman regained the lead for the Minutemen at 6:20 of the second period, banking the puck off a UConn defender and it with freshman Coleson Hanrahan picking up the assist.
- UMass then broke the game open in the third, notching a shorthanded goal and two power-play tallies. With Hanrahan in the box, sophomore Francesco Dell'Elce and junior Jack Musa came down the ice on a 2-on-1 and Dell'Elce hammered home a one-timer off the dish from Musa at the 5:52 mark.
- The Minutemen then made quick work of a man advantage opportunity at 11:32 with sophomore Daniel Jencko connecting on a one-timer from the right faceoff dot after freshman Václav Nestrašil won the puck in the corner and set it out to sophomore Larry Keenan at the point.
- Nestrašil added a power-play goal of his own at the 16:30 mark, redirecting a shot from Lukáš Klecka at the net front with Jencko earning the secondary helper.
- UConn ended the night with a 38-35 edge in shots and went 1-for-3 on the power play, while the Minutemen were 2-for-5. Hrabal finished with 37 saves, while Tyler Muszelik turned aside 30 for the Huskies.
- On Saturday UMass secured a seven-round shootout win over UConn, 2-1, after skating to a 3-3 tie with the Huskies in front of a crowd of 7,932 at the Mullins Center on Senior Night.
- UMass opened the scoring with the clock winding down in the first period. Freshman Justin Kerr collected a drop pass from Hanrahan and flicked a wrister through traffic that tucked inside the far post at the 18:37 mark. Junior Nick VanTassell earned an assist on the play, as well.
- The Huskies then leveled the score early in the second with Joey Muldowney firing the puck home from the high slot on the power play after Ryan Tattle won the offensive zone draw 2:10 into the frame.
- UConn then pulled in front, 2-1, at the 15:45 mark. Tristan Fraser sent the puck up the half wall to Scott who used a screen to beat netminder Michael Hrabal.
- Before the intermission, UMass knotted things up at 2-2 as Kerr won a draw in the Huskies end back to senior co-captain Lucas Ölvestad for the finish at 19:14.
- UConn went back in front 3:02 into the third with Jake Percival taking an outlet pass from Anthony Allain Samake and Brendan Dunphy into the Massachusetts end and banking home a wraparound attempt from below the goal line.
- The Minutemen were quick to counter, however, as junior Jack Musa netted the equalizer just 30 seconds later. VanTassell's centering pass found Musa in the slot for the finish with freshman Václav Nestrašil earning the secondary helper.
- The score remained 3-3 through overtime, sending the teams to a shootout. Richard scored for the Huskies in the second round, only to be countered by Jencko. Musa, the seventh and final shooter, ultimately potted the winner for UMass.
- Hrabal ended the night with a career high 50 saves and Tyler Muszelik had 19 stops for UConn as the Huskies out-shot the Minutemen, 53-22. UConn went 1-for-4 on the power play and UMass was 0-for-1.

MORE HONORS FOR HRABAL
- Junior goaltender Michael Hrabal was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Week this past Monday, while also taking home Hockey East Goaltender of the Month honors for February.
- The Prague, Czechia native helped UMass take 5-of-6 Hockey East points from No. 13/14 UConn, stopping 87 of 91 shots he faced on the weekend and 6-of-7 in a seven-round shootout. He posted a 1.92 save percentage and a .956 GAA for the week, while two of the four goals he allowed came on the power play.
- Hrabal made 37 saves in Friday's 5-1 win on the road in Storrs and was named the game's No. 1 star. On Saturday, he had a career-high 50 saves in a 3-3 tie against the Huskies and made six saves in a seven-round shootout to help UMass secure the extra point in the standings.
- Hrabal made 226 saves on 239 shots for a .946 save percentage and posted a 1.85 goals-against average for the month of February with a record of 4-2-1 with one shutout. The Prague, Czechia native had had 30+ saves in four of seven games on the month.
- Hrabal made 21 stops in a shutout of New Hampshire and allowed two goals or less in five of seven contests. He ranked third in the nation and first in Hockey East in save percentage for the month.

HRABAL LANDS IN TOP-10 FOR RICHTER AWARD
- Junior goaltender Michael Hrabal has been named one of 10 semifinalists for the 2026 Mike Richter Award. Since 2014, the award is given annually to the top goalie in men's NCAA Division I hockey. The 10 semifinalists were chosen by a panel of 25 voters from across the hockey community, including coaches from each conference and independent school coaches, as well as members of the national media, professional scouts and representatives of USA Hockey.
- Hrabal is one of three goaltenders from Hockey East on the list and is the first-ever semifinalist from UMass. Hrabal has bolstered his numbers to a 2.07 goals-against average and a .934 save percentage through 25 games with a 16-8-1 record. He has 720 saves in 1,479 minutes in his junior campaign.
- Since the start of the calendar year, Hrabal holds a 10-3-1 record with a 1.35 GAA and a .959 save percentage with 441 saves in 843 minutes in that span. As the national goaltender of the month and Hockey East Player of the month for January, he broke a program record with 191 consecutive shutout minutes in January, as well.

MUSA AND KERR COLLECT HOCKEY EAST WEEKLY AWARDS
- UMass picked up a pair of Hockey East weekly awards after the squad extended its winning streak to seven with victories over Northeastern and UMass Lowell on January 30 and February 1 junior forward Jack Musa was selected as the Boston Children's Hospital Player of the Week and freshman forward Justin Kerr was tabbed the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week.
- Musa led UMass in scoring in the 2-0-0 week, posting five points (4g, 1a) on eight shots and was +4 with two blocks. The Orange Park, Florida native scored the go-ahead goal in Friday's win over Northeastern after the Minutemen trailed 1-0. On Sunday, he set a career single-game high with four points, including his second career hat trick.
- Kerr scored the game winner in the final minute of OT in UMass' 3-2 win over Northeastern. The Grand Rapids, Minnesota native followed up with third goal of the season in the 6-4 victory at UMass Lowell.

HRABAL, ÖLVESTAD EARN MONTHLY AWARDS
- Goaltender Michael Hrabal and senior defenseman Lucas Ölvestad earned monthly honors from Hockey East after helping the Minutemen to a 6-1-0 record in January. Hrabal was selected as the Boston Children's Hospital Player of the Month and Ölvestad received Army ROTC Defender of the Month recognition. It marked the first monthly awards for any UMass player since 2023.
- Hrabal started all seven games in January and played 422:19 minutes, posting a 6-1-0 record with three shutouts, a 0.85 GAA and a .973 save percentage, stopping 215 of 221 shots over the seven games. The Prague, Czechia native broke a program record with 191 consecutive shutout minutes, as well. Hrabal made 42 saves in a shutout win at Vermont on January 23 and had 42 saves in a 3-2 victory over Northeastern to cap the month. He did not allow more than two goals over any of his seven starts, letting up one or less on five occasions, with his only loss coming on January 9, a 1-0 setback to Boston University. Hrabal earned two Hockey East Weekly honors for the month as the Goaltender of the Week on Jan. 12 and the Player of the Week on Jan 26.
- Ölvestad led UMass in scoring in January with six points on three goals and three assists, including two game winners and was +8 with eight blocks. The Stockholm, Sweden native helped lead a team defense that had a 0.85 GAA for the month and three shutouts. Ölvestad registered a career high three points with the game-winning goal and two assists at Merrimack on January 17 and followed up with a goal and an assist in a 4-0 shutout at Vermont on January 23. He scored the only goal in a 1-0 shutout victory over Vermont on January 24 and was named Hockey East Player of the Week on January 19.

HRABAL NAMED PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Junior goaltender Michael Hrabal was named the Hockey East Boston Children's Hospital Player of the Week on January 26. It marked Hrabal's second weekly award of the season and eighth for a member of the Minutemen.
- Hrabal stopped all 64 shots he faced, posting two shutouts in a weekend sweep at Vermont for a 1.000 save percentage and a 0.00 goals against average. The Prague, Czechia made 42 saves in Friday's 4-0 win and followed up with 22 saves in a 1-0 victory on Saturday. He was named the No. 1 star on Friday and the No. 2 star on Saturday.

GOING STREAKING
- UMass capped a seven-game winning streak with a 6-4 win at UMass Lowell on February 1, the longest winning streak for the Minutemen since winning a national title in 2021, ending the year with seven consecutive victories. There have only been two winning streaks longer in program history: a nine-game stretch in the fall of 2018 and an eight-game streak from March 1970 to December 1970.
- Going back to the 4-0 win against Maine on November 7, six of the Minutemen's last 13 victories have been shutouts and four of the last 10.
- The Minutemen have outscored their opponents 41-20 since January 1, going 10-3-1. Jack Musa (7,g, 5a), Larry Keenan (4g, 6a), Lucas Olvestad (4g, 9a) and Cam O'Neil (2g, 7a),kead the squad in scoring in the 14-game span.

ÖLVESTAD SELECTED AS DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
- Senior defenseman Lucas Ölvestad was selected as the Hockey East Army ROTC Defender of the Week on January 19. It marked Ölvestad's first career honor and the seventh weekly award for a member of the Minutemen in 2025-26.
- Ölvestad factored in all three goals in UMass' 3-1 win over Merrimack on January 17 to complete its sweep of the Warriors. The Stockholm, Sweden native netted the unassisted game-winning tally in the come from behind victory, scoring in the third period. He was +3 on the weekend and blocked three shots, including two in the final 2:27 of the January 16 road victory at Merrimack. The Minutemen held a 3-2 lead before the squad added an empty netter with 25 seconds to play.

HRABAL TABBED GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK
- Junior goaltender Michael Hrabal was selected as the Hockey East Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Week, the league announced on January 12. It marked Hrabal's first honor of the 2025-26 season and the sixth weekly award for a member of the Minutemen.
- In a weekend split with No. 19 Boston University, Hrabal stopped 55 of the 56 shots he faced over 118 minutes in between the pipes, posting a .982 save percentage and a 0.51 goals-against average for the week.

NESTRASIL EARNS SILVER AT WORLD JUNIORS
- Freshman Václav Nestrašil earned Silver at the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship after helping his native Czechia reach the championship game where the squad fell to Sweden, 4-2 in the Gold Medal game.
- Nestrašil is the fifth medal winner from UMass since 2023 as current Minuteman sophomore goaltender Michael Hrabal helped Czechia to Bronze medals in 2024 and 2025 and Kenny Connors and Ryan Ufko were part of a Bronze Medal winning Team USA squad in 2023.
- In total, eight individuals from UMass have collected nine medals at the IIHF World Junior Championship. 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.
- In the tournament, Nestrašil registered eight points on two goals and six assists over seven games and was +4 with a game-winner and a power-play goal.

HOME AWAY FROM HOME
- Since the 2018-19 season, UMass is 15-7-2 against Providence College, while all other opponents are 35-80-15 against the Friars in that span.
- The Minutemen are 8-2-1 in their last 11 matchups at Schneider Arena, an improvement from 0-10-1 in their previous 11 games dating back to the 2017-18 season.

IRVING EARNS GOALTENDER OF THE WEEK NOD
- Jackson Irving was named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Week on November 10. It marked UMass' third weekly honor of the season and the second of Irving's career.
- The Newbury, Massachusetts native started both games against No. 6 Maine and posted a .934 save percentage for the series making 85 stops with a 3.01 GAA and a 1-1-0 record.
- Irving logged a career high 48 saves in the game one loss to the Black Bears and earned the game's No. 3 star. He rebounded by posting 37 saves in his second collegiate shutout, 4-0 over Maine and was tabbed the No. 1 star of the game.

NESTRASIL NAMED ROOKIE OF THE WEEK
- Following his contributions to Massachusetts hockey's win at Stonehill on October 10, freshman forward Václav Nestrašil was tabbed Co-Hockey East Rookie of the Week. The honor marked the third for a member of the Minutemen this season and the first of Nestrašil's career.
- In the 4-1 victory over the Skyhawks at Warrior Arena, Nestrašil registered a hat trick, which included two power-play goals. The three tallies came on seven shots for the Prague, Czechia, native, a team high. His performance marked the first hat trick by a UMass freshman since 2015.

BIG MIKE MILESTONES
- Junior Michael Hrabal played in his 78th career game against No. 19 Boston University on January 9, passing current director of player development Steve Mastalerz '15 for sixth all-time in career games played for a UMass goaltender.
- With 51 wins to his credit, Hrabal just passed Gabe Winer for second in program history for career wins by a goaltender. Matt Murray holds the record with 73. Hrabal is one shutout away from tying Filip Lindberg's single season record of five.
- Currently at 2,544 saves for his career, Hrabal is 47 saves away from breaking into the top-four in program history in that category, having just passed Markus Helanen (1997-01, 2,382 saves) for fifth.

MUSA, KEENAN REACH SPENGLER CUP FINAL WITH U.S. COLLEGIATE SELECTS
- Junior forward Jack Musa was named to the United States Select hockey team for the 2025 Spengler cup on October 30. Sophomore defenseman Larry Keenan was added to the roster on November 13. The pair were two of 25 student-athletes from across NCAA men's ice hockey selected to compete in the prestigious tournament in late December.
- The USCS team reached the championship game of the tournament, falling to host HC Davos, 6-3, after previously defeating HC Sparta Praha, 5-3, and Team Canada, 3-2.
- Musa and Keenan played in all four games for USCS with Musa scoring two goals. He leads UMass in points with 33 on 15 goals and 18 assists through 30 games on the season. As the top returning scorer for the Minutemen from 2024-25, Musa put up 35 points last season as a sophomore, appearing in all 40 games and contributing 18 goals and 17 assists. Thus far in his career in a UMass uniform he has registered 97 points in 107 games on 45 goals and 52 assists.
- Keenan has logged 16 points on 6 goals and 10 assists across 32games this season. Over the 72 games of his career, he has totaled 27 points (10g, 17a) with a +22 rating.
- With the addition of Keenan to the Spengler Cup roster, UMass became the fifth team to send more than one player to the tournament in Davos, Switzerland. The Minutemen joined North Dakota, Minnesota Duluth, Notre Dame, and Penn State as teams with more than one player on the roster.

SHOTS—EVERYBODY!!
- UMass' 70 shots on goal in the squad's Oct. 4 matchup against Northern Michigan set a modern NCAA record (since 2004) for shots in a regulation game. Freshman Václav Nestrašil led the Minutemen with a game-high eight shots on goal.

FIRSTS
- Milestones set by the Minutemen this season…
- Collegiate debuts - (10/4 vs NMU): Václav Nestrašil, Jack Galanek, Lukáš Klecka, Landon Nycz, Charlie Lieberman; (10/10 at Stonehill): Elias Zimmerman (10/17 vs. Northeastern): Coleson Hanrahan; (10/18 vs. Bentley): Justin Kerr, A.J. Lacroix
- Goals - (10/4 vs. NMU): Klecka, Nestrasil; (10/5 vs. NMU): Nycz; (10/17 vs. Northeastern): Bo Cosman; (11/6 vs. Maine): Galanek; (12/6 at Northeastern): Cam Dunn; (1/16 at Merrimack): Kerr.
- Assists - (10/4 vs. NMU): Galanek, Lieberman; (10/18 vs. Bentley): Nestrasil; (10/24 at Omaha): Klecka; (10/25 at Omaha): Nycz; (11/20 at Providence): Kerr; (1/23 at Vermont): Dunn; Coleson Hanrahan (2/1) at UMass Lowell.

MUSA AND KLEČKA COP FIRST WEEKLY AWARDS OF THE SEASON
- Forwards junior Jack Musa and freshman Lukáš Klecka both received weekly awards from Hockey East following a weekend sweep of Northern Michigan to start the 2025-26 campaign. Musa was tabbed Co-Hockey East Player of the Week, while Klecka earned Rookie of the Week recognition.
- Musa put up five points on three goals and two assists in the pair of wins against the Wildcats, won 5-of-5 faceoffs and was +3 on the weekend.
- Klecka scored in both games against Northern Michigan for the first two tallies of his career. He totaled five shots and was +2 in his opening weekend of collegiate competition.

IRONMEN
- Among players returning to the Minutemen for the 2025-26 season, four players played in all 40 games during the 2024-25 season: Jack Musa, Francesco Dell'Elce, Owen Murray, Larry Keenan

CALE MAKAR: SECOND NORRIS, FIRST OLYMPICS
- Former Minuteman Cale Makar was awarded the James Norris Memorial Trophy for the second time in his career after being a finalist for the fifth time in six seasons. Makar posted 30 goals and 62 assists across 80 games in the 2024-25 season, putting him at ninth-most points across the league. Makar also had the most goals, assists, and points by a defenseman.
- Competing at the Olympics for the first time with Team Canada, Makar put up six points (2g, 4a) in six games and became the second UMass hockey alum to earn an Olympic medal, taking home silver.

AND DON'T FORGET DANS
- Former UMass forward Dans Locmelis (2023-25) was named to Latvia's roster for the 2026 Olympic Winter Games and finished the tournament with two goals in four games.
- Locmelis and Makar are the fifth and sixth Olympians from the UMass hockey program and the first Minutemen to represent Latvia and Canada, respectively. John Lyons and Justin McCartny played for Team USA in 1924, Jonathan Quick was a U.S. Olympian in 2010 (Silver) and 2014 and Thomas Poeck played for Austria in the 2002 Winter Olympics.

CAREER HIGHS
- Among the tenured Minutemen returning for the 2025-26 season, the following players posted career highs during the 2024-25 campaign:
- Lucas Ölvestad (C), 4g, 16a, 20pts, +8
- Owen Murray (C), 5g, 9a, 14pts, +5
- Jack Musa, 18g, 16a, 34pts, +18
- Nick VanTassell, 2g, 2a, 4pts

HRA-BALLIN'
- The third-highest Minutemen ever selected in the NHL Entry Draft at 38th overall, Michael Hrabal's sophomore season saw him land on Hockey East's Third Team All-Star roster.
- With 36 games logged in the 2024-25 season, Hrabal posted a 2.39 GAA and a .924 save percentage with a 19-12-5 record. He was named Hockey East's Goaltender of the Week three times during the 2024 season (12/9, 2/17, 2/24) and Hockey East's Defender of the Week one time during the 2024-25 season (1/13).
- Hrabal's 1,028 saves in the 2024 campaign ranks second all-time in program history for a single season, and his 19 wins tied for third highest in a single season.

SCHOLARLY SQUAD
- Among UMass' 20 Hockey East All-Academic Team recipients from the 2024-25 season, 13 return to the squad this season with Owen Murray, Kennedy O'Connor, Bo Cosman, Michael Hrabal, Jackson Irving, Francesco Dell'Elce, Cam Dunn, Larry Keenan, Charlie Lieberman, Jack Musa, James Norton, Lucas Ölvestad, and Nick VanTassell.
- James Duerr, and Cam O'Neill were named Hockey East's Top Scholar-Athletes and were selected to the 2024-25 Hockey East Academic All-Star Team.
- Transfer Owen Mehlenbacher was also named to his conference's all-academic team while at Wisconsin.

STANDING TALL (AND STRONG)
- UMass came into the 2025-26 season as the 11th youngest program in college hockey with average age of 21.6 years old, yet they are the tallest team coming in at an average height of 6'1.8".
- Michael Hrabal is tied for second-tallest player and is the tallest goalie in Division I Hockey, standing at 6'7". Freshmen Elias Zimmerman and Vaclav Nestrasil are tied for fifth tallest players, both at 6'6".
- UMass comes in as the fourth heaviest team, with an average weight of 193 pounds.

MURRAY AND ÖLVESTAD LEAD MINUTEMEN IN 2025-26
- Senior defensemen Owen Murray and Lucas Ölvestad have been named captains for the 2025-26 season.
- Murray has appeared in 122 games over his three-plus seasons with the Minutemen, including a season-high 40 games in the 2024-25 campaign. To date has totaled 34 points on 11 goals and 23 assists, with career highs (5g, 9a) in his junior season.
- In his first season as a Minuteman, Ölvestad appeared in 28 games and registered 20 points on four goals and 16 assists. He led all defensemen with 13 points (3g, 10a) across 24 Hockey East games. Ölvestad brought experience from a 2024 NCAA National Champion during his time with Denver.

PUTTING PEN TO PAPER
- Following the end of the 2024-25 season, five Minutemen inked their NHL Entry-Level Contracts: Lucas Mercuri (TBL), Dans Locmelis (BOS), Cole O'Hara (NSH), Kenny Connors (LAK), and Aydar Suniev (CGY).
- Connors' contract marked the 20th Minuteman to sign an NHL contract under the coaching of Greg Carvel. In total, 21 Minutemen have signed NHL contracts in the Carvel era.
- Ryan Lautenbach also signed an ATO with the San Diego Gulls of the American Hockey League (AHL).

ROOKIE LAPS
- Ryan Ufko, who signed his NHL Entry-Level Contract following the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, made his NHL debut for the Nashville Predators on April 14, 2025. He became the 25th Minuteman to play in an NHL game.
- Aydar Suniev made his NHL debut with the Calgary Flames three days later, on April 17.
- Taylor Makar became the 27th former Minuteman to play in the NHL when he skated for the Colorado Avalanche against the San Jose Sharks on November 1.
- Kenny Connors (2022-25) made his NHL debut for the Los Angeles Kings on March 2 against the Colorado Avalanche, becoming the 28th Minuteman to reach the summit of professional Hockey and the 23th of Greg Carvel's tenure as head coach.

IN OUR CARVEL ERA
- Head coach Greg Carvel, in his 10th season of his UMass tenure, has led the Minutemen to six seasons of 20+ wins, including a 21-win showing in the 2024-25 season.
- Carvel earned his 166th victory of his UMass career in a 3-1 win over New Hampshire on February 22, tying him with Don "Toot" Cahoon as the program's all-time wins leader. He took sole possession of the record with a 5-3 win over UMass Lowell on March 1. Carvel now stands at the top of the list with 189 wins and counting.
- In the Carvel Era, the Minutemen are 8-4 in the NCAA Tournament with two trips to the National Final (2019 and 2021) and one National Championship (2021) and have made five NCAA Tournament appearances under Carvel.
- UMass is 22-40 all-time in the Hockey East Tournament, 12-9 under Carvel and 10-4 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 20-13 with two Hockey East Championships, two Regional Championships and one National Championship.

A TRIP TO FARGO
- The Minutemen earned their sixth NCAA Tournament berth in 2025, which sent them to North Dakota for the Fargo Regional as the No. 3 seed. This marked UMass hockey's first trip to Fargo.
- Massachusetts faced the No. 2 seeded Minnesota Golden Gophers in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, their first meeting since a 4-3 overtime loss in the first round of the 2022 Tournament. This time, the Minutemen were able to knock out the Gophers and secure a 5-4 overtime win with a tap-in goal from Aydar Suniev.
- The Minutemen saw their season end with a narrow 2-1 loss to the No. 1-seeded Western Michigan Broncos, the eventual national champions. This was the first meeting between the two programs.

THE PROSPECT POOL
- The Massachusetts roster features seven NHL draft picks across five different franchises.
- UMass returns Nick VanTassell (Ottawa, 2023 seventh round), Cam O'Neill (Ottawa, 2022 fifth round), Larry Keenan (Detroit, 2023 fourth round), and Michael Hrabal (Arizona, 2023 second round)
- Wisconsin transfer Owen Mehlenbacher is a Detroit seventh round pick from the 2022 draft.
- Sophomore Francesco Dell'Elce was selected in the 2025 NHL draft by the Colorado Avalanche in the third round.
- Freshman Vaclav Nestrasil was selected 25th overall by Chicago in the 2025 NHL Draft. He became the highest drafted UMass forward and the second-highest draft pick in program history, trailing Cale Makar (Colorado, 2017 4th overall).

MINUTEMEN FROM AROUND THE WORLD
- UMass' 2025-26 roster is comprised of student-athletes from five different countries: Canada, Czechia, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United States.
- Six Europeans marks the most for the Minutemen in program history, with the previous high of five occurring most recently last season in 2024-25.
- There are three Canadian provinces (Manitoba, Ontario, British Columbia) represented and eight different states (Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey).
- Springfield native Kennedy O'Connor is the closest to home at 27 miles, while Vaclav Nestrasil and Michael Hrabal are the furthest from home (Prague, Czechia) at 3,963 miles.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
- UMass has gone 103-41-14 at the Mullins Center over the past six-plus seasons (2018-present) for a .696 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.

FAMILY TIES
- Lucas Ölvestad's father, Jimmie, played for the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2001-2003 and Lucas was born in Tampa during his father's NHL tenure. Jimmie Ölvestad went on to have an extended pro career with Djurgårdens IF back home in Sweden.
- Kennedy O'Connor's father, Thomas, played at UMass from 1994 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.
- Václav Nestrašil's older brother Andrej played 128 NHL games over three seasons (2014-17) with the Detroit Red Wings and Carolina Hurricanes. He is still playing professionally in their native Czechia.
- Jackson Irving's father, Bruce, was a goaltender at Cornell.
- Cam O'Neill's brother Colin played hockey at UMass Lowell (2016-18) and his brother Jason played hockey at Providence (2017-21).
- Larry Keenan's grandfather Larry Keenan played in the NHL for the Toronto Maple Leafs (1961-62), St. Louis Blues (1967-71), Buffalo Sabres (1970-72) and Philadelphia Flyers (1971-72).
- Owen Murray's great uncle Dallas Smith played for the Boston Bruins from 1966-1977 and was Bobby Orr's defensive partner.
- James Duerr's brother Sam played hockey at Maine (2021-23) and Bentley (2023-25).

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