University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
Colorado College
#10 Massachusetts Hockey Opens 2026-27 Campaign At Colorado College
September 30, 2026 | Hockey
| Games 1-2 | #10 Massachusetts Minutemen (0-0-0, 0-0-0 HE) vs. Colorado College Tigers (0-0-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) |
| Dates | Times | Friday, October 2, 2026 | 9:00 p.m. ET Saturday, October 3, 2026 | 8:00 p.m. ET |
| Location | Colorado Springs, Colorado (Ed Robson Arena) |
| Series History | Massachusetts Leads 5-2-0 |
| Live Statistics | Friday | Saturday |
| Watch Live | NCHC tv |
| 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 | Colorado College |
| Game Program | -- |
| Team Records | Massachusetts | Colorado College |
| @UMassHockey | @UMassAthletics | |
| UMass Hockey | UMass Athletics | |
| Tickets | Friday | Saturday |
STATE OF THE U
- University of Massachusetts hockey has youthful roster in its 11th season under head coach Greg Carvel in 2026-27 as the squad is comprised of 15 returnees and 12 newcomers, which includes 18 freshmen and sophomores. UMass is tied for fifth-youngest roster in Division I men's hockey in average age (as of Oct. 1) at 20.9 years. Only Boston University (20.4), Boston College (20.5), Michigan and Michigan State (20.6) are younger.
- The Minutemen return nine of their top-10 goal scorers, seven of whom are forwards: Jack Musa (16g), Václav Nestrašil (13g), Lukáš Klecka (6g), Daniel Jencko (6g), Mikey DeAngelo (6g), Justin Kerr (6g), and Jack Galanek (5g). UMass is tied for eighth nationally in highest percentage of returning goals at 80% and 10th in highest percentage of returning points at 78%.
- Jack Musa returns for his senior season after posting a career high 36 points (16g, 20a), leading the team in both goals and assists as a junior. Blackhawks prospect Václav Nestrašil comes back for his sophomore campaign after leading the UMass freshmen with 31 points (13g, 18a). The forward group returns nine total members from last season and welcomes seven new members, including transfers John McNelis (Boston University) and Gavin Cornforth (Boston College).
- UMass saw the bulk of its roster turnover on the defensive front with three graduates: Lucas Ölvestad, Owen Murray, and Kennedy O'Connor. Juniors Francesco Dell'Elce, Charlie Lieberman, and Larry Keenan will provide a veteran presence on the Minutemen's back end this season. Sophomore captain Coleson Hanrahan and Landon Nycz were lineup regulars in their rookie campaigns. The Minutemen have added three freshmen to their blue line this season, in Samu Alalauri, Barrett Dexheimer, and Mathieu Taillefer.
- In the net for UMass, Michael Hrabal had one of the most decorated seasons for a Minutemen goaltender in program history in 2025-26 as he was named a CCM/AHCA First-Team All-American, Hockey East Player of the Year, Hockey East Goaltender of the Year, a unanimous Hockey East First-Team All-Star, was the New England Leonard Fowle Award winner (New England MVP), the first Mike Richter Award finalist in program history and a CSC Academic All-American.
- Hrabal's departure after signing an NHL contract leaves senior Jackson Iriving as the only UMass goaltender with collegiate experience coming back for 2026-27. Irving appeared in eight games last season with seven starts and recorded a .934 save percentage. Two new goaltenders join the fold with Flames prospect Tobias Trejbal and WHL alum Ethan Eskit.
TRENDING....
During the 2025-26 season, the Minutemen were:
- 8-4-0 following a loss
- 17-9-1 in games played in the home state of Massachusetts
- 6-2-1 when scoring first
-19-6-1 when holding opponents to 3 or fewer goals
-16-2-1 when scoring 3 or more goals
IRONMEN
- Among players returning to the Minutemen for the 2026-27 season, three players played in all 36 games during the 2025-26 season: Jack Galanek, Francesco Dell-Elce, and Larry Keenan.
- Juniors Francesco Dell'Elce and Larry Keenan have yet to miss a game – they have played in all 76 possible games across the first two years of their collegiate careers.
CAREER HIGHS
- Among the tenured Minutemen returning for the 2026-27 season, the following players posted career highs during the 2025-26 campaign:
- Mikey DeAngelo, 6g, 5a, 11pts
- Cam Dunn, 2g, 2a, 4 pts, +4
- Larry Keenan, 8g, 11a, 19 pts
- Jack Musa, 20a, 36 pts
- Cam O'Neill, 5g, 9a, 14 pts, +7
LONG TIME NO SEE
- In their first meeting since 2016, the Minutemen kick off the 2026-27 campaign with a pair of games against Colorado College; UMass lost their last meeting against the Tigers by a score of 4-7 after defeating Colorado College in the opener, 3-0, to split the weekend.
- This trip to Colorado Springs is the first for UMass since October 9-10, 2015.
- Colorado College finished the 2025-26 season with a record of 13-17-6. The Tigers were ranked sixth in the CCHA Preseason Poll.
- Colorado College head coach Kris Mayotte worked as an assistant on Greg Carvel's staff at St. Lawrence (2012-14). This is the first time the two will face each other as head coaches.
- Mayotte is one of three former Carvel assistants who have gone on to be Division I men's head coaches as UMass plays former assistant Ben Barr (Maine) annually in Hockey East. Tom Upton became the third to ender the head coaching ranks as he was hired at Brown earlier this year.
SCHOLARLY SQUAD
- Among UMass' 21 Hockey East All-Academic Team recipients from the 2025-26 season, 11 return to the squad for 2026-27: Jackson Irving, Francesco Dell'Elce, Cam Dunn, Daniel Jencko, Larry Keenan, Charlie Lieberman, Jack Musa, Cam O'Neill, Jack Galanek, Justin Kerr, and Lukáš Klecka.
STANDING TALL (AND STRONG)
- UMass enters the 2026 season as the fifth-tallest team in college hockey, coming in at an average height of 6' 1.3.
- Sophomore Václav Nestrašil is tied for seventh-tallest player, standing at 6'6.
- Junior Charlie Lieberman is the 10th heaviest player in the NCAA, weighing in at 230 lbs.
UMASS SHOWS UP (AT THE DRAFT)
- With five selections at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, the Minutemen set a new record under the seven-round format.
- Sophomore Landon Nycz was the lone UMass veteran picked in the draft at 107 overall by the St. Louis Blues.
- Freshman Tobias Trejbal was the first goaltender to go in the draft, having been selected 42nd overall by the Calgary Flames.
- Three other incoming freshmen were also selected: Samu Alalauri (66 overall, Chicago Blackhawks), Egor Barabanov (100 overall, Calgary Flames), and Jasper Kuhta (197 overall, Dallas Stars).
MUSA AND HANRAHAN TO LEAD MINUTEMEN IN 2026-27
- Senior forward Jack Musa and sophomore defenseman Coleson Hanrahan will serve as captains for the 2026-27 season.
- Hanrahan becomes just the third sophomore to wear a letter during the Greg Carvel era, joining current NHLers Cale Makar and Mario Ferraro.
- Junior defensemen Larry Keenan and Francesco Dell'Elce will serve as alternate captains. Dell'Elce was added to the leadership group after current senior alternate captain Cam O'Neill suffered a season-ending injury in preseason camp.
IN OUR CARVEL ERA
- Head coach Greg Carvel, in his 11th season of his UMass tenure, has led the Minutemen to seven seasons of 20+ wins, including a 22-win showing in 2025-26
- 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 192 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 23-41 all-time in the Hockey East Tournament, 13-10 under Carvel and 11-5 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 21-14 with two Hockey East Championships, two Regional Championships and one National Championship.
PUTTING PEN TO PAPER
- Following the end of the 2025-26 season, Michael Hrabal inked his NHL Entry-Level Contract with the Utah Mammoth.
- In total, 21 Minutemen have signed NHL contracts in the Carvel era.
- Former captain Owen Murray attended rookie camp with the Nashville Predators in September 2026.
THE PROSPECT POOL
- The Minuteman roster features 12 NHL draft picks across nine different franchises.
- UMass returns Václav Nestrašil (Chicago, 2025 first round), Francesco Dell'Elce (Colorado, 2025 third round), Cam O'Neill (Ottawa, 2022 fifth round), and Larry Keenan (Detroit, 2023 fourth round).
- Sophomore Landon Nycz was selected in the 2026 NHL draft by the St. Louis Blues in the fourth round.
- Seven incoming freshmen round out the prospect pool at UMass: Max Curran (Colorado, 2024 fifth round), Maxim Massé (Anaheim, 2024 third round), Melvin Novotny (Buffalo, 2025 seventh round), Tobias Trejbal (Calgary, 2026 second round), Samu Alalauri (Chicago, third round), Egor Barabanov (Calgary, fourth round), and Jasper Kuhta (Dallas, seventh round).
- Freshman Max Curran was drafted to Colorado but traded to Calgary in the Nazem Kadri deal in March 2026.
MINUTEMEN FROM NEAR AND FAR
- UMass' 2026-27 roster is comprised of student-athletes from seven different countries: Canada, Czechia, Finland, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, and the United States.
- Eight Europeans mark the most for the Minutemen in program history, with the previous high of six occurring last season in 2025-26.
- There are three Canadian provinces (Ontario, Quebec, and Alberta) represented and six different states (Florida, Illinois, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota).
- Longmeadow native Coleson Hanrahan is the closest to home at 29 miles, while Egor Barabanov is the furthest from home (St. Petersburg, Russia) at 4,154 miles away.
HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
- UMass went 89-37-12 at the Mullins Center over the past eight seasons (October 2018-present) for a .688 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.
MINUTEMEN IN NHL DEVELOPMENT CAMPS
- The Minutemen had a strong turnout at NHL Development Camps this summer, with 13 players representing UMass across 10 NHL organizations: Maxim Massé (Anaheim), Melvin Novotny (Buffalo), Egor Barabanov, Max Curran and Tobias Trejbal (Calgary), Václav Nestrašil and Samu Alalauri (Chicago), Francesco Dell'Elce (Colorado), Jasper Kuhta (Dallas), Larry Keenan (Detroit), Justin Kerr (New York Islanders), Landon Nycz (St. Louis), and Jack Galanek (Toronto).
ONCE A LUMBERJACK…
- Three current Minutemen (Jack Galanek, Václav Nestrašil and Barrett Dexheimer) were teammates on the Muskegon Lumberjacks' 2025 Clark Cup championship team.
- Galanek led the way offensively, recording 50 points (22g, 28a) in 56 regular-season games before adding 14 points (3g, 11a) in the playoffs.
- Nestrašil posted 42 points (19g, 23a) in 61 regular-season games and added 13 points (7g, 6a) in 14 postseason contests during Muskegon's championship run.
- Dexheimer appeared in 65 games during the 2024-25 season, recording 10 points (2g, 8a) as a defenseman during the Lumberjacks' run to the Clark Cup.
- Melvin Novotny also played for the Lumberjacks in the '25-'26 season.
KEEPING GOOD COMPANY
- Forward Maxim Massé joins the Minutemen this season as a freshman following a highly-decorated career in the QMJHL where he was a member of the Chicoutimi Saguenéens.
- Massé totaled 298 career points on 149 goals and 149 assists over 242 regular season games and was +81. He also logged 39 points (11g, 28a) in 44 postseason contests during that span.
- In his final junior hockey campaign in 2025-26, Massé won the Jean Beliveau Trophy for leading the QMJHL in points with 102 on 51 goals and 51 assists and took home the Michel Brière trophy as the QMJHL Most Valuable Player. He amassed 24 points (6g, 18a) in 20 postseason games to help the Saguenéens to the QMJHL championship.
- In addition, Massé was named the 2025-26 CHL David Branch Player of the Year, an honor he shares in common with previous winners and first overall NHL Draft picks Gavin McKenna, Connor Bedard, Alexis Lafrenière, Connor McDavid, and Sidney Crosby.
KLECKA IS KLUTCH
- The Minutemen went 8-0-0 when Lukáš Klecka scored during the 2025-26 season.
- Klecka scored eight goals in 36 games as a freshman, with each of his goals coming in a UMass victory.
SHOTS—EVERYBODY!!
- UMass' 70 shots on goal in the squad's Oct. 4, 2025 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.
- UMass had 37 shots through the first two periods alone.
- The Minutemen outshot Northern Michigan 70-26, for a 44-shot advantage.
JACK IS BACK!
- Jack Musa turned down several NHL offers to come back to UMass for his senior season in 2025-26. He is one of 11returning All-Americans across Division I men's college hockey as he was named to the Second Team East Squad last season as a junior.
- The Orange Park, Florida native is among the NCAA leaders in career points (100, 2nd), goals (46, 3rd), assists (54, 10th) and plus/minus (40+, 8th) entering the 2026-27 season.
- A 2025-26 Hockey East Second Team All-Star, Musa currently ranks 15th all-time in UMass history in career points, 12th in goals and sixth in plus-minus.
GALANEK ON THE DOT
- Jack Galanek led the Minutemen at the faceoff dot in 2025-26, winning a team-high 390 faceoffs.
- His 390 faceoff wins were 184 more than the next-highest total on the team, with Mikey DeAngelo recording 206.
- Galanek appeared in all 36 games as a freshman, finishing the season with 24 points (5g, 19a) and a +9 rating.
MIKEY MAKES AN IMPACT IN HIS FIRST SEASON AS A MINUTEMAN
- Mikey DeAngelo recorded six goals in 2025-26, with three of them being game-winning goals.
- His three game-winners tied for the team lead and included an overtime winner at No. 16 Providence on Nov. 20.
- DeAngelo finished the season with 11 points (6g, 5a) in 32 games.
POINTS FROM THE POINT
- Junior Francesco Dell'Elce is tied for ninth-most career points among of all active defensemen in NCAA hockey entering his junior season in 2026-27 with 45.
- He also ranks ninth in career goals by defensemen with 12, tied with fellow UMass junior Larry Keenan.
- Dell'Elce has five career game-winning goals to his credit, tied for second-most in the nation among active defensemen and is tied for 10th in plus minus (+28).
NHL REPRESENTATION
- The Minutemen were well represented in the NHL during the 2025-26 season ranked sixth in number of alumni playing in the NHL last season with 16.
- UMass was named the top developmental program in NCAA Men's College Hockey by The Hockey News in August 2021
- 21 players have signed NHL contracts during Greg Carvel's tenure with Michael Hrabal (Utah Mammoth, 2026) being the most recent.
CALE MAKAR IN 2026: FIRST OLYMPICS, HISTORIC CONTRACT
- Former Minuteman Cale Makar served as an alternate captain for Canada at the 2026 Olympic Games in Milan, Italy. He scored two goals and tallied four assists to help his team secure Silver in the tournament.
- This past August, Makar signed an eight-year, $163.2 million contract extension with the Colorado Avalanche, the largest contract in NHL history. He is also the first player in NHL history to cross the $20 million annual average value threshold.
FAMILY TIES
- 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).
- Jack Galanek's sister Sam is the current women's hockey captain at Wesleyan University.
- Gavin Cornforth's dad Mark played Merrimack ('91-'95) and went on to play in the NHL (6 games for the Bruins in '95-'96), seven seasons in the AHL (Syracuse Crunch, Providence Bruins, Springfield Falcons, and Lowell Lock Monsters) and three in the IHL (Cleveland Lumberjacks and Grand Rapids Griffins). His sister Ava is currently the hockey captain at William Smith College and his sister Meredith plays club hockey at Merrimack.
- Barrett Dexheimer's brother Ben played at the University of Wisconsin ('22-'26) and served as captain in his senior season, helping the Badgers reach the National Championship game. He now plays for the Iowa Wild in the AHL.
- Mathieu Taillefer's brother Alexandre is a Winnipeg draft pick (Jets, fifth round).
