UMass Minutemen ice hockey

Men's college ice hockey program
College ice hockey team
   NCAA Tournament championships2021NCAA Tournament Runner-up2019NCAA Tournament Frozen Four2019, 2021NCAA Tournament appearances2007, 2019, 2021, 2022, 2024Conference Tournament championshipsECAC 2: 1972
Hockey East: 2021, 2022Conference regular season championshipsHockey East: 2019

The UMass Minutemen Ice Hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I men's college ice hockey program that represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The Minutemen are a member of Hockey East. They play at the 8,387-seat William D. Mullins Memorial Center (known as the Mullins Center) in Amherst, Massachusetts.[2]

History

Pond history

The centrally located pond on the UMass campus was once used for multiple purposes. In the winter students and faculty would cut out blocks of ice to use for refrigeration and annual tug-of-war games between sophomores and freshmen were hosted during the spring months. In 1909 the first formal ice hockey team began playing on the pond as well.[3] UMass fielded one of the earliest non-ivy league programs, playing continually until poor weather conditions and a lack of funding caused the team to cease in 1939. The Minutemen were able to return to the ice after the war but couldn't play at home until 1954.

The lack of a home venue caused the team to suffer through a stretch where they won only 2 games over a 7-year period. Eventually the pond became usable again and UMass were able to play home games with new head coach Steve Kosakowski. The Minutemen performed decently in his 13 seasons and were among 28 teams to found ECAC Hockey. In 1964 the ECAC split into two divisions and any program that did not possess a dedicated indoor arena was placed in ECAC 2. UMass continued with the second-tier conference for 15 years and achieved their greatest success in 1972 under Jack Canniff, winning the conference tournament title.

By the end of the 1970s using the pond as a rink had become untenable and when no alternatives surfaced the program was shuttered.

Return to the Ice

When the Mullins Center opened in 1993 it was designed as a multi-purpose arena and allowed for the university to rekindle its ice hockey program. The men's team started the same year and hit the ice as a Division I independent. With 20 wins in the first season under Joe Mallen, there was hope that the Minutemen could compete in Hockey East. However, once they began a tougher schedule in 1994–95, the team lost a then-school-record 28 games. Though the team rarely finished last in the conference under Mallen, there were very few gains and he was replaced by Don Cahoon in 2000.

Under Cahoon the team began to improve, posting a winning season in 2003 and reaching the conference championship game the following year. His greatest success came after recruiting Jonathan Quick, who helped UMass to reach their first ever NCAA tournament in 2007. Cahoon couldn't keep the success going, however, and after being knocked off in five consecutive conference quarterfinals he retired in 2012.

John Micheletto was tabbed as Cahoon's successor and after a decent first season the team slid down the standing and bottomed out for two consecutive seasons. After the second last-place finish Micheletto was fired and replaced by St. Lawrence head coach Greg Carvel.[4]

Greg Carvel era (2016–present)

In Carvel's first season the team reached a nadir; the Minutemen set a new program record for futility, losing 29 games. Carvel led the team to a much-improved finish in his second season and then team took off in year three. The Minutemen reached their first ever Frozen Four and a berth in the 2019 NCAA Division I National Championship in which the Minutemen ultimately lost to Minnesota-Duluth 3–0. Though the year ended on a sour note, the team posted a new program record for wins (31) while Cale Makar won the school's first Hobey Baker Award.

On April 10, 2021, the Minutemen won their first-ever NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament, beating the St. Cloud State Huskies 5–0.[5]

Season-by-season results

Source:[6]

Records vs. current Hockey East teams

As of the completion of 2018–19 season[7]

School Team Away Arena Overall record Win % Last Result
Boston College Eagles Conte Forum 15–64–4 .205 0-3 L
Boston University Terriers Agganis Arena 13–62–7 .201 4-2 W
University of Connecticut Huskies XL Center 38–14–3 .718 3-4 L
University of Maine Black Bears Alfond Arena 23–57–9 .309 6-0 W
University of Massachusetts Lowell River Hawks Tsongas Center 28–48–7 .380 0-2 L
Merrimack College Warriors J. Thom Lawler Rink 44–42–7 .511 4-2 W
University of New Hampshire Wildcats Whittemore Center 25–89–11 .244 6-0 W
Northeastern University Huskies Matthews Arena 29–55–10 .362 1-2 L
Providence College Providence Schneider Arena 27–49–6 .366 2-3 L
University of Vermont Catamounts Gutterson Fieldhouse 25–44–8 .377 5-1 W

Coaches and support staff

Current as of November, 2018.[8]

2018-2019 Staff
Name Position
Greg Carvel Head coach
Ben Barr Associate Head Coach
Jared DeMichiel Assistant coach
Ryan Mahan Director of Hockey Operations
TJ Syner Volunteer Assistant Coach
Marc Paquet Athletic Trainer
Clayton Kirven Strength & Conditioning
Josh Penn Head of Equipment

Head Coach History

As of the completion of 2022–23 season[7]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
1908–1917 No Coach 9 39–27–3 .587
1917–1922 Elton J. Mansell 5 18–13–3 .574
1922–1923 Herbert Collins 1 3–4–2 .444
1923–1924 Howard R. Gordon 1 3–6–0 .333
1924–1939 Lorin Ball 15 47–61–7 .439
1947–1949 Thomas Filmore 2 0–5–0 .000
1949–1950 Walter Fitzgerald 1 2–3–2 .429
1950–1951 Bill Needham 1 0–7–0 .000
1953–1954 Mel Massucco 1 0–9–1 .050
1954–1967 Steve Kosakowski 13 73–118–4 .385
1967–1979 Jack Canniff 12 120–140–8 .463
1993–2000 Joe Mallen 7 77–144–18 .360
2000–2012 Don Cahoon 12 166–229–42 .428
2012–2016 John Micheletto 4 39–88–13 .325
2016–Present Greg Carvel 7 129–105–17 .548
Totals 14 coaches 91 seasons 716–959–120 .432

Statistical leaders

Source:[7]

Career points leaders

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Pat Keenan 1970–1973 66 105 75 180
Rob Bonneau 1993–1997 131 72 94 166
Warren Norris 1993–1997 132 73 81 154
Bobby Trivigno 2018–2022 139 53 78 131 91
James Marcou 2007–2010 111 34 96 130
Stephen Werner 2002–2006 143 50 66 116
Michael Pereira 2010–2014 135 53 54 107
Tim Turner 1999–2003 134 47 60 107
John Leonard 2017–2020 104 56 49 105
Conor Sheary 2010–2014 138 38 66 104

† - active

Career goaltending leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; W = Wins; L = Losses; T = Ties; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 30 games played

Player Years GP Min W L T GA SO SV% GAA
Filip Lindberg 2018–2021 50 2802 29 10 6 74 11 .937 1.58
Matt Murray 2017–2022 121 6983 73 39 4 260 14 .916 2.23
Jonathan Quick 2005–2007 54 3129 23 22 6 125 3 .926 2.40
Paul Dainton 2007–2011 123 7042 45 61 12 327 2 .908 2.78
Gabe Winer 2002–2006 117 6725 50 52 10 317 5 .891 2.83

Statistics current through the start of the 2022–23 season.

Current roster

As of August 11, 2023.[9]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Massachusetts Jackson Irving Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2004-02-03 Newbury, Massachusetts Sioux Falls (USHL) —
4 Massachusetts Kennedy O'Connor Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2001-05-10 Springfield, Massachusetts Omaha (USHL) —
5 Massachusetts Linden Alger Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-09 Centerville, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) —
6 New York (state) Ryan Ufko Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-05-07 Smithtown, New York Chicago (USHL) NSH, 115th overall 2021
7 Finland Samuli Niinisaari Graduate D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1998-08-11 Hamina, Finland Brown (ECAC) —
8 Maryland Cameron O'Neill Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2004-01-24 Odenton, Maryland Tri-City (USHL) OTT, 143rd overall 2022
9 Florida Jack Musa Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 157 lb (71 kg) 2003-07-22 Orange Park, Florida Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
10 Ontario Cole O'Hara Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2002-06-20 Richmond Hill, Ontario Tri-City (USHL) NSH, 114th overall 2022
10 Latvia Dans Ločmelis Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2004-01-21 Jelgava, Latvia Luleå J20 (J20 Nationell) BOS, 119th overall 2022
11 Quebec Lucas Mercuri Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-03-07 Montreal, Quebec Des Moines (USHL) CAR, 159th overall 2020
12 Ontario Lucas Vanroboys Graduate F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-07-24 Thamesville, Ontario Bentley (AHA) —
14 Michigan Ryan Lautenbach Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-02-27 Brighton, Michigan Omaha (USHL) —
16 Russia Aydar Suniev Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2004-11-16 Kazan, Russia Penticton (BCHL) CGY, 80th overall 2023
17 Pennsylvania Kenny Connors Sophomore F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-03-10 Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Dubuque (USHL) LAK, 103rd overall 2022
18 Alberta Taylor Makar Junior F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-03-13 Calgary, Alberta Brooks (AJHL) COL, 220th overall 2021
20 Massachusetts Liam Gorman Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 199 lb (90 kg) 2000-05-08 Arlington, Massachusetts Princeton (ECAC) CHI, 177th overall 2018
21 Sweden Sebastian Törnqvist Freshman D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2003-05-22 Everlöv, Sweden Tri-City (USHL) —
22 New Jersey Nicholas VanTassell Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 196 lb (89 kg) 2004-04-18 Basking Ridge, New Jersey Green Bay (USHL) OTT, 215th overall 2023
23 Connecticut Scott Morrow Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-11-01 Darien, Connecticut Shattuck-St. Mary's (Midget AAA) CAR, 40th overall 2021
24 Ontario Elliott McDermott Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1999-02-03 Kingston, Ontario Colgate (ECAC) —
25 New York (state) Aaron Bohlinger Senior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-08-25 Walden, New York Waterloo (USHL) —
26 Manitoba Owen Murray Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2002-12-01 Decker, Manitoba Green Bay (USHL) —
27 Pennsylvania Michael Cameron Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-07-24 Berwyn, Pennsylvania Omaha (USHL) —
28 Georgia (U.S. state) Bo Cosman Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-01-18 Milton, Georgia Minnesota (NAHL) —
29 Ontario Eric DeDobbelaer Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-06-15 Brantford, Ontario Brantford (OJHL) —
30 Czech Republic Michael Hrabal Freshman G 6' 6" (1.98 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 2005-01-20 Prague, Czech Republic Omaha (USHL) ARI, 38th overall 2023
34 Ontario Cole Brady Senior G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2001-02-12 Pickering, Ontario Arizona State (NCAA) DAL, 127th overall 2019

The Longest Game

On March 6, 2015, UMass faced Notre Dame in Game 1 of the Opening Round of the 2015 Hockey East Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, played at Compton Family Ice Arena at Notre Dame. Early into the game, Sam Herr gave Notre Dame the lead on a rebounded shot. Vince Hinostroza made it 2–0 midway through the second period. But the Minutmen responded two minutes later with a power play goal by Steven Iacobellis. Notre Dame responded three minutes later with a Steven Fogarty goal to make it 3–1. UMass made it 3–2 a minute later with a goal by Shane Walsh. With two seconds remaining in the period, Troy Power tipped a power play goal to tie the game as the second period (a period that had five goals in total) ended. The third period ended with no goals, as the two teams went into overtime. The two teams repeatedly failed to score, with UMass shooting a record 91 times and Notre Dame shooting 78 times. With 8:18 left in the fifth overtime and at 1:24 a.m. ET, Shane Walsh scored the game-winning goal to end the longest Division I hockey game which had lasted 151 minutes, 42 seconds, besting the previous record of 150:22, set by Quinnipiac and Union in 2010.[10]

Steve Mastalerz finished the night with 75 saves for UMass while Cal Petersen of Notre Dame made 87 saves, setting a new NCAA record. It was UMass' first win at the Tournament since March 13, 2009 at Northeastern.

Awards and honors

NCAA

Individual awards

All-Americans

AHCA First Team All-Americans

AHCA Second Team All-Americans

NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey All-Tournament Team

Hockey East

Individual awards

William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player

All-Hockey East

First Team


Second Team

Third Team

Rookie Team

  • 1994–95: Brian Regan, G
  • 2002–03: Stephen Werner, D
  • 2004–05: David Leaderer, D; P. J. Fenton, F
  • 2006–07: Justin Braun, D
  • 2007–08: Paul Dainton, G; James Marcou, F
  • 2008–09: Casey Wellman, F
  • 2010–11: Michael Pereira, F
  • 2014–15: Brandon Montour, F
  • 2017–18: Cale Makar, D; Mario Ferraro, D
  • 2018–19: Marc Del Gaizo, D
  • 2019–20: Zac Jones, D
  • 2020–21: Josh Lopina, F
  • 2021–22: Scott Morrow, D; Ryan Ufko, D
  • 2022–23: Kenny Connors, F

All-Tournament Team

Olympians

This is a list of Massachusetts alumni were a part of an Olympic team.

Name Position Massachusetts Tenure Team Year Finish
John Lyons Center 1918, 1921-1922 United States USA 1924  Silver
Justin McCarthy Right Wing 1918–1921 United States USA 1924  Silver
Thomas Pöck Defenseman 2001-2004 Austria Austria 2002, 2014 12th, 10th
Jonathan Quick Goaltender 2005–2007 United States USA 2010, 2014  Silver, 4th

Minutemen in the NHL

As of July 1, 2023

= NHL All-Star team = NHL All-Star[11] = NHL All-Star[11] and NHL All-Star team = Hall of Famers
Player Position Team(s) Years Games Stanley Cups
Conor Allen Defenseman NYR 2013–2015 7 0
Matt Anderson Forward NJD 2012–2013 2 0
Kevin Boyle Goaltender ANA 2018–2019 5 0
Justin Braun Defenseman SJS, PHI, NYR 2010–Present 842 0
Mitchell Chaffee Right Wing MIN 2021–2022 2 0
Mario Ferraro Defenseman SJS 2019–Present 252 0
Joel Hanley Defenseman MTL, ARI, DAL 2015–Present 151 0
Matt Irwin Defenseman SJS, BOS, NSH, ANA, BUF, WSH 2012–Present 461 0
Zac Jones Defenseman NYR 2020–Present 38 0
Michael Kostka Defenseman TOR, CHI, TBL, NYR, OTT 2012–2016 85 0
William Lagesson Forward EDM, MTL 2019–2022 60 0


Player Position Team(s) Years Games Stanley Cups
John Leonard Forward SJS, NSH 2020–Present 64 0
Cale Makar Defenseman COL 2018–Present 238 1
Greg Mauldin Left Wing CBJ, NYI, COL 2003–2011 36 0
Brandon Montour Defenseman ANA, BUF, FLA 2016–Present 454 0
Matt Murray Goaltender DAL 2022–Present 3 0
Brad Norton Defenseman FLA, LAK, WSH, OTT, DET 2001–2007 124 0
Thomas Pöck Defenseman NYR, NYI 2003–2009 118 0
Jonathan Quick Goaltender LAK, VGK 2007–Present 753 3
Conor Sheary Left Wing PIT, BUF, WSH 2015–Present 531 2
Frank Vatrano Center BOS, FLA, NYR, ANA 2015–Present 482 0
Casey Wellman Center MIN, WSH 2009–2014 54 0

Source:[12]

References

  1. ^ "University of Massachusetts Amherst Athletics Official Style Guide" (PDF). Retrieved July 4, 2021.
  2. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  3. ^ "Umass Hockey The Pond Club". umasshockey.com.
  4. ^ "College hockey: Greg Carvel named UMass ice hockey coach". 29 March 2016.
  5. ^ Haecherl, Zach Dwyer and Anna. "St. Cloud State falls 5-0 to UMass in NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship". St. Cloud Times.
  6. ^ "2008-09 UMASS HOCKEY" (PDF). UMass Minutemen. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "UMass Minutemen Men's Hockey 2019-20 Record Book" (PDF). UMass Minutemen. Retrieved November 9, 2019.
  8. ^ "UMass Athletics". umassathletics.com. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
  9. ^ "2022–23 Roster". UMass Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  10. ^ "UMass Hockey Claims NCAA Record 5OT 4–3 Victory Over Notre Dame – University of Massachusetts". University of Massachusetts Athletics.
  11. ^ a b Players are identified as an All-Star if they were selected for the All-Star game at any time in their career.
  12. ^ "Alumni report for UMass-Amherst". Hockey DB. Retrieved November 10, 2019.

External links

  • UMass Minutemen men's ice hockey
  • v
  • t
  • e
UMass Minutemen ice hockey
Formerly the Massachusetts Agricultural Aggies, Massachusetts State Aggies and UMass Redmen
Playing venues
Head coaches
  • Elton J. Mansell (1917–1922)
  • Herbert Collins (1922–1923)
  • Howard R. Gordon (1923–1924)
  • Lorin Ball (1924–1939)
  • Thomas Filmore (1947–1949)
  • Walter Fitzgerald (1949–1950)
  • Bill Needham (1950–1951)
  • Mel Massucco (1953–1954)
  • Steve Kosakowski (1954–1967)
  • Jack Canniff (1967–1979)
  • Joe Mallen (1993–2000)
  • Don Cahoon (2000–2012)
  • John Micheletto (2012–2016)
  • Greg Carvel (2016–present)
Seasons
Conference affiliations
  • Independent (1908–39, 1947–51, 1953–61, 1993–94)
  • ECAC Hockey (1961–1964)
  • ECAC 2 (1964–1979)
  • Suspended program (1939–47, 1951–53, 1979–93)
  • Hockey East (1994–present)
All-time leaders
National championshipsFrozen Four appearancesNCAA Tournament appearancesConference Tournament titlesHobey Baker winners
Cale Makar (2019)
  • University of Massachusetts Amherst
  • Amherst, MA
  • v
  • t
  • e
University of Massachusetts Amherst
Academics
Research
Campus
Facilities
Landmarks
Athletics
Programs
Facilities
History and traditions
Student life
People
Media
Miscellaneous
  • v
  • t
  • e
Hockey East
Men
Men's Seasons
  • 1984–85
  • 1985–86
  • 1986–87
  • 1987–88
  • 1988–89
  • 1989–90
  • 1990–91
  • 1991–92
  • 1992–93
  • 1993–94
  • 1994–95
  • 1995–96
  • 1996–97
  • 1997–98
  • 1998–99
  • 1999–00
  • 2000–01
  • 2001–02
  • 2002–03
  • 2003–04
  • 2004–05
  • 2005–06
  • 2006–07
  • 2007–08
  • 2008–09
  • 2009–10
  • 2010–11
  • 2011–12
  • 2012–13
  • 2013–14
  • 2014–15
  • 2015–16
  • 2016–17
  • 2017–18
  • 2018–19
  • 2019–20
  • 2020–21
  • 2021–22
  • 2022–23
Women
Related articles