UMass hockey is off to a 2-1-0 start to their season. The Minutemen took the second of a two-game home series last weekend against a highly ranked Michigan team. Now, the team will travel to Mankato, Minnesota for the first time in history to take on the Mavericks. 

This is the second series meeting between the two teams, as they met in 2021 for the games at the Mullins Center. The Mavericks won both of those games by scores of 6-3 and 2-0.

Red Hot Mavericks

Minnesota State began their season last weekend against in-state rival St. Cloud State. They began their weekend strong with a 3-2 victory in overtime on Friday night and followed it up with a 5-1 triumph. The victories over St. Cloud State allowed the Mavericks to sneak into the rankings at No. 19. 

This Mavericks team is fairly young. Only eight skaters who are either seniors or graduate students have seen the ice this season. The team is led by graduate forward and captain, Sam Morton. While Morton only played in ten games last year due to injury, he tallied eight points and looks to be off to a similar start this year as he scored two goals last weekend. 

Rounding out the top forwards for the Mavericks are winger Brian Carrabes and center Adam Eisele. Carrabes, a native of North Reading, Massachusetts has also tallied two points on the season so far. Adam Eisele is the second-line center for the Mavericks, and also put up two points last weekend, including the game-winner in Friday night’s overtime contest.

Defensively, the Mavericks are led by alternate captain, Mason Wheeler. The left-shot defenseman is only a second-year player but played in 37 games as a freshman while recording 29 blocked shots and a +8 rating. 

Finally, the team is rounded out by netminder Alex Tracy. The sophomore goalie recorded 50 saves over the weekend and only allowed one goal. His performance netted him Central Collegiate Hockey Association Goaltender of the Week honors. Tracy will look to further improve his .943% save percentage this upcoming weekend. 

Minnesota State has averaged 28.5 shots per game this season and has held opponents to 26.5. The Mavericks’ power play has converted on one out of five  attempts this season. Their penalty kill has been strong as well, successfully killing all six of the penalties they have taken. The Mavericks have also dominated in the faceoff circle, they have won 60% of draws this season.

Minutemen Want to Win Again

Emotions are high following the Minutemen’s 6-3 victory against Michigan this past weekend. This will be the first road trip that the team makes this season. 

The Minutemen have netted 5 or more goals in two of their three games this season. The team is led in goal-scoring by defensemen Scott Morrow and Ryan Ufko. Morrow, the Carolina Hurricanes prospect, has two goals and two assists on the season. He has put eight shots on net and even netted a power play goal on Saturday night to break a 2-2 tie in the third period.

Ufko is one of two captains on the Minuteman squad. He is second on the team in total points with five including the first goal for the Minutemen on Saturday night. The Nashville Predators prospect leads the team in plus/minus with a +4 on the season so far. 

The team has also seen stellar play from freshman forward Jack Musa. Of the eight goals scored by the Minutemen last weekend, Musa was responsible for five assists. The performance of Musa won him Hockey East Rookie of the Week honors.

Forwards Taylor Makar and Kenny Connors also had great play over the course of last weekend. Over the season Makar has acquired two assists and Connors has scored one goal including what would be the eventual game-winner on Saturday night.

In between the pipes, the Minutemen have seen both Cole Brady and Michael Hrabal. Brady started game one and allowed seven goals on 24 shots. Hrabal jumped in as the starter for game two against Michigan and showed out. The Czechian also saw 24 shots on goal in his start but only allowed three to get past him. It is not clear yet who will start game one and game two. 

UMass has performed well on the man advantage. They have scored on 4/15 attempts, giving them a .267% power play percentage which is tied for 13th in the country. The penalty kill on the other hand has struggled allowing opponents to score on 5/17 attempts. This results in a .706% penalty kill rate which is 48th in the country.

Keys to a Minutemen Win

🔑 Play clean hockey. The team committed 13 penalties across both games last weekend. Within those power plays, the Wolverines were able to net five goals. Clean hockey and an improved penalty kill are imperative for UMass to win this weekend. 

🔑 Offensive players like Suniev and Makar need to step up. The two forwards have combined for three points this season, but neither has found the back of the net. Makar was a leading goal-scorer for the Minutemen last season scoring ten goals. Suniev is a first-year player but is expected to be an offensive stalwart, he can show that this weekend. 

🔑 Goaltending has to be consistent. Minnesota State played a hard and physical game last weekend which will match up with the style that UMass plays. However, if the Minutemen end up outmatched, both Brady and Hrabal will need to step up and make next-level stops.

UMass will face another tough challenge this weekend against Mankato. However, the Minutemen have the talent to match up with the Mavericks. If the defense can match the physicality of Minnesota State and avoid playing a man down they will be in great shape to pick up a pair of victories this weekend.