The Massachusetts Hockey team has their fifth win on the year after an overtime win against the Northeastern Huskies. Forward Kenny Connors scored the game winning goal to give UMass their first Hockey East Conference win of the season.
The Minutemen now set their sights on Vermont with hopes to claim their second and third in-conference wins.
Minutemen Win Again
The Minutemen’s only game of the past weekend started out very slow with no goals scored within periods one and two. UMass only had nine shots going into the third period while Northeastern had nearly double the amount of shots.
Late in the second period, forward Ryan Lautenbach took a five minute major boarding penalty. He was removed from the game but luckily for him, his teammates were able to kill off the penalty to keep the game tied at two.
Massachusetts came alive in the third period after captain and defenseman Aaron Bohlinger scored to break the tie with over 12 minutes to go in the period.
The play was set up by forward Lucas Mercuri after he broke his stick and was able to kick the puck through the zone. He kicked the puck over to forward Liam Gorman who passed it to Bohlinger for a one-timer that ended up in the back of the net.
UMass put on the pressure after this goal and almost scored again numerous times. Husky goalie Cameron Whitehead saved 9 of 10 Minutemen shots in the period to keep his team in the game.
As the clock got closer to the end of the third, the Massachusetts defense broke down and allowed two Huskies to get through and go on a breakaway. This allowed forward Cam Lund to tie the game at one apiece.
Forward Alex Campbell passed it across the slot to get it over to Lund for Northeastern’s own one-timer goal. Defenseman Pito Walton picked up the secondary assist.
For the second game in a row, this sent UMass to overtime. This game did not end like the last one against Boston University.
Just under two minutes into the overtime period, Connors came off of the bench and sniped the game winner past Whitehead. The sophomore and Kings draft pick scored his second goal on the year and it was good enough for a Minutemen win.
Forward Jack Musa, who now leads the team in points with 11, picked up the assist alongside defenseman Scott Morrow.
Goaltender Michael Hrabal almost had the second shutout of his career but his 26 saves and two scoreless periods led UMass to a clutch victory. Whitehead stopped 18 of 19 in a respectable performance. However, the Huskies have now lost three straight.
We didn’t come out with much jump,” said Coach Carvel after the game. “Northeastern was the much better team in the first period… Michael Hrabal was outstanding… he was the difference. It’s good to leave the building with a W.”
Vermont Preview
The 2-3-1 Vermont Catamounts will face off against the Minutemen for a weekend of hockey at the Mullins Center. Last weekend the Catamounts split their doubleheader against UConn with a 4-1 win in the first game and a 5-2 loss in the second.
Like the Huskies, Vermont struggles to put goals on the board and heavily relies on their goaltender Gabe Carriere. The senior from Ottawa is coming into this series with a 2.48 GAA and a .929 SV%. He has faced close to 200 shots in only six games. He stopped all but 15.
The Catamount offense is led by junior forward Simon Jellus who has four goals on the year. Alongside him at the top of the score sheet are forwards Isak Walther and Will Zapernick. All three players have four points on the year.
While Vermont gives up a high amount of shots per game and they are not to be taken lightly. They were able to tie now No. 5 Providence and get a win against UConn.
As for UMass, scoring is a necessity this weekend. If Vermont is given a chance in a close game, they very likely could end up on top. Forwards like Musa, Mercuri and Lautenbach are candidates to put points on the board as they have all season.
The Minutemen, if they play their cards right, have a strong chance to build even more momentum before another tough doubleheader against the No. 5 Providence Friars next weekend.
