Enter Sandman by Metallica blares out of the Mullins Center speakers, which, depending on where you are sitting in the arena, is loud enough to cause permanent damage. The day is Oct. 14, 2022, and the Minutemen are set to take on the defending national champions and top-ranked Denver Pioneers. 

Early on, I found that my home in the Mullins Center was not the student section. Of course, I loved the vibes that they brought, but my seat was always in Section H, Row 31, Seat 1. This was the best seat in Mullins. At nearly half-ice, I could watch plays develop, and I had a great view of all UMass goals.

Despite the home-ice advantage and the fact that the Minutemen were coming off a Hockey East conference championship, I hardly expected them to put up a fight. The Pioneers roster was loaded with talent, including NHL draft picks Shai Buium, Jack Devine, Tristan Broz and Reiger Lorenz. 

Within the game’s first minute, Cal Kiefuk was given a five-minute major and game misconduct for a hit from behind. Once again, the game seemed over before it could even truly begin. Within the next five minutes, UMass would take a 2-0 lead off goals from Kenny Connors and Scott Morrow. Throughout the weekend, Ryan Ufko, Lucas Mercuri, Cole O’Hara and Ryan Lautenbach would get points. All six players were critical to the success of UMass during their tournament runs in 2024 and 2025. 

In the series, UMass would take both games from the defending national champions, and after a sweep of Union the following weekend, started the season 5-0-1. 

However, the 2022 season did not go the way of the Minutemen as they finished with a 13-17-5 record and lost in the first round of the Hockey East tournament against Boston College. 

The 2023 season rolled around, and I once again made the walk from my dorm and headed to the south entrance of the Mullins Center. As I approached the green-roofed arena, I felt that this year would be different. The team had seen an exodus of talent, but young international freshmen like Aydar Suniev and Michael Hrabal were poised to make an impact. 

The Minutemen’s first major contest of the season fell on parents’ weekend, as the mighty Michigan Wolverines came to the Pioneer Valley. The Minutemen came out slow in the first game of the series, and eventually lost 7-2. It seemed like the 2023 season was going to mirror the second half of the 2022 season in a lot of ways. 

During the second game, head coach Greg Carvel opted for a goalie swap and placed freshman netminder Michael Hrabal in the net for his first career start. Once again, the Minutemen struggled early on and faced a 2-0 deficit to start the third period. 

Within the first 10 minutes of the third period, UMass got the breakthroughs it needed with goals from Ufko, Morrow and Owen Murray. The sellout crowd of 8,412 for that game was easily the loudest I have ever heard it, as UMass cruised to a 6-3 victory.

As March rolled around, UMass was fighting for every inch in the race for an at-large playoff bid. The penultimate weekend of the regular season pitted the Minutemen against their in-state rivals, UMass-Lowell.

The series started on Friday night in Lowell, as the Minutemen struggled to find any offense against a stout Riverhawk defense. The game would slide into overtime with a 1-1 score, before Ufko became the hero for UMass, scoring the overtime winner. 

Ufko’s heroics were not just limited to the opening game. The Minutemen fought back from an early deficit to take a 3-3 score into overtime, where Ufko was once again the overtime hero off a smooth one-timer, giving UMass the series victory, and one step closer to securing a playoff berth. 

The Minutemen barely made it into the playoffs, as their hopes hinged on a Denver victory in the NCHC championship, which the Pioneers secured. However, the Denver victory also sealed that their first-round opponent would be the Minutemen. 

UMass was hosting one of the NCAA tournament regionals at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, so I, alongside the Minutemen faithful, made the journey a half-hour south. 

Once again, underdogs, UMass was right at home. The Pioneers were still an elite squad, but the travel from the Rocky Mountains to the Holyoke Range of Western Massachusetts. From the opening puck drop, UMass looked right at home against the best, but they could not crack Matt Davis, who was electric in goal. 

The fourth line came through for UMass, in the middle of the second period, as Liam Gorman poked a puck past the goalie and tied the game for UMass. The score would stay tied at one for the next 50 minutes of playing time, until Denver put a puck behind Hrabal, giving the Pioneers a 2-1 lead in double-overtime. 

Following this, Morrow and Ufko signed their entry-level contracts with the Carolina Hurricanes and Nashville Predators, respectively, meaning their time with UMass was through. 

Once again, UMass faced the prospect of a depleted roster, especially on the backend, with only two defenseman returning from the 2023-24 squad. Two freshmen, who immediately made an impact on the ice, were the freshman defensive pairing of Larry Keenan and Francesco Dell’Elce. Together, the pair combined for 35 points and a +33 rating across the season. 

During the past season, I prioritized attending more road games, as I had only previously attended away games against UMass-Lowell. The opening contest of the season was in the suburbs of Boston, when the Minutemen traveled to take on Bentley. The Minutemen picked up an early road win off a hat-trick from Aydar Suniev, who had settled into his role as an offensive star for UMass. 

UMass struggled to find its rhythm in the opening part of the season. Defensive breakdowns were common, especially as Keenan and Dell’Elce attempted to adjust to the speed of NCAA hockey. Transfer defenseman, Lucas Olvestad, a former Denver Pioneer, also fought early struggles adjusting to UMass’ defensive scheme. 

Defensive lapses and intermittent offensive consistency led to the team dropping early, winnable games against Sacred Heart, Omaha and Vermont. As the holiday break neared, it was clear UMass needed to find its groove. Down the first-half stretch, the Minutemen picked up two crucial road wins against top Hockey East teams in Providence and Boston University. 

The Minutemen entered the break with an 8-6-3 record, but a disappointing 2-4-1 inside the walls of the Mullins Center. In the second half of the season, the Minutemen picked up critical road wins against UConn, Boston College and UMass-Lowell. 

With a 6-2-2 record at home during the second half ot the season, the Minutemen had turned things around, but they would likely need one last push to get themselves into the NCAA tournament field, and that chance came against Vermont.

On Mar. 12, I made the frigid walk to the South Entrance of the Mullins Center. My UCard was scanned one last time, and I made my walk up to the top of Section H. The Minutemen netted two early goals from senior forwards Lucas Mercuri and Ryan Lautenbach. Vermont’s Colin Kessler countered a few minutes later, and the score was 2-1 after 15 minutes. The score would remain the same for the final 45 minutes, as Hrabal stood tall, stopping 23/24 shots in the net. 

The Minutemen came up short in their path to a national championship this year. However, they did pick up a first-round overtime victory against Minnesota before an agonizingly close defeat to Western Michigan. 

My final semester of college will take me to the banks of the Mississippi River and the sprawling campus of the University of Minnesota. I will miss the walls of the Mullins Center and the roar of the home crowd, but I am excited to see what the Golden Gophers have in store for me.