Where:
Friday
Conte Forum, Chestnut Hill, MA
Saturday
Mullins Center, Amherst, MA
When: Friday 7/11 and Saturday 8/11
Disc drop: 7 pm both nights
How to watch: Friday’s game will be broadcast live on NESN, while Saturday’s game will be broadcast on ESPN+.
- UMass has gone 7-4-0 to start the season, sweeps against Northern Michigan, wins against Stonehill and Bentley, and split series against Cornell, Omaha and Maine.
- The Minutemen have eight new freshmen on the roster, many of whom will look to make an offensive impact; only two of last season’s top eight scorers have returned to this year’s team.
- Most of the defensive core returns to the Minutemen, along with junior goaltender Michael Hrabal.
- Currently, Jack Musa leads the Minutemen with 15 points in 11 games, followed by freshman Václav Nestrašil who has 13. In net, Hrabal has a .911 save percentage in 9 games, while junior Jackson Irving has a .934.
- Alignment decisions. Last weekend’s lines saw a bit of confusion up front, notably with Teddy Stiga moving to center James Hagens and Landan Resendes. It ended up working out well for the group, as Resendes scored the game-winning goal against the Catamounts last Friday off an unreal pass from Hagens.
- We also saw Oskar Jellvik return, but only for one game, just like the previous weekend. Ryan Conmy missed a good portion of Saturday’s game with an injury, and Michael Hagens continued to suit up as a forward in the absence of Andre Gasseau. If Conmy is still out this week, it will be interesting to see what the attacking lines look like and if they stick with Stiga in 1C.
- Louka Cloutier. The rookie goaltender has had an up-and-down start to the year, similar to the rest of the team and nothing unexpected for a first-year goaltender. But last weekend, Cloutier was absolutely at the top of his game, leading the Eagles to overcome several penalties in the first game against UVM and earning his first collegiate shutout in the second game.
- Increased confidence. We said last week that the team clearly seemed frustrated by the lack of goals scored and that perhaps a weekend away from home will help them reset. The Eagles certainly looked more confident after their first win against the Catamounts, and they were able to channel that into a complete offensive performance in a 5-0 victory. With several different players scoring goals this weekend, we hope they keep scoring!