Sitting in the Mullins Center’s green room, a towel around his neck, Matt Anderson pretty much said it all.

“What else could I ask for?” he said, a thief’s grin sneaking across his face.

The sophomore, who had not played an official game in more than a year, showed all 2,486 in attendance at Saturday night’s season opener against Clarkson what they – and he – had been missing for the entirety of the 2003-04 season, which he sat out because of a shoulder injury he re-aggravated just before the season began.

All Anderson did in his first game back was score three goals, assist on two, and be on the ice for five of the Minutemen’s six tallies. Were so many of the goals not scored on power plays, Anderson would have finished the game in the neighborhood of plus-four. Looking like they were using telepathy, Anderson and his linemates moved so effectively and fluidly, it would be hard to believe, if you didn’t know better, that this was Anderson’s first real game in 575 days.

When Anderson was last a regular member of the UMass lineup, he was a part of the promising “WAM” line, comprised of himself, Stephen Werner, and departed winger Greg Mauldin. In one year together, the trio combined for 47 goals and 63 assists, and their 110-point total raised hopes that the combination might lead the Minutemen for years to come. However, Anderson suffered an injury late in the 2002-03 season that reappeared before the next season’s opener, and was serious enough to require season-ending surgery.

Saturday night was, among other things, a showcase of what might have been, had Anderson been able to avoid surgery. Though Kevin Jarman, the burly power forward who ultimately set up Anderson’s hat trick goal, doesn’t exactly cast the same shadow as Mauldin, the scoring ability of Werner and Anderson was still evident all night. The duo teamed effortlessly on every shift, as they did in the exhibition against St. Francis Xavier on Oct. 2 when they combined for the game-winning goal in overtime.

“I think when you have two good players, the chemistry is just there automatically,” said Werner, who assisted on Anderson’s second and third goals. “I felt it the first time I skated with [Anderson], and it’s just great to be back on the ice with him.”

A year’s absence, even with strenuous off-ice workout and occasional stints on the ice after practice, would normally result in slowed reflexes and less ice time. Anderson, however, led the Minutemen in shots (six), and his top line was on the ice in some shape or form, especially with the massive amount of penalties called both ways, and the loss of a third line winger (freshman Zech Klann) in the first period.

“I wasn’t planning on playing him in the exhibition last week, but we didn’t have a couple people, there were some guys who were banged up,” UMass coach Don Cahoon said. “So I said, ‘jeez, we’ll get him out there,’ and I think after I saw him last week, even in special teams, I realized this kid’s going to be productive, that’s for sure. Matt’s got a great feel for the game. It’s really nice to have him back, he fills a void, that’s for sure.”

Ever the team-oriented leader, Anderson responded to one post-game question about his early success with an answer about the team’s general performance.

“I think it’s early, I think we need to do this in April when it really counts. It’s too early in the season to judge,” he said, clearly referring to the squad’s overall work in the 6-4 victory.

The same could be said for Anderson, who has a long season ahead of him after missing an entire year, but if Saturday night was any indication, he didn’t miss anything at all.