After traveling to New Hampshire to play Keene State on Saturday, the Massachusetts men’s club hockey team won, 4-2, on Saturday. With the win, UMass enters winter break with a four-game winning streak.
The majority of the Minutemen (10-4-1) offense came through the means of forwards Matt Tarpey, Scott Cook and Adam Spunt. The goal for Cook was his 11th on the season, which leads the team. UMass coach Mike Atkinson was ecstatic to get help from his offensive unit against a quality Owl team.
“We managed to get some big goals from Tarpey, Cook and Spunt,” Atkinson said. “We were able to play our game and win, it is always nice to win before a break.”
The 4-2 win against Keene was the second win for UMass this season against the Owls. In their prior matchup, the Minutemen won 3-1 on Nov. 19.
After starting off the season relatively slow with two wins and two losses, UMass has gained significant respectability with its winning record and 10 wins. Throughout the season, Atkinson has seen and learned much more about his team than he thought he would.
“As a coach I learned a lot about our team, but more importantly I learned a lot about the type of people all of our players are,” Atkinson said. “They are all such good people that it makes my job enjoyable.”
With such a strong first half of the season, the team is still set on the goals that they had at the beginning of the season, which includes making it to the national tournament, which will be played in California.
“My long term goal for this team hockey-wise is to build on the success we have had and win a championship,” Atkinson said. “I know that is what our players want as well.”
The win Saturday on the road against the Owls, and more importantly the four-game winning streak that includes two games on the road as well as at home in the Mullins Center should prove as a great basis to build upon.
“This past game is a great building block to add and if we continue to do the things we have and play hard I truly believe we are more than capable of doing that,” Atkinson said.
The Minutemen saw strengths in all facets of their play and against three strong teams. In the three games, UMass scored 23 goals, allowed 12 and scored a big win against Maine, who beat them earlier this season.
The Minutmen have a schedule full of tough teams coming back from break with three of their eight games coming against teams that they have already played against this season.
A big upcoming game for UMass will be against Boston College on Jan. 23. The game will be played at the MassMutual Center in Springfield at noon that Sunday.
The Minutemen will also be holding two special nights after coming back from break on Jan. 28th and 29th. The two games will be held at home in the Mullins Center against Vermont and will be Senior Night and Military Appreciation Night, respectively.
Robert Hanlon can be reached at [email protected].
