Hockey fans were treated to all facets of the Bobby Trivigno Experience in the Massachusetts hockey team’s 5-0 win over UMass Lowell Friday night. In fact, a single play in particular showcased a plethora of the wingers’ skills.
With just under eight minutes left in the first period, the No. 16 River Hawks (3-2-0, 3-2-0 Hockey East) had the puck, looking to carry it through the neutral zone and start an attack. However, Trivigno and the No. 10 Minutemen (10-5-3, 10-5-3 HEA) had other ideas.
“I thought Bobby Trivigno was outstanding early on,” head coach Greg Carvel said.
As UML progressed toward the red line, maroon and white jerseys quickly closed in. One of those maroon and white jerseys: Trivigno’s No. 8. Always one to play the role of pest, Trivigno did just that, pestering the River Hawk puck handler into losing control and giving UMass possession.
Then, with Garrett Wait on the puck, it was time for Trivigno to show off the second part of his game: his speed. With the puck along the left boards, Wait chopped the puck past a blue jersey and into the offensive zone. Seeing the puck played ahead of him, Trivigno shot out of a cannon after the puck. The New York native then seemingly hit another gear to catch UML flatfooted and get himself a glimpse at net.
And that’s when Trivigno flashed perhaps his most valuable skill, his goalscoring. With seemingly no angle at goal, No. 8 ripped a wrist shot high, off the side of River Hawk goaltender Owen Savory’s mask and into the back of the net—his second goal of the night.
.@Gwait17 to @bobbytrivigno was the recipe for our second goal as well 🔥#NewMass | #Flagship 🚩#NewMass | #Flagship 🚩 pic.twitter.com/FqMFrVlMgH
— UMass Hockey (@UMassHockey) January 30, 2021
As if that 15-second stretch of ice time wasn’t convincing of the variety of Trivigno’s skills, the UMass wing showed off a little bit of everything on Friday. On top of scoring two goals, Trivigno added an assist to his name—his 14th of the year.
“He’s just a very—he’s a small guy but he can really dart,” Carvel said, “and he can really jump into holes. He’s not afraid to shoot it. He’s not a natural goal scorer, but when you do things fast and quick like he does, a lot of pucks will find the back of the net.”
While it’s nearly impossible for a team leader in points to go under the radar, Trivigno was about as under the radar as a player playing as well as he was could be. With 18 points and five goals coming into the weekend, Trivigno made sure to stand out on Friday with two goals and three points to his name.
The one part of his game that might not have been on display Friday night, Carvel was quick to point out after the contest.
“The biggest thing is leadership,” Carvel said. “We always knew he was going to be a captain for the team. As a junior and as an assistant, he’s very vocal and he leads by example better than anybody on our team.”
Trivigno will lead his team again Saturday as the Minutemen look to complete the sweep of UML with puck drop coming at 7 p.m.
Noah Bortle can be reached at [email protected]. He can be followed on Twitter @noah_bortle.
