The Massachusetts hockey team starts its 2024-2025 season with an away contest against Bentley University on Oct. 5.
Ranked No. 14 in the preseason coaches’ poll, UMass has a promising season ahead of it. With a schedule packed with thrilling tournaments, intense Hockey East competitors and strong non-conference matchups, here is a breakdown of some key opponents the Minutemen face this season.
No. 3 Boston University
The Boston University Terriers prove to be a strong competitor against the Minutemen time and time again. The last time UMass topped BU was in 2019, with two ties and shootout losses in 2020 and 2023.
The Minutemen and the Terriers’ first match-up is at Agganis Arena in Boston on Dec. 7. On Dec. 11, both teams meet again in Amherst at the Mullins Center.
With Boston University’s standout player Macklin Celebrini joining the San Jose Sharks, the Terriers lose their leading goal scorer of last season. Lane Hutson joined the Montreal Canadiens after the 2023-2024 season, leaving the Terriers without their top two points scorers.
A new addition to the BU roster is Matt Copponi, a transfer from Merrimack. Copponi was the Warriors leading point scorer of last season with 23 points.
Returning Terriers to watch include Quinn Hutson, Ryan Greene and Jeremy Wilmer. (Quinn) Hutson was the second leading goal scorer for BU behind Celebrini, and Wilmer was third in assists behind (Lane) Hutson and Celebrini.
Mathieu Caron returns for his senior season in goal for the Terriers. Caron started all 40 games for the Terriers last season and ended with a 0.915 save percentage.
UMass Lowell
When the Kennedy Cup is up for grabs, each team always brings its best on the ice. Last season, both games went into overtime, as Ryan Ufko found the back of Lowell’s net in both matchups, giving the Minutemen the series sweep.
Even though the River Hawks are unranked in the preseason poll, Lowell built a strong roster from the transfer portal. From Colgate, the River Hawks picked up defensemen Nick Anderson and Pierson Brandon. Anderson was second on the Raiders in defensive scoring and assists.
Henry Welsch returns to the River Hawks for his fifth year, but with two new goalies on the roster, the starting spot between the pipes could belong to anyone. Tate Brandon, a graduate student from Skidmore, joins his twin brother, Pierson, at Lowell. Brandon finished his campaign at Skidmore with a 0.927 save percentage and received many conference accolades, including NEHC First Team All-Conference and Goaltender of the Year. Beni Halasz is a junior transfer who registered a 0.911 save percentage in his two seasons at Northern Michigan.
No. 15 Omaha
Ranked directly under Massachusetts, Omaha will be a difficult opponent early in the season. The two teams face off in the Ice Breaker Tournament at Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, NV on Oct. 11.
Zach Urdahl and Griffin Ludtke return for another season with the Mavericks. Urdahl was tied for most goals scored with 13 and Ludtke led the team with 23 assists. Aiden Gallacher joins the Mavericks after four years with Northern Michigan. Gallacher led the NCAA with 104 blocked shots in the 2022-2023 season.
After being the predominant starter in the goal last year, it is assumed that junior netminder Simon Latkoczy will resume his position as the starting tender for the Mavericks. Latkoczy finished the 2023-2024 campaign with a 0.913 save percentage.
No. 9 Cornell
On Jan. 3, UMass will join Cornell, Arizona State and Robert Morris at the Desert Classic in Tempe, AZ. In their second tournament matchup in the last two years, the Minutemen take on Cornell in the first game. UMass fell to the Big Red in a shootout at the Adirondack Winter Invitational last season.
Dalton Bancroft, Ian Shane and Ben Robertson were all named to the ECAC all-conference preseason team. Bancroft was the second-highest point scorer for the Big Red last season with 12 goals and 19 assists. Shane was unanimously decided the Ivy League Player of the Year and ended with a 0.923 save percentage and 1.69 goals against average.
Cornell lost a big-time player in Gabriel Seger, who led the stat sheet with 44 points: 14 goals and 30 assists. With last season being his final year of eligibility, Seger signed a one-year contract with the Grand Rapids Griffins in June. The Big Red will look to see who steps up to fill his absence on the ice.
Alaska
In a battle of the flagship schools, Alaska Fairbanks travels to Amherst for the series on Jan. 24 and 25. While an unfamiliar opponent to the Minutemen, Alaska has a lot of talent in returners Anton Rubtsov, Chase Dafoe and Braden Birnie.
The Nanooks added many new faces to their roster, including freshmen Bryce Monrean and Brendan Ross, and transfers Matt Rickard and Matt Hubbarde. Both Monrean and Ross were standout players for their respective junior teams, with Monrean finishing last season with 62 points and Ross with 95. Rickard joins Alaska as a graduate student after four years with American International College, and Hubbarde spent one season with Providence College and two with Dartmouth College.
With 19 new faces on Nanooks’ roster, they will be the underdog when they make the trip to Amherst. If Alaska can create cohesion among the players, it will be a dangerous opponent for the Minutemen and should not be underestimated.
Honorable Mentions
UConn and UMass meet three times this season, with the series on Oct. 25 and 26, and an away contest for the Minutemen on Feb. 7. Last year, UMass won the series against the Huskies but fell in a single game in an overtime shootout, leaving the Minutemen with a 2-1 season record against the Huskies.
UMass travels to Orono, ME for a standalone game against Maine on Feb. 2. A month later, the Black Bears will come to Amherst for a weekend series on March 7 and 8.
Devin Lippman can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @devinlippman.
