In the 95th matchup between the Massachusetts hockey team and the No. 11 Boston University Terriers on Saturday night, the Minutemen (8-6-2, 2-4-2 Hockey East) did something they’ve never done before: shut the Terriers out. UMass goaltender Michael Hrabal pitched a 32-save shutout while his offense did the dirty work of putting four goals behind Terrier goaltender Mathieu Caron in an emphatic 4-0 win over BU (8-6-1, 4-3-1 HEA).
Hrabal’s first shutout of the season didn’t come against just any run of the mill college hockey team; BU has the fourth-most efficient offense in the country, scoring at a clip of 3.47 goals per game, second only to Maine in HEA in that category.
The 6-foot-7 netminder was on his A-game from the jump. Just under three minutes into the first frame, he robbed the Terriers of a quick goal to start the game with a save of the year caliber effort.
BU entered the UMass offensive zone on a 2-on-2. Although UMass had numbers, Cole Eiserman and Kamil Bednarik executed a nearly perfect give-and-go, leaving Bednarik wide open on Hrabal’s left side with the puck on his stick. Hrabal made an initial read to his right, which Bednarik countered with a slick move, leaving him with what looked like a wide open net.
That is, if Michael Hrabal wasn’t 6-foot-7 with the athleticism to make up for even the smallest mistake. As Bednarik went to backhand the puck into the net, Hrabal extended his left leg and made what should have been an impossible save with the toe of his pad.
Hrabal had a number of key saves in the final 57 minutes of the game, but that stop on Bednarik was a true statement that he was going to be tough to beat all night.
“[Hrabal] was our backbone all game,” Lucas Mercuri said of his netminder. “He’s been dialed in the past three-four weeks, super proud of him, all the boys just rallied around him”
After an inconsistent start to the season, including a game where he was pulled against Vermont and at one point temporarily lost his starting job, Hrabal maintained a positive attitude throughout his struggles and has found his stride as he’s now strung together five strong games in a row.
“[Hrabal has] given us a lot of confidence since we pulled him in Vermont,” head coach Greg Carvel said. “I think he needed a reset, and he was able to do that and he’s taken big steps since then. It’s a big difference when your goaltender is giving you big saves and he’s seeing the game.”
“The beginning of the season [I] was a little slower, I needed a little bit of a push from the coaches and from my team, which I got and I’m very thankful for that,” Hrabal said. “I think right now, I will do anything needed to help my team win games.”
Another huge factor in Hrabal’s recent success has been the improvement from UMass’ team defense. The Minutemen were able to limit the number of odd-man rushes the Terriers got, therefore putting Hrabal in a better position to succeed.
“Defense was great today, I think we’ve improved that a lot,” Hrabal said. “Not many odd-man rushes, I think that’s important against a team like [BU].”
Hrabal and the rest of the Minutemen faced plenty of adversity throughout Saturday night’s game, as the Terriers committed two game misconducts, while there were a whopping five goals overturned between the two teams. Hrabal was on the brunt end of a physical game on a number of plays. He was interfered with twice, which led to two overturned goals, and was also clipped by Devin Kaplan late in the game.
“I would say I’m a calm goalie, so nothing like that ever gets in my head,” Hrabal said of the physicality and chippiness surrounding him.
After making UMass history, Hrabal and the Minutemen will have three days off before they finish the series with BU on Wednesday, Dec. 11, back in Amherst at the Mullins Center.
“[Hrabal’s] playing like a big-time goalie right now,” Carvel said.
Matt Skillings can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @matt_skillings.
