The Massachusetts hockey team resumes Hockey East play this weekend as the Minutemen face off against Northeastern in a home and home series.
The weekend kicks off a rigorous schedule for the rest of the season with almost exclusively conference matchups, several of which will pit UMass (9-8-2, 2-5-2 HEA) against teams ranked in the top 10. The Minutemen and the Huskies (6-9-3, 1-6-3 HEA) are currently tied for points in the conference and will have to battle to move up in the ranks.
“An opportunity is there for us, it’s there for Northeastern,” head coach Greg Carvel said. “The last number here is we keep saying Hockey East is getting stronger and stronger every year and it’s taken another step this year.”
UMass’ young backend has continued to grow throughout the season, and the defensive performance this weekend will carry a strong weight in the potentially momentum-building outcomes against the Huskies, a trend that will continue through the rest of the season.
“I’m happy with the group, they’ve developed as I would expect them to. The thing I didn’t expect is I think we lead the country in goals from the blueline,” Carvel said. “But it’s a stat that has been pretty consistent here during my time…that part I’m very happy with. But I think they’re defending well…I expect the second half that our backend will be the least of our concerns.”
Northeastern’s offense is led by juniors Jack Williams and Cam Lund. They have accumulated 22 points apiece, both from nine goals and 13 assists. Williams and Lund top the stats sheets with sophomore Dylan Hryckowian, who has scored four goals in the last two games and has 11 across the season. In their 5-1 victory over Quinnipiac on Jan. 4, the three forwards combined for nine points.
“[The Huskies] always have a lot of talent,” Carvel said. “[They] usually have a really strong goaltender, talented defensemen that can move pucks and be offensive so I think most of the teams in our league’s identity stays pretty consistent year to year.”
Northeastern had a slow start to its season, putting up a nine game losing streak as they faced strong opponents such as Denver, Boston College and Maine. In conference play, they are consistently a fairly low-scoring team and have seen a lot of tight matchups.
The Huskies have struggled this season with taking penalties and capitalizing on the power play, posting a 0.100 conversion percentage. This could play to the Minutemen’s strength on the man-advantage, as they have scored eight power play goals in their past five games and currently lead the conference in power play efficiency.
Friday will be goaltender Michael Hrabal’s first game back with UMass since earning a bronze medal for Czechia in the IIHF World Juniors. Jackson Irving played a strong game in goal in his absence and was named HEA Goaltender of the week.
“[Hrabal] didn’t start off his season here well with us. We had to pull him out of the lineup and help him reset, but since mid-November I think his numbers were where I like them to be,” Carvel said. “And I hope that he keeps riding this wave [in the] second half.”
The Minutemen come into this match with some confidence after an eight-goal performance in their last game against Simon Fraser. Both the offense and defense worked to generate scoring opportunities, particularly by working the puck up the lane and setting up passes across the crease to beat the goaltender.
“Our group needed that. We needed to score, because our offense should be better than what it is. O’Hara and Suniev have been outstanding, but that next level–Musa, Connors, Lautenbach, Mercuri–those kids need to put more pucks in the net,” Carvel said. “Just [the] bottom line.”
The two teams have a history of closely matched contests, and the expectation for this weekend is no different. UMass has taken the victory in nine of the last 10 meetings, and it hasn’t lost against Northeastern on home ice since 2017.
The teams will face off on Friday, Jan. 10 with puck drop set for 7 p.m. in Boston. The Minutemen will return to home ice on Saturday, Jan. 11 at 6 p.m. Friday’s matchup can be watched on NESN and both will be available on ESPN+.
“I’ll say it again, I think this group if we can get over a certain hurdle, get our mindset to a certain spot, which is my responsibility, I think we can consistently win even in as tough a league as Hockey East is right now,” Carvel said.
Caroline Burge can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Caroline_Burge
