The No. 18 Massachusetts hockey team scored four unanswered goals and overcame two separate two-goal deficits on its way to a resounding 5-4 win over the No. 11 UConn Huskies Friday evening. Jack Musa netted the first hat trick of his college career while UMass head coach Greg Carvel picked up his 250th win as a college head coach in an incredibly impactful win for the Minutemen (15-11-2, 6-8-2 Hockey East).
UMass entered the third period trailing 3-2 after Musa’s first two goals kept it in the game. Reinvigorated, the Minutemen wasted no time in the final frame to prove that their comeback attempt wouldn’t be squashed.
Just under two minutes into the third, an errant UConn (14-10-3, 7-8-3 HEA) defensive zone clearing attempt was flagged down at the blue line by Owen Murray. Murray corralled the puck and drew a Husky defender towards him. With Musa and Dans Locmelis opening themselves up for passes across the ice, Murray opted to hit the latter. With Musa providing a screen for him, Locmelis fired a wrister past the low blocker side of UConn goaltender Tyler Muszelik to even the game up.
With this goal, any negative energy surrounding the Minuteman offense disappeared. Musa scored his third goal of the night less than three minutes later to give UMass its first lead of the game. Kenny Connors was not far behind him, extending the Minuteman lead to 5-3 just two minutes later with his seventh of the season, his sixth in his last five games.
“I think this is the hardest rink in our league to play in, and for the last 50 minutes, I loved the way we played,” Carvel said. “It felt like we kept growing the momentum, and then the third period was as good a period as you can play.”
“Once they realize how effective they can be, then you see the light go,” Carvel said of his offense. “They’re just on the puck, they’re physically engaged, they’re playing fast and we did a lot of great things.”
Although the final score broke in UMass’ favor, the first 10 minutes of the game solely belonged to the Huskies, who scored two goals in the first six and a half minutes, both from Joey Muldowney.
Musa answered back to start the second before the Minutemen and UConn traded goals midway through the second to move the score to 3-2 heading into the third.
Connors’ and Locmelis’ goals in big moments proved to Carvel once again that in the absence of a prolific goalscorer in Aydar Suniev, other players can step up to fill the gap he leaves in the lineup
“I’ve learned this during my time in the pros, when there’s a better player injured like Suniev, sometimes it’s a good thing because it forces other guys to step up,” Carvel said. “Now you’re seeing [Locmelis] and [Connors] score and fill that hole, where they hadn’t scored a lot in the first half. Hopefully we’ll get Suniev back soon, but [Locmelis] and [Connors] all year I think have just been saving all their goals for the second half.”
On a meaningful night for Carvel, he reflected on what his 250th career win in college meant to him.
“Milestones like that, the players that have earned [the wins] instantly come to my mind,” Carvel said. “The great kids that sweat, bleed and sacrifice during the wins. I think about the legacy that I’ve built at UMass with those kids and how proud I am, and that we’ve created a standard that didn’t exist before. It’s up to me to make sure we hold that standard.”
The road doesn’t get any easier for the Minutemen moving forward, as a home-and-home series with No. 1 Boston College awaits them next weekend. Grab your Valentine and some popcorn for Friday, Feb. 14 to watch the series kick off in Chestnut Hill at Conte Forum. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
Matt Skillings can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @matt_skillings.
