The No.14 Massachusetts hockey team triumphed over Stonehill 4-1 in its first away game of the season. After going 1-for-9 on the power play in the season-opening series against Northern Michigan, the Minutemen (3-0) went 2-for-4 Friday night.
“[The power play] is going to take time,” head coach Greg Carvel said. “We got new guys, they need reps. A lot of different parts of our game are rusty and the power play is definitely one of them, but three power play goals so far, I’ll take it.”
UMass looked more comfortable on the power play, taking time to set up its attack and funnel more pucks on goal.
Vaclav Nestrasil scored two of his three goals on the man advantage. The Czech native scored the Minutemen’s first goal off a quick wraparound from behind the Skyhawks’ (0-3) net with under three minutes left in the first period. Nestrasil’s third goal also came around the net after he jammed away at a loose puck in the crease to seal the 4-1 victory.
Sophomore Mikey DeAngelo scored the game-winning goal for UMass 13 minutes into the second period. A failed breakout by Stonehill landed on Jack Musa’s stick. The junior swung the puck down to DeAngelo, waiting by the faceoff dot with a clean shooting lane. The transfer from Michigan State snapped a quick shot past the blocker of Connor Androlewicz to put the Minutemen up 2-1.
“[It feels] real good,” DeAngelo said. “Last week I had a lot of good looks, but we got two wins and I was happy with that, but tonight I was looking to get one myself, and I got it done, so I’m just really happy for that.”
DeAngelo had three shots on goal, along with an assist on Nestrasil’s third goal of the night. The Itasca, IL., native has three points on the season, but his impact has been felt beyond the results on the score sheet.
“We need him to be an offensive player, he’s the first line center,” Carvel said. “It’s why he came to UMass, to have that opportunity…he’s a good player for us, he needs to be, he’s the top line center, and that was a great shot. He’s got that ability.”
Michael Hrabal stood tall in net, seeing 40 shots and turning away 39. The junior made strong positional saves, tracked pucks through traffic and directed rebounds away from dangerous areas of the ice.
On a Skyhawks’ power play in the third period, they tested Hrabal early and often. Matthew Romer screened a shot from the point, forcing Hrabal to make a tough save through traffic. Romer pounced on the rebound, batting it out of the air towards the goal, but the Czech native swatted away the scoring attempt.
“I thought Michael Hrabal was great in net,” Carvel said. “He quietly made a huge difference.”
Stonehill’s Teddy Lagerbäck scored in the opening minutes of the second period. After successfully killing off a penalty, UMass was caught out of position in its defensive zone. A quick feed from Billy Renfrew gave Lagerbäck plenty of space to glide through the slot before rifling one past Hrabal’s glove.
The Minutemen’s penalty kill successfully defended all four Skyhawks’ power plays, surrendering six shots total. UMass defensemen made entering the zone difficult, stepping up at the blue line and using active sticks to deflect passes before Stonehill could get set up.
The Minutemen return to the Mullins Center to take on Northeastern on Friday, Oct. 17. Puck drop in Amherst is at 7 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.
James Rust can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @James__Rust.
