CANTLON: UCONN BLASTS MINUTEMAN 8-2
VERSUS 
BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Six different players scored while five of them had a multi-point game as the UCONN Huskies raced past UMASS-Amherst Minuteman 8-2 Tuesday night before 2,723 at the XL Center.
Corey Ronan, Sasha Payusov, Maxim Letunov, Brian Freeman, and Jeff Wight each posted two points for UConn, who despite getting outshot 29-22, took advantage of sloppy UMASS-Amherst defensive work, and porous goaltending was able to combine that with accurate shooting cutting down on their missed shots significantly.
The victory was the largest margin of victory for UConn since 2013. That was their last season in the AHA Conference and was an 8-1 win over AIC. Of course, it was also their largest margin of victory in their four years since joining Hockey East.
“Certainly, we were pleased with the win tonight,” UConn Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh said. With the team coming off a loss in Amherst last Friday and the Christmas break upcoming, “It was a big game for us tonight. I thought we played more in their end. I hope we have a few more (goals) Friday night.” Cavanaugh was referring to his team’s last home game of 2017, a non-conference meeting with Colgate.
In the third period, UCONN put the icing on the cake with Letunov burying a feed from Evan Wisockey from behind the net at 4:04.
UMASS spoiled the shutout bid with Brett Boeing flying into the UCONN zone and zipping his first goal of the season in the 12 games at 6:21.
UCONN responded 33 seconds later as Spencer Naas stripped the puck from defenseman Josh Couturier and fired his sixth past relief goaltender Brad Arvanitis, who entered the game to start the third period.
UMASS closed out the scoring on Brad Stone who relieved Huska with 5:29 left in the game. He made the first save on George Mika, but Austin Plevy buried the puck on the second whack at the puck for his first of the year at 19:20.
UCONN wasted little time adding to their 3-0 lead when they scored 47 seconds into the second period.
Brian Rigali had strong, inside position at the top of the crease and took Max Kalter’s pass and buried his first of the season for a 4-0 UCONN lead.
“It was a weight off my shoulders. It felt amazing and I knew if stayed with it and I played the right way it would eventually come. It felt very good,” the freshmen forward said of his first collegiate tally.
The start of the second period was what Cavanaugh was looking for.
“I like how we came out. Max kept his feet moving on that play, moving the puck out front and Brian had good position and finished. It really set the tone for our second period and it was our last Hockey East game (before the break) and a much-needed win for us.”
UCONN added to their lead when Corey Ronan was able to sweep from behind the net into the lower left wing circle and zip a shot along the ice. Aided by a perfect screen from Brian Freeman and Minuteman defenseman Jake Horton in front of goalie Ryan Wischow, Ronan’s shot found the back of the net at 5:29 with the help of a deflection off of Freeman’s skate. It was Freeman’s third of the season.
For the sixth goal, UCONN will likely send a thank you card after Minuteman rearguard Jake McLaughlin passed the puck up the middle of the ice from your defensive zone corner. Huskies’ senior Ben Freeman was dead center in the zone and snared the puck and ripped his second of the night and fourth of the season by Wischow at 11:31.
After a sleepy start to the game where UCONN wasn’t registering any signs of life until 6:55 when they picked up the pace and scored three goals.
The Huskies’ first goal was a direct result of an Adam Huska save.
On the power play, James Masonius tried to cheat at the right point on a loose puck. He lost it and Cale Makar of the Minuteman, a Colorado first-round pick, and with his excellent wheels had a clean breakaway. Makar however elected to shoot from far out about 15 feet out and Huska made a blocker save.
“That was a huge save right there,” Cavanaugh said. “That’s Makar coming down there.”
UMASS-Amherst head coach Greg Carvel was wistful about that play.
“I would have loved to see how the game would have turned out had we scored that goal. We played very well in the first ten minutes. It was one of those nights when it seemed like they scored every time they shot it,” Carvel said. “Good job by UCONN. They buried their chances.”
The very next shift UCONN as a penalty expired, Jeff Wight was on the left wing with his back to the net, but he was able to retrieve the rebound of a Miles Gendron’s right point shot and then slipped his fourth of the season into the net on the backhand over Wischow’s glove.
“We wanted to go in well for the winter break. We had a nice three-win streak there that we want to finish off nicely on Friday,” said Wight.
UCONN lit the red light twice in a 39-second span to keep UMASS-Amherst back on their heels.
Johnny Austin was at the left point playing with his head up and got a puck down low to Maxim Letunov. The Russian then curled back in the left wing faceoff circle and from a sharp angle took a shot that Wischow saved, but the rebound was right in the crease and Sasha Payusov, who was right at the top of the crease easily swept his ninth of the season at 12:25 for a 2-0 lead.
“He has a good feel for where rebounds are going to go,” remarked Cavanagh of his first year forward. Payusov is second in Hockey East in power play goals with six. He is just one behind Ross Colton of Vermont. “I think he plays in the middle and had a quick stick and worked hard on his shooting in the offseason.”
Wight added to the scoreboard quickly when he took a pass off the board from Ronan and sped in on a two-on-one with Spencer Naas.
Wight, a left-handed shot on the right side, had the angle and he zipped his second of the game and fifth of the season at 13:04 for a 3-0 UCONN lead.
UCONN did a sharp defensive effort with puck control and checking neutralized the Minuteman to one shot on goal for over ten minutes.
“We talked about that we had a 3-0 lead with Northeastern and 3-0 lead with Vermont and played on our heels and a point of emphasis was to be on our toes and be on the attack.”
NOTES:
Huska is actually ineligible for this WJC’s for Slovakia. He turned 20 last May. However, he could be available for Slovakia at the PyeonChang Winter Games in South Korea.
The last shutout at the XL Center for the Huskies was October 8th last year, a 4-0 win over the University Alabama-Huntsville.
Each team used their backup goalies giving them their first Division I minutes.
UMASS’ Brad Arvanitis is from Holliston, MA and the Huskies Brad Stone (Buckinghamshire, England) split last year with Philadelphia and Boston (USPHL-Premier) has played on the national England U-16 team before coming to North America.
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