By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – There is a lot of news in professional, college, and junior hockey going on as the Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins playoffs are in full swing.

In a case of bad timing, just as the next round playoffs are set to begin, reports from Swedish media state right winger Lauri Pajuniemi might be on the verge of signing a deal with the Malmö IF Redhawks (Sweden-SHL) for next year.

MAXIM BARBASHEV

The New York Rangers assigned Maxim Barbashev (65 points in 67 games) to the Wolf Pack just before they left for Providence. They signed Barbashev to an ATO deal, and he will wear uniform #18. He won’t play this weekend.

Barbashev’s QMHL season ended in the quarterfinals of the QMJHL President Cup playoffs in seven games by the Halifax Mooseheads. The final game score was 7-3. Moncton is coached by one-time Ranger Daniel LacrOne-time Ranger Daniel Lacroix coaches the team with Moncton. Barbashev contributed eight points in 12 games in his playoff run.

Barbashev is a 2022 fifth-round draft pick (161st overall). He scored the game’s first goal on a right-wing shot. He checks in at 6’1, 185 lbs. at just 19, and has another year of junior eligibility.

He has two older brothers playing pro hockey. Ivan is with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the oldest 30-year-old Sergei is back in Russia with Dizel Penza (Russia-VHL) after starting the season with HK Tambov (Russia-VHL).

A prominent QMJHL scout with another NHL organization had this take on Barbashev. “Looks awkward. Plays a heavy game. Can make mistakes and be inconsistent, but has an edge and physicality. Loves going to the net.”

NOTES:

Matt Robertson will not play in games 1 or 2 of the second round of the playoffs against Providence, according to Knoblauch, he Wolf Pack, according to Knoblauch.

Jarrod Gourley, who played defense for UCONN in 2021, was sent from the Utica Comets to the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL).

It didn’t take for Springfield Thunderbird, Martin Frk, to find new digs. Two days after the Wolf Pack eliminated the Thunderbirds, he became one of four AHL’ers to sign to play in Europe next season. Frk inked a deal with SC Bern (Switzerland-LNA).

Providence gained Brandon Bussi but lost Oscar Steen to the big club. Expect them to receive help for Game 3 against the Pack on Wednesday after the Bruins were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 Sunday night.

LOTS OF ACTIVITY IN CALGARY

The Calgary Wranglers opened the playoffs with a 3-2 overtime victory as Jacob Pelletier scored halfway thru the overtime.

Former UCONN forward Marc Gatcomb scored a beautiful rebound goal to put the Abbotsford Canucks on the scoreboard. The game was attended by 5,654 and came on the heels of the announcement of a new building coming to replace the 40-year-old, 19,000-seat Scotiabank Saddledome. The deal was reached between the owners of the Calgary Flames, CSEC  (Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation), and the city. The new building will be built in the east end of Calgary in the Rivers District.

The announcement was made in Victoria Pak on the site of the proposed arena. It will become the fifth brand-new state-of-the-art arena in the AHL.

The building will house four hockey teams that call Calgary home. They include the NHL Flames, AHL Wranglers, the junior-level (WHL) Hitmen, and the NLL Roughnecks,

The City Council approved a $800K new arena and a $1.2B project overall. Although this was a significant hurdle, the final step will outliAlthough, the expected timeline of the new Events Center and its specs.

The Saddledome was built in 1983. It is the second oldest building in the NHL behind MSG, renovated in 2013, replacing the Calgary Corral that housed the Flames, WHA Calgary Cowboys, and the WHL Wranglers (who moved to Lethbridge) in the mid-’70s.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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HARTFORD, CT – The Capital Region Development Authority (CRDA), which controls the XL Center, has plenty of issues on its plate, and there seem to be extra trips being made back for seconds and thirds.

Two weeks ago, Radenka Maric, who was named UCONN President in the fall, openly conjectured to a journalism class in an on-the-record conversation made it clear that UCONN was strongly considering leaving the XL Center and not renewing their contract at the end of the season.

UCONN will likely seek to shift home games back to their new on-campus arena, The Toscano Family Ice Forum at Storrs, as a cost-cutting measure to deal with the ballooning $53M athletics deficit and the Governor’s “proposal” to cut UCONN funding drastically.

Before the state appropriations meeting mid-week two weeks ago, the Governor bristled at the mere suggestion that he was proposing a cut. Instead, it’s the sunset of federal COVID funding, known by its acronym of ARPA. It ends after this school year. Lamont also emphatically stated that UCONN hoops games would be played at the XL Center.

The Governor and UCONN students were at the Capitol as part of this contentious government hearing on UCONN’s future budget, which has not yet been decided upon. However, UCONN will likely have a continued high level of funding, and increases will probably happen.

This conflict will pit CRDA’s Executive Director, Mike Freimuth, with Maric, a Yugoslavian ex-pat who spent the post-Yugoslav civil war years in the early 1990s in Japan. Also in the mix is outgoing Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin.

Maric threw an unappreciated and figurative Molotov cocktail into the room as the CRDA and OVG were in the final phases of negotiations to deal with the long-suffering XL Center with a makeover eight years overdue.

Freimuth has shown frustration and irritation at UCONN’s annual carping regarding their rental payments for hockey and basketball games and is no longer keeping quiet. Instead, he is calling UCONN out.

“It wasn’t very helpful. It was a monkey wrench we didn’t need, but I think it will be resolved successfully,” remarked Freimuth.

Maric’s remarks did not sound like an idle threat or posturing position by the Huskies. On the contrary, they have been telegraphing their intentions for nearly three years.

The on-campus venue selected by Maric gave her a very friendly audience. She knew she wouldn’t face hostile, probing, or counter-questions. UCONN will likely have another card up its sleeve.

It’s a confrontation that has been brewing for years. UCONN recoils at paying $40.5K per game for men’s and women’s basketball games and $20.5K for UCONN hockey as they have this season.

The new Toscano Family Ice Forum, where its recent Hockey East quarterfinal playoff game with Merrimack was played, not at the XL Center, is built, baptized, and open for business.

It was expected there would be only marquee hockey games like Boston College and Boston University, and national non-conference games would be at the XL Center in the future.

Now it seems even that it might be in jeopardy. The CT Ice Hockey Festival is scheduled for the XL Center next year, for now.

The CT Ice Festival might be the only college hockey downtown next year.

“We’II have a different model next year. We expect about 15 UCONN events next year. We usually have about 30 or so. Face it, a pre-season game with Appalachian State in November doesn’t do much for anybody. St. John’s or Georgetown, that’s a whole different story,” Freimuth commented.

On the other side of the room stands the CDRA and OVG being required to pay both mandatory expenses like police and other emergency services, as well as the fixed costs. It’s not cheap or optional.

“We have fixed costs at the XL Center that they don’t have at Gampel or the new hockey rink. All of those are factored into those buildings, but we’re left out here (holding the bag). Nobody is crying for me,” remarked Freimuth.

Then there’s OVG. They recently signed a new five-year contract with the two unions that work in the building. Both unions voted on and ratified that contract which features a nine-percent increase. So those costs are not gouging but living up to signed agreements.

A long-time state government source with knowledge of government and hockey threw a bucket of cold water on everything.

“I wouldn’t believe half of what you hear. They’ll work something out,” the source declared.

UCONN has had a choppy background with contracts. Bob Diacco, the former football coach they did well with, but basketball’s Kevin Ollie, not so much. So they are now paying for it dearly, which also factors in.

HISTORY

In 1990, Tate George’s miracle, buzzer-beating, turnaround baseline jumper from the corner against Clemson propelled UCONN to the Elite 8. At a time before the internet, UCONN changed its radio rights the following summer.

It was the end of their contract with the now-defunct CT Radio Network. UCONN had radio station affiliates from tiny WKZE in Sharon in the northwest corner of the state to powerhouse WICC downstate in Bridgeport and its southernmost town in Greenwich on WGCH-AM. UCONN was covered.

UCONN thought they could get a better deal with powerful WTIC-AM and its superb 50,000-watt nighttime clear channel signal heard throughout the Northeast in the US and Canada. The Huskies decided to form their own network instead. UCONN negotiated new individual deals with individually selected stations.

The deals were done with the WTIC sales department, which did the legwork. UCONN dropped CRN despite a UCONN alumnus at the company’s helm and expanded its coverage and, even more importantly, its revenue intake.

Part of the negotiating strategy was that they wanted UCONN radio voice Bob Huessler, the play-by-play person, to be out for UCONN broadcasts and their guy Joe D’Ambrosio in.

Huessler, unbeknownst to UCONN, was dealing with a major family crisis with his now late wife, battling breast cancer. There was no way he was getting dropped. In its final days, he was also the full-time PR Director for Milford Jai-Lai.

CRN was caught off guard, unaware that UCONN had another deal lined up. UCONN has always played poker with an extra card up its sleeve.

But nothing with UCONN seems to last forever. After 26 years with WTIC, UCONN decided in 2018 to partner with New York-based IMG Network to handle their radio rights. Unfortunately, WTIC thought UCONN/IMG was asking for too much, eventually sending D’Ambrosio packing and bringing in Mike Crispino.

UCONN signed for ten years with 97.9 ESPN radio, where they remain.

If UCONN does leave, the XL Center account ledger will be out of whack. Hence, the lost revenue and large expenses to pay, and shortly afterward, all the main actors will likely leave at the expiration of their contracts. Then, like the late New Haven Coliseum, the building will close with all the losses.

UCONN will negotiate directly with the XL Center – no more third parties.

A business like The Taven, across the street from the XL Center, was packed on Saturday afternoon and evening. It tailors its staff time and openings around the XL schedule. The same thing happens for Max’s across the street on the Eastern side of the XL. They are two staples and long-operating Hartford restaurants that would likely close with no events or customers.

Waitresses, bartenders, and chefs will all be unemployed. These are the unintended consequences of the situation with the XL Center. They’re not alone.

Despite all the happy talk from state Senate House Speaker Matt Ritter, who told the Hartford Courant in the days after this tete-a-tete broke open that things will be fine – even if XL Center folks think they’re bluffing. It feels different this time, as several folks inside the building said the same thing.

“I did talk to the athletic director yesterday, and I know UCONN reiterated its commitment to play at the XL Center, which we are going to renovate,” Ritter commented. “Is UCONN going to play in Hartford? You betcha’. Do we agree with the (school) president, though, that we got to help them in this budget? You betcha’.”

The relationship with Ritter is an interesting one. His father, Tom, a one-time Speaker of the House himself, is now a lobbyist, working for a prestigious Hartford law firm. In addition, he is a UCONN Board of Trustees member and is very close with school President Maric.

Will that relationship be leveraged positively in the negotiations that are about to come?

UCONN started this process very early for a reason. They’re looking for a soft landing if they decide to leave or if they can wrangle some more considerable concessions and not go. Don’t expect these negotiators to underestimate UCONN, however. UCONN always works in its interests.

“Its lot of work. You have to look at the December and January kids aren’t on campus. 80,000 UCONN alumni live within a half-hour of the XL Center. Some of those are legislators. You think they want to drive to Storrs in the middle of the winter on a Tuesday night?” said Freimuth.

UCONN has been vocal about the rental structure at the XL Center for three years and hired an outside entity last year– Stafford Sports- to negotiate on their behalf and waited to sign their one-year lease extension until the 11th hour to do so. So this year, they will deal directly with OVG.

“I think that Hartford has invested a lot in UCONN. They should be giving back and investing in Hartford. It’s probably not a good spot for the college to be in right now, threatening to divest from a city that’s invested a lot in them,” remarked House Minority Leader Rep. Vincent Candelora (R-86th District) to the Courant.

Reminder, the XL Center is in the district of both Ritter and Candelora.

More than two years ago, the building received $65 million, more than they requested, just a week before the pandemic shutdown. However, it still has not made its way to the bond commission in any manner. Governor Lamont, who controls the bond commission agenda, has been steadfast in the fact that UCONN will play at the XL Center and that funding will be there.

The current negotiations between the latest building operator, OVG, and the CRDA are nearing their conclusion. The skunk-in-the-room move will change OVG’s short-term and long-term calculus at the XL Center and the if, when, and how of their getting a return on its investment.

“I have an idea of what their investment number is, but I’m not at liberty to discuss it right now,” said Freimuth.

The other negotiation for the CRDA is with Northland Corporation and its CEO, Larry Gottesdeiner. Once hailed as the building’s savior, Gottesdeiner has been at a standstill with the CRDA over the atrium for more than three years and is not factored in this proposal.

It has been an Excedrin-inducing pace for three years and counting for Freimuth.

“Its not part of the discussion at the moment. We’re not focused on the atrium at all,” Freimuth said with resignation.

Job vacancies have repeatedly shown up every year. In the last few years, they’ve had four different Operations Managers and a revolving door of salespeople for the Wolf Pack, and the building has been noticeable.

If UCONN makes a move, MSG can’t be far behind.

They have a nice cushion, getting the affiliation fee paid for by the state this year to the tune of $1.66M after foolishly kicking MSG out as managing operator at the XL Center as the CDA did, the forerunner to the CRDA, 16 years ago.

While that helps raise the bar for the rest of the AHL, it keeps the Wolf Pack team solvent and all hockey operations expenses, salaried employees, admin costs, etc. They are all paid for, but the future, building-wise, is passing them by.

“We have brought that number back a bit, but it’s all based on the affiliation requirements. We’re in discussions now on a new contract as we speak,” said Freimuth.

Then, the issue of new buildings with modern amenities popping up throughout the AHL teams.

The recently concluded AHL All-Star Classic was held at the three-year-old, north of the border, new palatial arena, and just 25 minutes from downtown Montreal at the Place Bell in Laval. Then toss in new arenas that have opened this year; Henderson, NV, San Jose, CA, and the $500M palace in the California Desert in Palm Springs, CA (Coachella Valley). In addition, they illustrate and highlight the deficiencies of both the XL Center and the team’s practice facilities at Cromwell (now run by Black Bear Enterprises), both highly inadequate.

Sooner or later, MSG will make a move too.

The Canadian division is gone. Most of the New England teams in the AHL are gone. It’s wishful thinking to believe that Hartford can last that long as the AHL continues to move forward, given the state of the XL Center and all the issues surrounding it.

The consensus is that it feels different this time. Inside and outside the XL Center, that phrase has been repeated unprompted. It does feel different this time.

XL CENTER

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By: Sam Zis, Howlings

STORRS, CT – Justin Pearson’s four points (3 goals, 1 assist) led the #17-ranked UConn Huskies to a 6-5 victory over the visiting Boston College Eagles in the last regular season game of the year on Saturday at the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs.  

After honoring the team’s senior players, the Huskies came quickly out of the gates and, after creating multiple good chances, would finally solve BC goaltender Henry Wilder with a goal at 1:31. It would be Pearson with his first of three on the night in on a breakaway and buried a backhander to make it 1-0.

After failing to tally in their first two power plays, UCONN would struggle in the remainder of the first. However, Boston College capitalized on their first-man advantage at 5:38. Marshall Warren found the back with a laser off the post to equalize the score at one. 

The two Hockey East rivals continued to trade power play opportunities throughout the remainder of the first period. The tie lasted until UCONN’s Ty Amonte snuck a rebound past Wilder to give the Huskies a 2-1 lead with 4:39 left.

Boston College would tie the game for a second time with 5 seconds remaining in the period. Lukas Gustafsson blasted a nearly identical wrist shot to the first goal, but from the other side of the ice. 

The teams went to the locker room tied at two, with UCONN leading in shots 14-7

Both teams came out of the locker rooms more interested in a physical battle in the second period and less interested in scoring goals.  

With ten minutes left in the period, Huskies Captain Roman Kinal took a 5-minute major for cross-checking. In the first half of the penalty kill, the Huskies were dominant. The Huskies’ team speed forced Boston College to take a penalty with 2:30 remaining in the penalty.

Matthew Wood tallied a shorthanded breakaway for UCONN off an Eagles’ mistake, scoring off a nice pass from Hudson Schandor with 7:17 remaining in the period to make it 3-2 in favor of the home team. 

But the Huskies were not done scoring in the period. Pearson would tally his second of the night off an excellent play from his knees in front of the Eagles’ net with just over 2 minutes left in the period to make it 4-2. 

The third period started well for the Huskies as Boston College took a penalty 42 seconds into the period. Pearson would complete his hat trick on the ensuing power play and give UCONN a 5-2 lead.

Just minutes later, UConn center Samu Salminen took a rarely-called face-off violation penalty. Then, with Boston College needing a power play goal to stay in the game, Andre Gassesu scored for BC with a shot off the post to make it 5-3 with 17 minutes still to play.

Huskies freshman, Jake Black, sniped a shot past a fallen Wilder for his first NCAA goal, making it 6-3.

Boston College continued to battle and answered with 7:33 to play in the third period. Oskar Jellvik scored a one-timer goal to keep the game within reach at 6-4.

Boston College continued to push throughout the third and pulled their goalie with 2:14 to play. With the extra man on the ice Boston College forward, and Colorado Avalanche draft pick, Colby Ambrosio capitalized to bring the game to within a single goal at 6-5. 

Boston College continued to look for the tying goal; however, due to the speed of Uconn took a tripping penalty with 1:20 to go in the contest, sealing the deal for UConn.

The Huskies are 20-11-3 and 13-9-2 as they head into the playoffs.

NOTES:

Pearson’s hat trick is the first at the new Toscano Family Ice Forum and the first for UCONN since Jonny Evans put four past Merrimack on January 30, 2021.

The Hat Trick by Pearson is the fifth for the Huskies since entering Hockey East.

UCONN MEN’S HOCKEY

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By: Sam Zis, Howlings

STORRS, CT – Propelled by two goals from Hudson Schandor, the University of Connecticut Huskies defeated the Alaska Anchorage Seawolves in overtime, 4-3, in front of 2,691 at the first-ever students-only hockey game at Tuscano Family Ice Forum Thursday night.

At 2:37 of overtime, Ryan Tverberg found Schandor open and hit him with a tape-to-tape pass. Schandor then beat Seawolves goalie Jared Whale for the game-winner and his second goal of the game. 

Despite the need for overtime, the Huskies controlled the contest throughout.

The Seawolves were dominant early, coming out of the gate quickly about building a 7-1 lead in shots in the first five of the game.

After a lot of back-and-forth play, the Huskies broke through first with 8:39 left in the period. Schandor tallied his first of the game off a sparkling pass from Justin Pearson. The puck hit Whale but found a way to squeeze into the net.

The Huskies had a power play opportunity at 15:17, Seawolves forward Connor Marrit took a tripping penalty, but despite some solid scoring chances, the Huskies still went to the locker room up 1-0 and managed to even up the shots at ten.  

If there were any nerves on either bench to start the game, they were a distant memory by the time the second period started. The game was much more fluid, and both teams established flow and some consistency in their respective game.

UConn doubled their lead at 9:48 and broke the silence of the second frame off a slick deflection goal by Tristan Frase and assisted by Harrison Rees and Tabor Heaslip

The Seawolves would finally break through and cut the lead in half with just over 4 minutes left to play in the period. Jared White Buried a rebound on the power play. The assist was given to Dylan Findlay.

To start the third period, the Huskies were put on a power play when Seawolves defenseman Carson Kosobud took a cross-checking penalty at 2:00. 

The Huskies capitalized as Connecticut native Nick Capone whizzed a one-timer past Whale to make it 3-1 in favor of the home team. 

But the Seawolves refused to quietly and again cut the Huskies’ two-goal advantage in half just 35 seconds later when freshman forward Conor Cole found Matt Allen in front of the net for a point-blank shot, and it was 3-2. 

Despite the Huskies’ dominant play, the Seawolves found the equalizer at 13:04 when Alex Gomez finished off a rebound surrendered by UConn netminder Logan Terness (28 saves) of a Maximilion Helgeson shot.

The Huskies pressed for the game-winner in regulation; however, they couldn’t beat the skilled Seawolves netminder. 

After two unanswered goals to end regulation, it might have seemed to some that the Seawolves were in control with momentum, but the Huskies came out to OT on a mission. 

No underestimating the fantastic effort from Whale (36 saves) that gave the Seawolves life in the game. 

The University of Connecticut Huskies are set to face off against the University of New Hampshire Wildcats at home Saturday at 3:05 PM. UConn improves to 18-10-3 on the season and 6-2-3 in overtime.

UCONN HOCKEY

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BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT– Hartford Wolf Pack goaltender Louis Domingue was selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week, ending January 15th.

Domingue, a new father, posted a record of 2-0-1 with a 1.66 goals-against average, a .941 save percentage, and a shutout in three road starts to help the Wolf Pack extend their point streak to seven games (3-0-2-2). They climbed five points behind the Charlotte Checkers in fourth place and the last playoff spot. The Wolf Pack escaped the Atlantic Division cellar and are in seventh place.

Domingue’s week started in Charlotte, where he made 21 saves in a 5-0 victory over the Checkers to earn his first shutout as part of the Wolf Pack. It was the Wolf Pack’s first regulation victory on the road against the Checkers.

The next night, Domingue earned his second straight victory over Charlotte, stopping 23 shots in a Wolf Pack 3-2 win. It was the first time this season that Domingue had started on back-to-back nights. The team won two games in regulation after a 20-game drought. His week finished with a 36-save effort in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss against the Providence Bruins in a well-played game.

In 22 appearances for Hartford this season, Domingue has a 9-6-6 record with a .914 save percentage while ranking eighth in the AHL with a 2.37 GAA.

Previous Wolf Pack players who’ve won the AHL Player of the Week award have included Nicklas Jensen (2015-2016) and CT Whale Kris Newbury (2012-2013). Jensen currently plays for SC Rapperswill-Jona Lakers in Switzerland. Newbury plays with the Gananoque Islanders in the Canadian Senior League (EOSHL) alongside ex-Pack players Eric Selleck and Ryan Verbeek, the nephew of former Hartford Whaler/New York Rangers’ great, now Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek.

Kyle Beach is among eleven ex-Pack have won the POTW recognition but did so in other AHL cities.

Five ex-Bridgeport Sound Tigers have won it as well.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Rangers returned Ryan Carpenter to Hartford after a one-game recall. In turn, the Pack released Brandon Cutler from his PTO and sent him back to Utah (ECHL).

A few more moves are expected before they begin a three-in-three weekend with Providence at the XL Center Friday.

Dennis Cholowski and William Dufour were recalled by the Islanders from Bridgeport and then returned.

Former UCONN forward and Yale grad Kevin O’Neil signed a PTO deal with the Colorado Eagles.

Chase Zieky (Avon/Avon Old Farms) leaves Greenville (ECHL) for Wheeling (ECHL).

IN SCOUTING NEWS

The NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) released its mid-season preliminary draft list with six Connecticut connections.

In the Top 10 is UCONN freshman winger Matt Wood. He was listed eighth. He will likely become the highest-drafted player in school history, surpassing the current third-leading goal scorer in the NHL with 31, Tage Thompson (Milford). He plays for the Buffalo Sabres and played his college hockey at UCONN before being selected by St. Louis.

Three Avon Winged Beavers (10-2) prep school team members made the list.

Joseph Connor is listed at #71. He could be a mid-round pick and is committed to Northeastern (HE).

A potential later-round selection is Joseph Odyniec (Wilton, CT). He’s 6’3, 200lbs, and a commit to UCONN (HE).

The third member of AOF listed in the US in the goalie category is Stephen Peck, at #13 among netminders. He is collegiately uncommitted.

Taft School (Watertown, CT) saw Rudy Guimond from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, ranked at #16 among eligible goalies in North America. He, too, is uncommitted.

There are two others with Connecticut connections. Defenseman Lucas St. Louis (Riverside, CT/Brunswick School) with Dubuque (USHL) is the youngest son of former Ranger, NHL Hockey Hall of Famer, and current Montreal head coach Marty St. Louis. He earned a mid-season slot at #166 and is headed to Harvard University (ECACHL).

RW Dan Harkimo from Finland from the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep is at #212 and is also not committed collegiately.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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MARLBOROUGH, MA – Providence scored six goals over the second half of the hockey game and defeated the Hartford Wolf Pack 6-3, and captured their second consecutive Atlantic Division title Thursday afternoon

The Wolf Pack closed out the abbreviated AHL 24 game regular season with a record of 16-9-1-0 for 29 points, and Providence concluded the year with a 15-6-2-2 record for 34 points.

Just before the game the Wolf Pack lost two-thirds of their top line in Justin Richards and Tim Gettinger and top forward Jonny Brodzinski because of injuries and suspensions.

So, head coach Kris Knoblauch had to creates several new line combinations for their all-important regular season finale.

The Wolf had built a 2-0 lead nearly halfway through the second period before the Bruins rallied on Hartford.

The Wolf Pack in the first period as defenseman Zach Giuttari took a pass from Anthony Greco launched a shot at the net that was blocked in front. Still, the puck went right to Patrick Khordorenko, who whistled a hard wrist shot from 30 feet out that sailed over Bruin’s goalie Dan Vladar blocker pad and into the back of the net at 13:49 for his fourth goal of the season.

The Wolf Pack had solid chances in the first period Mason Geersten early in the period and Ty Ronning had three quality chances early, a powerplay bid midway through the period and late in the period that Dan Vladar denied each one.

Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/Gunnery prep) is playing just his fifth game of the year, and first, since his birthday was denied with 2:55 left in the first.

Adam Huska did his best in stopping all shots he faced, including Robert Lantosi twice, Urho Vaakanainen, and Jack Studnicka.

In the second period, the Pack went up 2-0 as captain Vincent LoVerde too raced in from the right point, took Patrick Khordorenko’s backhand pass off Paul Thompson’s rebound, and caught Loverde perfectly in stride as he fired his first of the season into the net at 6:17

The Bruins rallied as first Pavel Shen at the right point sent a tape-to-tape pass to Ian MacKinnon, the Bruins heavyweight who zipped a hard wrister short side past Adam Huska at 12:36 for his first goal of the year.

Providence struck 60 seconds later and tied the game at two.

The Pack’s Zach Giuttari wraparound clearing attempt on the right-wing boards went past Auston Rueschhoff, and rookie Edwards Tralmaks stopped it at the left point sent a low, accurate shot toward the net Huska made the save.

The puck was at Huska’s feet, and the Bruins Oscar Steen had inside position on and jammed home his s goal of the season.

The momentum had shifted like the wind of a Texas-sized thunderstorm. The wind carried Providence the rest of the game.

The Wolf Pack had a chance to take the lead late and deflate the Bruns balloon, but Ty Ronning hit the post with 2:44 to go on the right-wing from 10 feet out, falling backward.

A goal there might have made a difference.

The ensuing play back up ice the Bruins scored the dagger shorthanded goal.

Tommy Cross (Simsbury/Westminster Prep) made perfect outlet to Samuel Asselin who dished a pass to Jack Studnicka who then maneuvered through center ice entered the Wolf Pack zone.

Then fed Vaakanainen the puck and he fired a low wrister stick side past Huska at 18:02 for his first of the year and a 3-2 Bruins lead they never lost.

In the third period, the Bruins scored three more and pulled away from the Wolf Pack.

James Sanchez made an early clear of a puck in the blue paint area, but persistent Providence Edwards Tralmarks worked the puck off the apron of the back of the net to keep the play alive.

The Bruins expanded the lead to a two-goal margin just 2:03 into the period as Tralmarks put a solid shot on net Huska made the first save Oskar Steen skating by tap the loose puck underneath Huska for his fifth goal at 2:03.

Then Curtis Hall Yale Bulldog was the recipient of a pass by Pavel Shen, who had stripped the puck from rookie Will Cullye and Hall used Patrick Sieloff as screen and fired his first pro goal by Huska at 9:47 for a 5-2 lead and the Wolf Pack could start warming up the bus.

Then Samuel Asselin completed the second half of the game Bruins power surge smacking in a rebound of a Jack Studnicka shot in front and for his eighth goal at 14:38.

The Wolf Pack last goal of the season came off the stick of Quinnipiac grad Alex Whalen with his second of the season shorthanded at 18:48 as Paul Thompson forced a turnover and Whalen had an empty net to shoot at as Vladar was stuck behind his net.

NOTES:

–Due to injuries suffered last night in the Rangers brawl filled loss to Washington and the Rangers playing in Boston tonight 40 minutes from Marlborough Tim Gettinger, Justin Richards and Jonny Brodzinski were recalled by the Rangers.

Sadly, no Wolf Pack player day/night doubleheader.

-Tyce Thompson (Milford/Salisbury School), after a two-point game against Wilkes Barre/Scranton, is recalled by New Jersey.

LINES:

Newell-Sanchez-Ronning
Thompson-Khordorenko-Greco
Rueschhoff-O’Leary-Geersten
Dmowski-Whalen-Cullye

Raddysh-Taylor
LoVerde-Skinner
Giutarri-Sieloff

Huska
Wall

THREE STARS
Jack Studnicka Providence
Dan Vladar Providence
Samuel Asselin Providence

HONORABLE MENTIONS
Patrick Khordorenko Hartford
Pavel Shen Providence
Urho Vaakanainen Providence

SCRATCHES:

Francois Brassard was the lone scratch for the game
Gabriel Fontaine (upper-body injury season-over)

NOTES:

-The Wolf Pack scoring race the recalled Morgan Barron, who scored his first NHL goal last night against Washington, finishes top with 21 points as the 8th best in AHL rookie scoring, tops among rookies in powerplay goals with six, which is second-most in the AHL, where he is tied with multiple players.

Tim Gettinger with 19 (9-10) and Ty Ronning with 10 goals and 18 points in 18 games were the Wolf Pack’s top three scorers.

Tarmo Reunanen also on recall finished with 17 points currently sixth among AHL rearguards and was just outside the Top 20 field among overall rookie scorers.

Goalie Adam Huska dropped out of the top 10 goalies list, He played 13 games with 734:38 in net with a record of 9-4-0-1 a 2.70 GAA and a .890 save percentage.

Ex-Pack in the Top 10 of AHL scoring Danny O’ Rega is sixth and has 30 points in 33 games leading the expansion Henderson Silver Knights in scoring,

Adam Cracknell of Bakersfield is in a five-way tie at 29 points.

Trevor Zegras (Avon Old Farms) is 7th with 21 points on 10 goals and 11 assists and is on recall to Anaheim.

Former Ranger Cody MacLeod of the Iowa Wild leads the AHL with 91 PM in 28 games and is currently serving a two-game suspension.

Ex-Pack Vinni Lettieri of the San Diego Gulls second in game-winning goals in the AHL with five.

Lias Andersson of the Ontario Reign is tops with three shorthanded goals.

NOTES:

-As expected, the AHL Board of Governors (BOG) in a conference Zoom call approved Vancouver’s relocation of its AHL team to Abbotsford, BC starting in the fall, and New Jersey relocates Binghamton to Utica and will play as the Utica Comets in October at the Adirondack Bank Center not as the Devils as expected.

Utica announced a new 10-year agreement with New Jersey and planned to open their season on October 17th, marking the 34-year anniversary of the first time AHL hockey was played in Utica.

According to Abby News, the Vancouver Canucks have entered into an agreement in principle on a five-year agreement to run the Abbotsford Centre. They will be paid a $750K-C to run the building, with the city be responsible for capital maintenance and repair costs.

The first AHL Abbotsford team, the Heat affiliated with Calgary, had a supply fee deal and, after five years, was paid by the city $5.5. million to exit the deal halfway through.

Expect Binghamton to play in either the ECHL, FPHL or go dormant in the fall.

-The league did not deal with the potential of the name and logo change in Bridgeport to become the Bridgeport Islanders. They may drop the Sound Tigers name and logo as their original 20-year lease and marketing setup expires; that was done by the late owner Roy Boe.

Boe purchased the dormant Beast of New Haven franchise 30 days after it was mothballed, paying the Carolina Hurricanes the 2 million dollar franchise fee they required. He also signed a 20- year 20 million dollar lease in which he reneged on.

Then was forced to turn the franchise over to the late Islanders owner Charles Wang instead of the non-compliance with non-payment of his required affiliation fee and numerous commercial debts with local vendors and sponsors plus employees that had accumulated in the first three years of ownership.

The franchise values are now between $10-$12 million dollars.

No news on a new lease arrangement at the Webster Bank Arena now run by OVG, but the team will likely stay there and a new deal will more than likely be announced sometime later this summer.

-UCONN men’s hockey head coach Mike Cavanaugh announced the team captains for the 2021-22 season.

Seniors Carter Turnbull (Nanaimo, British Columbia) and Jachym Kondelik (Budejovice, Czech Republic) have been elected the team’s captains for the upcoming season. At the same time, classmates Marc Gatcomb (Woburn, Mass.) and junior Roman Kinal (Waterford, Mich.) will be alternate captains.

“I am so honored to have been chosen as Captain this year by my teammates. I believe this is the best group of talented guys we have had yet, and I am excited for the opportunity to lead this team to a championship this year,” said Turnbull in a press release.

This will be the second consecutive season the Turnbull will wear a letter on his jersey for the Huskies.  The senior served as an alternate captain in 2020-21.  Turnbull played in all 23 games last season and was second on the team with nine goals.  He finished the season with 13 points (9g/4a) and generated a team-best 95 shots.  During his three seasons in Storrs, he appeared in 86 games with 23 goals and 21 assists on the ledger.

Jachym Kondelik expressed his gratitude for the announcement.

“I think being named a captain is a huge responsibility and an honor, especially because it is something that is being chosen by my teammates and coaches.  I think we have a great group and that everyone on this team will be a leader in certain ways.”

Kondelik, the big 6-5 forward, is UConn’s top-returning career scoring leader, having piled up 71 points in 91 career games as a Husky.  He has scored 16 career goals with 55 assists and is a +7 over his three seasons.  This past year Kondelik was second on the team in scoring with 22 points coming on four goals and a team-best 18 assists in 23 games, and after the season, he was named to a Hockey East Third Team All-Star.

Marc Gatcomb, a versatile big forward, will be a big part of the leadership quartet for a full college hockey season next season.

“I am honored my coaches and teammates have given me the opportunity to represent the University of Connecticut at this high standard. I’m grateful to be alongside three great leaders and excited to get things started this fall.”

Gatcomb, like Turnbull, took the ice for all 23 games this past season, finishing the year fifth on the team in scoring with 12 points, posting six goals and six assists.  Over his three seasons, Gatcomb has played 88 games and has 25 points on 14 goals and 11 assists.

Roman Kinal, who has battled through injuries twice in his collegiate career at UCONN, seems a perfect fit to have a letter on the left side of his jersey.

“It’s a huge honor to be chosen as one of the captains by the coaching staff and my teammates. With a team full of leaders, we have something extremely special here at UConn. I’m looking forward to getting back on campus to compete for a national championship.”

After being forced to miss all of the 2019-20 season due to an injury, Kinal made his return to the Huskies defensive unit this year and finished with six points (1g/5a) in 16 games and was a +6 for the season.  His lone goal on the season provided the game-winner in a 2-1 win on the road at New Hampshire.  He has played in 50 games in two seasons with 13 career points (2g/11a) and 49 blocked shots.

-In other state college hockey news, long-time Quinnipiac assistant coach for the last 13 years Bill Riga was named the new head coach of the Holy Cross Crusaders (AHA).

Former head coach David Berard stepped down in April and was named the associate athletic director for men’s and women’s hockey at Providence College (HE) on Monday.

Berard, a Rhode Island native, is a PC alum academically and athletically was a UCONN assistant in 2012-13 during their AHA years under the late. A year before, Mike Cavanaugh was hired.

Berard’s son Brett plays at Providence College and is a NY Rangers draft pick. His other son Brady plays for the US National U-17 Team is a PC commit for 2022-23.

-Quinnipiac will play host to a long-time national collegiate powerhouse, North Dakota, on October 22-23 at the People United Center.

-Junior goalie Strauss Mann (Greenwich/Brunswick School) is forgoing his last year at Michigan (Big 10) and going pro to a yet unnamed team.

That makes 69 players from Division I to sign North American pro deals and a total of 74 players Division I and III to sign.

-Scott Morrow (Darien) de-commits from North Dakota (NCHC) and graduates from the Shattuck’s St. Mary’s Sabres (MNPREP) and will be at the newly crowned national champions UMASS-Amherst (HE) in the fall.

The right-handed shot is expecting to go in the first two rounds of this summer’s NHL Draft.

-Three more college transfers, two school transfers in Griffin Loughran from Northern Michigan (WCHA) to Michigan St. (Big 10) and Trevor Zins from St. Cloud St. (NCHC) to the brand-new Division I program, St. Thomas (MN) University (CCHA).

Then a grad transfer Sam Sternschein heads from Penn State (Big 10) to Boston College (HE).  He is the fourth grad transfer for the Eagles.

That makes 56 school transfers and 45 grad transfers.

-Bad news for the University Alabama-Huntsville, who fought off program elimination last year with the help of its most famous graduate, ex-Pack/CT Whale, goalie Cam Talbot had their conference application to the new CCHA conference turned down. So, now they are waiting to hear about their AHA conference application. In the meantime, the program is shutting down till they find out their conference status.

-Ex-Pack Marek Mazanec makes it official and switches Czech Republic teams leaving HK Hradec Kralove heads to HC Ocelari Trinec (Czech Republic-CEL).

-Former Sound Tiger David Ullstrom, who played for three Swiss League teams this year, EHC Biel/Bienne (NLA), HC La-Chaux-de-Fonds (LNB), and HC Davos (LNA), is close to returning to his native Sweden and signing with HV71 (Sweden-SHL).

-Another ex-Sound Tiger Jamie Fraser was talked out of retirement and signed another one-year deal with ESV Villacher SV (Austria-IceHL) and will again be the team captain.

-Ex-Sound Tiger Olivier Labelle switches teams in France from GHC Bordeaux in the French Elite Magnus League to HC Mulhouse next season.

-Ben Smith, (Avon/Westminster Prep) is going from Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL) to EHC Munich (Germany-DEL) next season.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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The post CANTLON: BRUINS BEAT PACK 6-3 WIN DIVISION TITLE first appeared on Howlings.

STORRS, CT – Alex Tuch’s goal 44 seconds into overtime gave the Boston University Terriers a 3-2 win Saturday at the Freitas Ice Forum and allowed the visitors to complete a late two-goal comeback in a well-played Hockey East contest.

The previously scheduled meeting between the two schools in December was canceled as a result of COVID-19 protocols. Friday’s game was unexpectedly postponed because they had just one active goalie and played Saturday’s game with only one goalie.

UCONN had a strong early rush in OT. Jonny Evans and Jachym Kondelik made the play with Evans on the right-wing. He tried a toe-drag shot that just missed to the far side.

The Terriers’ Luke Tuch then went up the right-wing boards with the puck.

Tuch put the puck on Logan Cockerill’s stick as he entered the UCONN zone and then shifted to the ice’s middle. Evans hustled back on the three-on-three. He swung his stick and knocked the puck off Cockerill’s stick, but it went right back to Tuch’s.

Tuch moved to the middle of the ice and snapped a wrister over UCONN netminder Tomas Vomacka’s right shoulder under the crossbar, giving BU the win.

REACTION

“We battled pretty hard tonight. They’re a good hockey team. We’re a good hockey team; shots were pretty even. Our penalty kill was very good. I’m still feeling good about the club.

“It was a good hockey game, and we were going toe-to-toe with them. They were missing some guys. We were missing some guys. Overall, it was a good effort,” UCONN Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh said.

UCONN lost their third straight contest and saw their record drop to 8-9-2. They remain in fourth place with a HEPI rating of 52.13. BU increases its conference record to 9-0-2. They stay put in the rankings with a rating of 58.44. It was the fourth straight OT game between the two schools.

“It wouldn’t surprise me if we saw them again in the playoffs. I would hope to. They’re a pretty good team, and it would mean we would be playing them in the semifinals. It was a good game, two teams that were physical, up and down, a good game for the fans to watch,” Cavanaugh commented.

GOALIE SHOW

Vomacka and BU’s Vincent Duplessis had quite the goaltending battle in the third period.

“I thought they both made some pretty good saves at different times. That’s what you’re going to get in this league.”

Cockerill outworked two Huskies, Kondelik and Jake Flynn, to keep the puck in. Cade Webber was at the left point for BU and reached back to snare a John Spetz clear up the wall and kept it in the UCONN end.

Cockerill was in the lower left-wing corner and sent a pass to Max Kaufman, who was down on one knee between the circles and one-timed a shot just under Vomacka’s left pad at 13:59 for his first of the season.

The action continued as UCONN pressed to get the game-winner.

The second period while scoreless, was not devoid of action.

Very early, the Huskies had to handle adversity.

MORE GREAT GOALTENDING

At 2:34, BU’s Nick Zabaneh was alone in the right-wing circle and took a Jamie Armstrong pass, then circled the net, and came out on the right side, but Vomacka made a tremendous save and kept the Terriers off the scoreboard.

Kale Howarth put the Huskies down a man when at 6’4, he hit and crushed Zabaneh, a smaller 5’10 BU forward. He knocked off his helmet, and his head hit the ice on the play.

For the second time this season, Howarth was hit with a major for roughing and game misconduct.

UCONN had a five-minute major penalty to kill off.

BU’s Jay O’Brien was stopped on the doorstep. Mastrosimone’s shot was tipped by Zabaneh, still in the game, followed by a pair of bang-bang saves on Tuch right on Vomacka’s front step.

Despite the major to Howarth, UCONN did not shy away from physical play. Spetz has two big hits, and Nick Capone delivered a bone-crunching hit in front of the penalty box area.

The Huskies came out of the chute quickly and scored the game’s first goal early.

BERGER PUTS THE MEAT ON THE BUN

Defenseman Carter Berger, who’s been close to scoring goals in the past few games, cut the blue line to get away from a checker and then launched his shot on the net. It was deflected off the stick of teammate Carter Turnbull for his ninth goal at 1:28.

Duplessis is the only goalie for the Terriers because Drew Commesso (COVID-19 protocols) and Ashton Abel (who fell of ice on ice on campus) were out injured.

Evans, the Huskies leading scorer, with 5:12 left, was denied on a scoring opportunity, but the home team could take advantage of some puck luck on their second goal.

On a delayed penalty Brian Rigali in the BU zone skated from the left side to the right and let a shot go that went off the back of Terriers 6’7 defenseman Webber’s right skate. Then it caromed off Duplessis extended right skate at 15:32 for the 2-0 UCONN lead.

The Terriers scored in the last minute of regulation when Kaufman, a University of Vermont transfer, found O’Brien alone coming down the middle of the ice. The Flyers first-round draft pick made a deke on his forehand and then slipped a backhander under the crossbar of a wide-open net at 19:09, shrinking the UCONN lead to 2-1.

NOTES:

BU had several CT connections, Kaufman (Kent School), Jamie Armstrong (Avon Old Farms/son of Arizona NHL GM Bill), and Jack DeBoer (Salisbury School/ and the son of Vegas Golden Knights head coach, Peter DeBoer).

Plus, several other NHL connections; Alex Vlasic is the cousin of NHL’er, Marc-Édouard Vlasic, of the San Jose Sharks. Luke Tuck is the younger brother of NHL’er Alex Tuck of the Vegas Golden Knights, and the last one is injured Ty Amonte, is the son of former NHL’er and one time NY Ranger, Tony Amonte.

BU’s unique goalie situation forced Friday’s game to be canceled, but Hockey East and  BU school administrators allowed a waiver for the teams to play Saturday.

“Thanks to Hockey East and the administrators for allowing us to play the one game,” BU coach Albie O’Connell commented after the game.

LINES:

Carter Turnbull-Jachym Kondelik-Jonny Evans
Kale Howarth-Cassidy Bowes- Nick Capone
Marc Gatcomb-Artem Shlaine- Ryan Tverberg
Zac Robbins-Brian Rigali-Eric Linnell

Yan Kuznetsov-Adam Karashik
Carter Berger-John Spetz
Ryan Wheeler-Jake Flynn
Harrison Rees

INJURED:

D Roman Kinal (knee)
Vladislav Firstov (lower-body injury)
Hudson Schandor (concussion)

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UCONN HOCKEY

The post CANTLON: (2/26) BU KNOCKS OFF UCONN IN OT first appeared on Howlings.

STORRS, CT – The UCONN Huskies will take on the 11th ranked Boston University Terriers in a home-and-home series this weekend as the final month of regular season play commences.

The Huskies head to BU for a match-up at the Walter Brown Arena and will then host the Terriers on Saturday in Storrs for a 4 PM face-off. The game will be televised in Connecticut on the CW20, with Randy Brochu and Bob Crawford calling the action.

“It’s gonna be a tremendous challenge for us. They have been playing some great hockey. They took two series from Boston College and UMASS, the two top teams in our league. They’ve been consistent. They started a little later and (even) without David Farrance, who hasn’t played in a while.

“He’s still their leading scorer, and he’s played only six games. He quarterbacks their power play, and he pushes the pace, and you have to account for him whenever he is on the ice,” UCONN Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh stated in his weekly media Zoom call.

“They’re certainly going to be a formidable opponent; we’re going have to be on top of our game this weekend for sure.”

CAVANAUGH HAS HISTORY AT BU

The Walter Brown Arena was BU’s home from 1971 until 2005 before the Terriers moved to the beautiful Agganis Arena that same year.

The building for Cavanaugh, who spent many years at it as a BC assistant, will provide some challenges for the Huskies.

“I was talking to the team about this today. I haven’t been there in a long time. It’s been 14 years since they moved there. It’s a lot like Merrimack. It’s a low roof (ceiling) building. Without fans, it’s going to be very different.

“Because it was a loud building with such a low roof with those fans that it always gave BU a tremendous advantage. The fans are right on top of you, and the glass, you know, the glass was always low. Games took forever when you played there because pucks were always going out of the rink there.

“I don’t know if they rectified that or not, but it was always a fun, electric building to play in, and the game happens pretty fast there.”

BU IS AN OFFENSIVE POWERHOUSE

A team with serious offensive depth will challenge the Huskies defense Yan Kuznetsov, Jake Flynn, Adam Karashik, Carter Berger, Harrison Rees, Ryan Wheeler, and John Spetz. BU has two players in double digits scoring after just ten games and several others knocking on the door.

BU is very hungry after missing the start of the season in the first semester because of COVID. They have had only ten games on their skate blades and have an 8-2 record. Since losing on opening night on January 7th, they haven’t lost in regulation since.

“The team is pretty deep, and that’s difficult to defend against. When you can’t just match up against their top line, they’re pretty much all equal (their lines) and can hurt you, and you have to play a more fundamentally sound hockey game, which will be the key for us to be successful this weekend.

They have excellent goaltending. They can roll four lines, and they’re a well-balanced team; not that many holes in their lineup. They’re a great team. That’s why they’ve been successful.”

INJURIES FORCE LINEUP CHANGES

The Huskies lineup will have a different look. Vladislav Firstov (lower-body injury) and Hudson Schandor (concussion) join Roman Kinal (knee) on the injured list.

“Vlad is out for the weekend, and Hudson is doubtful at this point. We’ll see Friday or Saturday,  but right now, it’s doubtful.” Cavanaugh said.

The Huskies will need secondary scoring, something missing the past few games as the offensive pilot light has gone out.  The slack will need to be picked up by Carter Turnbull, Marc Gatcomb, Nick Capone, and Berger.

“There are a lot of guys on our team capable of scoring. They have worked hard all year, now they’re gonna be given different opportunities, and I’m looking forward to seeing them making the most of this opportunity.

“After this call, we’re going to sit down (with staff) and finalize our lines. It’s not going to be a whole lot different. You’ll see many of the same combinations.”

OPPORTUNITIES

Now, with Firstov out, it will allow BU to concentrate their attention more closely on leading scorer Jonny Evans. Junior Jachym Kondelik has 16 assists this season and leads Hockey East, but the Huskies need him to get into the scoring column, which he has not been able to do thus far.

Freshman Artem Shlaine saw his season-long point streak snapped at seven games (goal and seven helpers over that span) in the 4-0 loss at Providence. Shlaine’s streak was the longest by a Husky this season. With Firstov out, there will be more pressure for the freshmen center.

“Against UMASS-Lowell, it was a tight-checking defensive game. We got chances, good chances, we just didn’t score, and that happens. I look at the (Boston Celtics) Seth Curry the other night. He was 3-for-17 (from the floor) but hit three big threes down the stretch. I listened to him, and he said the game of basketball will humble you sometimes, but you have to keep working at it.

“That’s how we have to be with our offense. Hockey will humble you, and we have to keep getting bodies and pucks to the net, and the blue paint (area) and good things will happen.

“We did get away from that against Providence. We had the puck more than they did, but we had possession and no penetration, and that’s no recipe for success,” Shlaine said.

WHERE THEY STAND

The Huskies are coming off a pair of losses last week. Their three-game winning streak came to a sudden end with a 3-2 overtime loss at UMASS-Lowell. They then got shut out for the first time this season, falling 4-0 at No. 16 Providence.

With the pair of losses, the Huskies fell out of the Top-20 rankings after making the program’s debut on February 8th at No. 20 in the USCHO.com Top-20 and No. 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Top-15.

The Huskies and Friars split their first two games this season, with each team earning a home shutout. UConn and PC were scheduled for a game in Storrs last Saturday, but it was canceled due to COVID-19 protocols with the Friars. It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that the game will be rescheduled with the season coming to an end.

Junior goaltender Tomas Vomacka continues his streak of having played every minute for the Huskies, as well as the most minutes by any Hockey East goaltender this season. He’s made 515 saves, also the most by any goalie in the league. He ranks fourth in save percentage at .916 percentage, and his 2.58 goals-against-average is fourth among league leaders.

CAVANAUGH AND PLAYOFFS

The national post-season landscape got a bit clearer this week, with the NCAA announcing the criteria in how they will conduct their selection process. There will be the absence of the Pairwise system being used since 1996-97 will be implemented.

“I don’t think they had any other choice,” commented Cavanaugh. ”It’s so hard because the Big 10 hasn’t played any non-conference games (but did admit Arizona State to play their regular season, but not in any post-season play). We have played a non-conference schedule, so the Pairwise has to be thrown out the window.

“Without out-of-conference play, it’s a useless statistic, so from that standpoint, I understand it. It’s going to go back to the 80s, where guys get in a room. It’s gonna be old school. They’ll decide who goes and who doesn’t go.

“For a long time, it’s been pretty statistical, pretty cut and dried than in making arbitrary decisions, and unfortunately this year that is going to be the case.

“It’s going to be really important for the (various) league commissioners to advocate for the teams in their leagues. It’s going to be an integral part of it.”

MORE CAVANAUGH

Given a choice, Cavanaugh comes down on the side of supporting the Pairwise system as the final barometer for the NCAA Regionals.

“I think the Pairwise is a very good option because it’s transparent. You know where you stand. You know what you have to do. It’s pretty fair, and for the most part, it’s an accurate representation of the teams that should be going.

“If you’re the team that is 16, 17, or 18, ya’ gotta work to get in the 12th or 13th spot where it isn’t an issue. I’ve liked it, but this year is going to be different. But everything this year has been different.”

When asked if he is on the committee, Cavanaugh quickly responded with a laugh and said, “Thank God I’m not!”

UCONN HOCKEY

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STORRS, CT – Good news continues for the UCONN Men’s hockey program these days.

For the first time in the program’s history, the UCONN men’s hockey team has cracked the Top 20 in the national polls. The Huskies debut in the USCHO.com Top-20 poll at No. 20 and came in tied for No. 15 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Top-15 ranking. The two polls were released on Monday.

UCONN has won three straight games and come off a complete 60-minute effort in a 4-1 road win at Northeastern on Friday night. Northeastern was then ranked 14th in the nation.

The Huskies are right back in action Tuesday when they head to the Tsongas Center for a 5 PM match-up with the UMASS-Lowell River Hawks. NESN will televise the contest. It can be heard on the UConn Sports Network flagship station, ESPN 97.9 FM, with Bob Joyce describing the action.

HUSKIES VS. HAWKS BY THE NUMBERS

The Huskies and Riverhawks have already met once this season. The teams went head-to-head on December 21 at the Freitas Ice Forum in Storrs. UMASS-Lowell eeked out a 2-1 win on a Zach Kaiser goal with just 2:50 left in the third period.

In the win at Northeastern, four different UCONN lit the red light, and the Huskies held a 42-25 shot advantage.  In the all-time series between the two schools, UCONN lost their first ten meetings with Northeastern but have rebounded since. With Friday’s win, UCONN has now won five-of-the-last-seven match-ups.

VOMACKA DOMINATING

Another beneficiary of Friday’s win is UConn junior goaltender Tomas Vomacka. On the strength of Friday’s win, Vomacka won his third Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week.  After allowing only a first-period power play goal to get the better of him, Vomacka made 24 straight saves to keep Northeastern off the scoreboard and record his eighth win on the season.

Thus far, Vomacka has been in net for every minute of the Huskies’ play (972:37). It’s the most minutes by any Hockey East goaltender this season. Vomacka has made 458 saves, the most by any goalie in Hockey East, and he ranks third in save percentage at .918 behind Boston College’s Spencer Knight (Darien/Avon Old Farms) and Providence College’s Jaxon Stauber, who is the son of former New Haven Nighthawk and Hartford Wolf Pack goalie, Robb Stauber.

Vomacka’s 2.53 goals-against-average ranks him fifth among Hockey East goalies.  Vomacka was named to the 2021 Mike Richter Award Watch List last week. The Mike Richter Award is given annually to the top goalie in Men’s NCAA Division-I hockey since 2014.

EVANS ROCKS

Also, coming out of Friday’s win, junior Jonny Evans continued his red-hot play, picking-up his team and Hockey East-leading 12th goal of the season and his second game-winner.  His 12 goals have him tied for second-highest in college hockey, trailing only Cole Caufield of the University of Wisconsin Badgers (Big 10), who has 14; however, Caufield has played two more games than Evans.

Last week it was announced that Evans was named a candidate, along with fifty other Division-I college players, for the 2021 Hobey Baker Award, given annually to college hockey’s top player.

Evans has a pair of Hockey East Player of the Week awards to his credit so far this year. His 21 points (12 goals and nine assists) are tied for tops in the league with Bobby Trivigno of UMASS-Amherst. They’re in a six-way tie nationally for 11th place in scoring. His 12 goals lead the conference, and it has him tied for second nationally with Sampo Ranta University Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big 10).

Freshman Artem Shlaine extended his season-high Huskies point streak to six-straight games (a goal and six assists) after scoring his first collegiate goal on a breakaway in Friday’s win at Northeastern.

Junior Jachym Kondelik collected two more assists in the Northeastern win and now has 16 assists on the year. He leads Hockey East in assists and is tied nationally for third.

SPETZ & OTHERS COMING INTO THEIR OWN

Rookie defenseman John Spetz was the runner-up for Hockey East Rookie of the Month in January. Spetz had seven points in January on two goals and five assists.  He also had 24 blocked shots during the month, and his 38 total blocked shots lead Hockey East.

The UConn power play has a goal in six of the last eight games (12 for-33 / 36.4%). They are sixth overall in Hockey East at 19.4%.  Junior Carter Turnbull is second in Hockey East with four power play goals and tied for fifth in power play points with seven.

Incoming UCONN Husky commit, Nate Hanley, was traded. He goes from the Youngstown (OH) Phantoms (USHL) to the Green Bay (WI) Gamblers (USHL) who are coached by former Beast of New Haven, Pat Miskech.

Former UCONN Husky captain, Miles Gendron, signs a PTO deal contract with the AHL Colorado Eagles. He is expected to be in their line-up for their regular season opener on the road against the San Diego Gulls on Friday.

Gendron has been skating with the ECHL Utah Grizzlies and has four goals and nine points in 13 games.

UCONN HOCKEY

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BOSTON, MA – Friday night, UCONN played a complete and robust game in all three zones holding an advantage in both shots and faceoff wins, leading them to a 4-1 win over the 14th-ranked Northeastern University at the Matthews Arena in downtown Boston.

“I think that was a complete game against a very good team,” UCONN Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh stated. “We had a good second period and finished it off in the third. We had four lines rolling, and everybody contributed.”

The Huskies record improves to 8-6-2 in Hockey East. They’re gaining momentum and remain hot at 5-1-1 in their last seven games and move into third place in Hockey East, inching ahead of the idle Providence College Friars.

SECOND PERIOD UPRISING

In the second period, UCONN outshot Northeastern 12-6, and they dominated at the face-off dot. In two key situations, they scored on both.

UCONN took advantage of a bad Northeastern (6-5-2) pass from New York Rangers draft pick Riley Hughes late in his shift. UCONN’s Vladislav Firstov got a loose biscuit and sent a pass to Artem Schlaine, who had just jumped on the ice. The pass put Schlaine all alone for a breakaway.

Schlaine’s patience allowed him to beat goaltender Connor Murphy through the five-hole giving him his first collegiate goal. He also extended his point-scoring streak to a season and team-high of six games.

“There’s a direct correlation to scoring goals and playing well,” Schlaine said. “Everyone knows their role, and it took me some time to get used to it. I’m still getting used to it,

“I just hopped on the ice. I was on the red line already, and I got a bit lucky, thanks to him.”

Schlaine helped UCONN build to a 42-25 shot advantage to that point in the game, leaving their head coach with a Cheshire Cat-like grin.

“It’s big for (his confidence). He’s halfway through his freshmen year. He has had a lot of chances to score. I told him to stick with it. They’ll go in for you.

“Vlad made a great pass to spring him for that breakaway. That’s a goalscorer’s goal, going five-hole like that. I hope this is a springboard for him for many more goals to come.”

EVANS DOES IT AGAIN

Zac Robbins hustled to get back and prevented Northeastern from getting an odd-man rush. On the next shift, UCONN’s red-hot Jonny Evans scored again for his team-leading and conference-best 12th goal of the season. His goal would prove to be the eventual game-winner.

Center Jachym Kondelik took a John Spetz pass and entered the NU zone. He spotted Evans jumping into an open seam on the left-wing side and then cut across to the right-wing past NU defenseman Michael Kesselring.

Evans waited until the last possible second when Murphy dropped to one knee, and Evans went through the wickets for a 3-1 UCONN lead. Evans shares the conference scoring lead with Bobby Trivgno of UMASS-Amherst.

“That was a very big backcheck for us, and Jachym and Jonny were at the tail end of their shift there,” Cavanaugh said. “Jachym pulled up and found Jonny, and he made a real good play going through a guy and made a play going five-hole.”

UCONN goaltender, Tomas Vomacka, came up with a big save at the last second of the period on a shot from Ty Jackson, who was alone at the right post. He got a piece of it as his lateral skills paid big dividends for UCONN.

THIRD PERIOD

In the third frame, UCONN continued to win draws and maintain puck possession. They made Northeastern chase them, and it paid off when UCONN scored a timely goal to expand their lead to two goals.

‘I give credit to Will Moran, who works with our guys on face-offs with our centers and studies face-offs. We had a pretty good game plan going in, and the players executed it. It’s important when you’re winning face-offs. You’re not chasing the game.”

Schlaine confirmed that practice had made a difference.

“We work on face-offs every practice, and we watch videos of the other teams’ face-offs. Going into a game is about preparation. We work all week long to prepare for our opponent.

Wheeler, a defenseman, was open and took a pass from Ryan Tverberg, a second-semester addition, in the slot and skated in from twenty-feet out. The shot went over Murphy’s left shoulder, off the post, and in. He had kept Northeastern in the game. For Wheeler, it was his second goal of the year and came at 5:52.

“Going into the third, some teams with a 3-1 lead might just want to chip it in and back off. We just keep coming, and that’s why we have been successful.”

POWERFUL POWER PLAY

Before the game, Cavanaugh was worried about the Northeastern conference-best power play.

It took all of ten seconds to get a 1-0 lead.

Northeastern won the draw cleanly. Zach Solow took it away from Adam Karashik and sent it to Jordan Harris, who put a perfect pass/shot on the net. Solow, Northeastern’s leading scorer, put his stick down on the ice and redirected his seventh goal of the season past Vomacka at 10:01.

Harris, a Montreal Canadien draftee and prospect, had great poise at the point. With 3:13 left, while back-skating from a check on Jake Flynn, he snapped a wrister off his back foot in an attempt to get a second goal, but Vomacka made the save on his low shot.

UCONN LINES

Vladislav Firstov–Jachym Kondelik-Jonny Evans
Marc Gatcob-Artem Schlaine-Carter Turnbull
Kale Howarth-Hudson Schandor-Ryan Tverberg
Zac Robbins-Brian Rigali-Nick Capone

Yan Kuznetsov-Adam Karashik
Carter Berger-John Spetz
Ryan Wheeler-Jake Flynn
Harrison Rees

Tomas Vomacka

GAME NOTES

UCONN doubled up Northeastern, outshooting them 42-25, and in winning face-offs 39-22.

Kondelik had two more assists and leads Hockey East with 16.

In other Friday night Hockey East action, Boston College’s Drew Helleson’s dramatic end-to-end rush led to a highlight-reel goal coming with one-tenth of a second left (4:59.9) in OT. It gave the Eagles a 4-3 OT win over their traditional longtime rival.

The University of New Hampshire knocked off UMASS-Lowell, 2-1. UMASS-Lowell lost to UCONN on Tuesday at Tsongas Arena.

UCONN could crack the nation’s Top 20 poll rankings on Monday.

Lindenwood University (Lake Charles, MO), just outside of St. Louis, and their Division-1 ACHA club team will make the jump to  NCAA Division-1, as Arizona State also did, going from a club program to D-1 for 2022-23 season. The current head coach is former NHL defenseman Rick Zombo.

OTHER COLLEGE HOCKEY NEWS

Daniel Bäckström of Westfield State (MASCAC) signs with Kallinge/ Ronneby IF (Sweden HockeyEttan Division-1).

Verners Egle goes from AIC (AHA) to Liepaja (Latvia-LHL), making 85 college players signing in Europe. 348 total college players from Division-I and D-III to sign in Europe and North America.

Big college hockey meeting Friday and Saturday night as the 11th ranked Wisconsin Badgers travel to Minnesota to play the second-ranked Golden Gophers on Fox Sports North at 9 PM Eastern.

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