2008 Woodie Awards
Hockey: Minutemen look to rebound after poor performance
Ryan Fleming, Collegian Staff
Issue date: 12/4/08 Section: Sports
Coming into Friday's game against Connecticut, the Massachusetts hockey team is coming fresh off one of its worst performances of the season.
In UMass' 4-3 loss to St. Lawrence last Friday, the Minutemen (6-6-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) seemed unable to generate offensive scoring chances, stop opposing attackers and made foolish penalties in the third period - to even further add to their sloppy play.
Because of the natural rivalry between the two schools, this game means much more than just simply a win and a loss.
"On their schedule, because we're a Hockey East team, it's one of the biggest games of the year," UMass coach Don Cahoon said. "Our guys can't get bogged down on that and they certainly need to be ready for it."
The Minutemen look to improve their non-conference record as they face UConn at the Mullins Center Friday night.
The Huskies (4-10, 3-5 Atlantic Hockey) are coming off a disappointing loss of their own, losing to Sacred Heart after maintaining a third-period lead.
UConn's leading scorer, freshman Marcello Ranallo, is tied for the team lead in points (12). The top six point leaders on the Huskies are all underclassmen.
Forwards Jason Krispel, Andrew Olson, Chris Ochoa and Michael Coppola have a combined 39 points between them.
With their youth and inexperience comes the lack of offensive firepower. UConn's opponents have manufactured over 100 shots than the Huskies leading to 17 more goals and 29 more assists.
UConn, unlike most of the opponents the Minutemen have faced, don't swap time between their two net minders. Junior Beau Erickson has seen most of the playing time in net, starting 12 of the Huskies 14 games. Though Erickson has struggled while posting a .887 save percentage, a 3.74 goals against average and a 3-9 record.
But freshman goaltender Brad McInnis could see increased playing time if the Huskies' fortunes don't improve. McInnis has only started two games, but has posted far better numbers than his goaltending partner.
McInnis sports an impressive .945 save percentage and a 1.86 goals against average, but in only two games played.
The Huskies are both weak on the penalty kill and the power play. UConn has only a 13 percent success rate with the man advantage and owns an 82 percent penalty kill rate, which UMass should be able to capitalize on.
Meanwhile, UMass coach Don Cahoon hopes that his top line of Alex Berry, Cory Quirk and James Marcou can propel the team offensively.
"Our biggest focus is on execution and doing the things that we're capable of doing," Cahoon said. "It's one thing to know and it's another thing to do it - we need to start doing it."
Ryan Fleming can be reached at rfleming@dailycollegian.com.
In UMass' 4-3 loss to St. Lawrence last Friday, the Minutemen (6-6-1, 4-4-1 Hockey East) seemed unable to generate offensive scoring chances, stop opposing attackers and made foolish penalties in the third period - to even further add to their sloppy play.
Because of the natural rivalry between the two schools, this game means much more than just simply a win and a loss.
"On their schedule, because we're a Hockey East team, it's one of the biggest games of the year," UMass coach Don Cahoon said. "Our guys can't get bogged down on that and they certainly need to be ready for it."
The Minutemen look to improve their non-conference record as they face UConn at the Mullins Center Friday night.
The Huskies (4-10, 3-5 Atlantic Hockey) are coming off a disappointing loss of their own, losing to Sacred Heart after maintaining a third-period lead.
UConn's leading scorer, freshman Marcello Ranallo, is tied for the team lead in points (12). The top six point leaders on the Huskies are all underclassmen.
Forwards Jason Krispel, Andrew Olson, Chris Ochoa and Michael Coppola have a combined 39 points between them.
With their youth and inexperience comes the lack of offensive firepower. UConn's opponents have manufactured over 100 shots than the Huskies leading to 17 more goals and 29 more assists.
UConn, unlike most of the opponents the Minutemen have faced, don't swap time between their two net minders. Junior Beau Erickson has seen most of the playing time in net, starting 12 of the Huskies 14 games. Though Erickson has struggled while posting a .887 save percentage, a 3.74 goals against average and a 3-9 record.
But freshman goaltender Brad McInnis could see increased playing time if the Huskies' fortunes don't improve. McInnis has only started two games, but has posted far better numbers than his goaltending partner.
McInnis sports an impressive .945 save percentage and a 1.86 goals against average, but in only two games played.
The Huskies are both weak on the penalty kill and the power play. UConn has only a 13 percent success rate with the man advantage and owns an 82 percent penalty kill rate, which UMass should be able to capitalize on.
Meanwhile, UMass coach Don Cahoon hopes that his top line of Alex Berry, Cory Quirk and James Marcou can propel the team offensively.
"Our biggest focus is on execution and doing the things that we're capable of doing," Cahoon said. "It's one thing to know and it's another thing to do it - we need to start doing it."
Ryan Fleming can be reached at rfleming@dailycollegian.com.
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