2022–23 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season

The 2022–23 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season was the 91st season of play for the program, the 30th at the Division I level, and 29th in Hockey East. The Minutemen represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season were coached by Greg Carvel in his 7th season, and played their home games at Mullins Center.

2022–23 UMass Minutemen
ice hockey season
Conference9th Hockey East
Home iceMullins Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall13–17–5
Conference7–14–3
Home7–6–3
Road4–9–1
Neutral2–2–1
Coaches and captains
Head coachGreg Carvel
Assistant coachesTom Upton
Nolan Gluchowski
Jacob Pritchard
Captain(s)Eric Faith
Alternate captain(s)Jerry Harding
Reed Lebster
UMass Minutemen ice hockey seasons
« 2021–22 2023–24 »

Season

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In the offseason, Garrett Wait suffered a potentially career-ending knee injury during a workout. He was medically disqualified from playing during the 2022–23 season.[1] Beside Wait, the Minumemen would have to deal with the loss of several key players as their leaders on offense (Bobby Trivigno), defense (Matthew Kessel) and in goal (Matt Murray) all had to be replaced. Coach Carvel brought in a talent-laden recruiting class to do just that with 4 freshmen who were already NHL draft picks as well as two drafted transfers. UMass was ranked highly entering the season, making the top 10 in both polls and was picked to finish 3rd in Hockey East.[2]

Early on, everything looked to be going well for the Minutemen. After an iffy start, the team swept the defending national champions, Denver, and were undefeated through their first 6 games. An overtime loss to Merrimack dented their record slightly but by the beginning of November, UMass was in the top-5 and seemingly well on their way to another NCAA tournament. Unfortunately, once the team got into conference play, the defense began to falter. Massachusetts was unable to provide its netminders with much support, allowing more than 34 shots against per game. The increased opportunities turned into goals and, despite having a nearly identical save percentage, the Minutemen allowed 15 more goals against in 2 fewer games. While those numbers weren't disastrous by themselves, the team had also declined on the offensive side. None of the team's players were able to make up for the loss of its top three forwards and just one player was able to get into double-digit goal totals. The team scored 23 fewer goals than the year before, putting them at a -38 goal differential.

Despite the trouble, UMass recovered during the holidays and held a winning record in early January. At the Frozen Fenway, the team began a 6-game losing streak and dropped out of the polls for the first time in years. They were able to recover to finish out the final 8 games at a .500 clip. The Minutemen had done so poorly in their conference games that the team finished 9th in the standings and were forced to start in the first round. They faced Boston College in a battle between two disappointing teams. UMass hardly put up a fight, getting outshot 18–42 and ending its season with a 2–5 loss.

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Matt Baker Forward   Canada Graduation (signed with Adirondack Thunder)
Anthony Del Gaizo Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Slava Demin Defenseman   United States Graduate transfer to Merrimack
Cam Donaldson Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Ty Farmer Defenseman   United States Graduate transfer to North Dakota
Colin Felix Defenseman   United States Graduation (signed with Lehigh Valley Phantoms)
Matthew Kessel Defenseman   United States Signed professional contract (St. Louis Blues)
Josh Lopina Forward   United States Signed professional contract (Anaheim Ducks)
Oliver MacDonald Forward   United States Transferred to Western Michigan
Matt Murray Goaltender   Canada Graduation (signed with Texas Stars)
Bobby Trivigno Forward   United States Graduation (signed with New York Rangers)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Mikey Adamson Defenseman   United States 21 Quincy, MA
Harrison Ballard Forward   United States 18 Scottsdale, AZ
Cole Brady Goaltender   Canada 21 Pickering, ON; transfer from Arizona State; selected 127th overall in 2019
Michael Cameron Forward   United States 20 Berwyn, PA
Kenny Connors Forward   United States 19 Glen Mills, PA; selected 103rd overall in 2022
Tyson Dyck Forward   Canada 18 Abbotsford, BC; selected 206th overall in 2022
Noah Ellis Defenseman   United States 20 Urbandale, IA; selected 184th overall in 2020
Matt Koopman Forward   United States 24 Marblehead, MA; graduate transfer from Providence
Elliott McDermott Defenseman   Canada 23 Kingston, ON; transfer from Colgate
Owen Murray Defenseman   Canada 19 Decker, MB
Joshua Nodler Forward   United States 21 Oak Park, MI; transfer from Michigan State; selected 150th overall in 2019
Kennedy O'Connor Defenseman   United States 21 Springfield, MA
Cole O'Hara Forward   Canada 20 Richmond Hill, ON; selected 114th overall in 2022

Roster

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As of August 6, 2022.[3]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Luke Pavicich Sophomore G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-03-21 Clarence Center, New York Kenai River (NAHL)
3   Mikey Adamson Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2001-08-16 Quincy, Massachusetts Sioux City (USHL)
4   Kennedy O'Connor Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2001-05-10 Springfield, Massachusetts Omaha (USHL)
5   Linden Alger Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-09 Centerville, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL)
6   Ryan Ufko Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2003-05-07 Smithtown, New York Chicago (USHL) NSH, 115th overall 2021
7   Cal Kiefiuk Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-28 Macomb, Michigan Central Illinois (USHL)
9   Matt Koopman Graduate F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-05-01 Marblehead, Massachusetts Providence (HEA)
10   Cole O'Hara Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 2002-06-20 Richmond Hill, Ontario Tri-City (USHL) NSH, 114th overall 2022
11   Lucas Mercuri Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-03-07 Montreal, Quebec Des Moines (USHL) CAR, 159th overall 2020
12   Garrett Wait Graduate F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-06-13 Edina, Minnesota Minnesota (Big Ten)
13   Reed Lebster (A) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1999-03-04 Grand Rapids, Michigan Des Moines (USHL)
14   Ryan Lautenbach Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-02-27 Brighton, Michigan Omaha (USHL)
17   Kenny Connors Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-03-10 Glen Mills, Pennsylvania Dubuque (USHL) LAK, 103rd overall 2022
18   Taylor Makar Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-03-13 Calgary, Alberta Brooks (AJHL) COL, 220th overall 2021
19   Ryan Sullivan Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-03-07 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL)
20   Josh Nodler Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-04-27 Oak Park, Michigan Michigan State (Big Ten) CGY, 150th overall 2019
21   Noah Ellis Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-02-01 Urbandale, Iowa Muskegon (USHL) VGK, 184th overall 2020
22   Jerry Harding (A) Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-03-22 Canton, Massachusetts Providence (HEA)
23   Scott Morrow Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 2002-11-01 Darien, Connecticut Shattuck-St. Mary's (Midget AAA) CAR, 40th overall 2021
24   Elliott McDermott Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1999-02-03 Kingston, Ontario Colgate (ECAC)
25   Aaron Bohlinger Junior D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-08-25 Walden, New York Waterloo (USHL)
26   Owen Murray Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2002-12-01 Decker, Manitoba Green Bay (USHL)
27   Michael Cameron Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-07-24 Berwyn, Pennsylvania Omaha (USHL)
28   Eric Faith (C) Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-18 Carp, Ontario Brockville (CCHL)
29   Eric DeDobbelaer Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-06-15 Brantford, Ontario Brantford (OJHL)
32   Henry Graham Junior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2000-07-25 Manhattan, New York P. A. L. (NCDC)
34   Cole Brady Junior G 6' 5" (1.96 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2001-02-12 Pickering, Ontario Arizona State (NCAA) NJD, 127th overall 2019
40   Tyson Dyck Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 2004-02-06 Abbotsford, British Columbia Cranbrook (BCHL) OTT, 206th overall 2022

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 Boston University †* 24 18 6 0 2 2 0 54 99 62 40 29 11 0 154 106
#14 Merrimack 24 16 8 0 2 4 0 50 72 52 38 23 14 1 106 89
#16 Northeastern 24 14 7 3 0 2 2 49 78 45 35 17 13 5 107 82
Connecticut 24 13 9 2 4 2 2 41 78 71 35 20 12 3 113 96
Massachusetts Lowell 24 11 10 3 2 2 3 39 56 54 36 18 15 3 89 82
Maine 24 9 11 4 1 1 1 32 62 65 36 15 16 5 92 94
Providence 24 9 9 6 3 0 2 32 64 60 37 16 14 7 103 87
Boston College 24 8 11 5 0 0 1 30 70 73 36 14 16 6 104 104
Massachusetts 24 7 14 3 1 3 2 28 55 80 35 13 17 5 94 103
New Hampshire 24 6 15 3 2 2 2 23 44 76 35 11 20 3 74 105
Vermont 24 5 16 3 2 1 1 18 36 76 36 11 20 5 69 103
Championship: March 18, 2023
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Exhibition
October 1 7:00 PM Sacred Heart* #10 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts (Exhibition)   Graham L 2–3   
Regular Season
October 8 7:05 PM at American International* #13 MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts FloHockey Pavicich T 2–2 OT 1,144 0–0–1
October 14 7:00 PM #1 Denver* #13 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich W 4–2  7,297 1–0–1
October 15 7:30 PM #1 Denver* #13 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich W 3−0  6,315 2−0−1
October 21 7:00 PM Union* #6 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich W 7–1  3,721 3–0–1
October 22 7:00 PM Union* #6 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Brady W 7–0  3,737 4–0–1
October 28 7:00 PM Merrimack #5 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich W 3–2 OT 3,150 5–0–1 (1–0–0)
October 29 7:00 PM at Merrimack #5 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, Massachusetts ESPN+ Brady L 1–2 OT 2,533 5–1–1 (1–1–0)
November 4 7:00 PM at #14 Providence #5 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN, ESPN+ Pavicich L 4–7  2,981 5–2–1 (1–2–0)
November 5 7:00 PM #14 Providence #5 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich L 3–4 OT 4,790 5–3–1 (1–3–0)
November 11 7:00 PM #14 Boston University #11 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts NESN, ESPN+ Pavicich L 2–7  5,197 5–4–1 (1–4–0)
November 12 7:00 PM at #14 Boston University #11 Agganis ArenaBoston, Massachusetts ESPN+ Brady L 1–5  4,869 5–5–1 (1–5–0)
November 18 7:00 PM at New Hampshire #16 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire NESN, ESPN+ Pavicich W 4–2  4,506 6–5–1 (2–5–0)
Friendship Four
November 25 2:00 PM vs. #14 Massachusetts Lowell* #17 SSE Arena BelfastBelfast, Northern Ireland (Friendship Four Semifinal)   Pavicich W 2–1  5,487 7–5–1
November 26 2:00 PM vs. #4 Quinnipiac* #17 SSE Arena BelfastBelfast, Northern Ireland (Friendship Four Championship)   Pavicich T 2–2 SOL 5,893 7–5–2
December 3 7:00 PM #16 Massachusetts Lowell #15 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts NESN+, ESPN+ Pavicich T 1–1 SOL 5,579 7–5–3 (2–5–1)
December 7 7:00 PM #11 Merrimack #13 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich L 1–2  2,797 7–6–3 (2–6–1)
Holiday Face–Off
December 28 5:00 PM vs. Clarkson* #15 Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Semifinal) BSW+ Pavicich L 3–6  - 7–7–3
December 29 5:00 PM vs. Lake Superior State* #15 Fiserv ForumMilwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Consolation) BSW+ Graham W 4–1  - 8–7–3
Regular Season
January 3 7:00 PM Brown* #15 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich W 3–0  2,070 9–7–3
January 7 6:00 PM vs. Boston College* #15 Fenway ParkBoston, Massachusetts (Frozen Fenway) NESN, ESPN+ Pavicich L 2–4  22,500 9–8–3
January 11 7:00 PM at #7 Boston University #19 Agganis ArenaBoston, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich L 2–6  2,721 9–9–3 (2–7–1)
January 15 3:00 PM New Hampshire #19 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts NESN, ESPN+ Graham L 1–3  4,246 9–10–3 (2–8–1)
January 20 7:00 PM #13 Connecticut Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts NESN+, ESPN+ Graham L 3–4 OT 3,411 9–11–3 (2–9–1)
January 21 4:30 PM at #13 Connecticut Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, Connecticut ESPN+ Pavicich L 1–3  2,691 9–12–3 (2–10–1)
January 27 7:15 PM at #18 Massachusetts Lowell Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN+, ESPN+ Pavicich L 0–1  6,339 9–13–3 (2–11–1)
February 3 7:00 PM at Providence Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN+, ESPN+ Pavicich W 3–2  3,236 10–13–3 (3–11–1)
February 10 7:00 PM Vermont Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Graham T 4–4 SOW 4,314 10–13–4 (3–11–2)
February 11 7:00 PM Vermont Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts NESN, ESPN+ Pavicich T 3–3 SOW 4,320 10–13–5 (3–11–3)
February 17 7:00 PM at Boston College Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts ESPN+ Pavicich L 3–7  5,328 10–14–5 (3–12–3)
February 18 7:00 PM Boston College Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Brady L 1–3  5,278 10–15–5 (3–13–3)
February 24 7:00 PM #15 Northeastern Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts ESPN+ Brady W 3–2  4,638 11–15–5 (4–13–3)
February 25 7:30 PM at #15 Northeastern Matthews ArenaBoston, Massachusetts ESPN+ Brady L 0–4  4,407 11–16–5 (4–14–3)
March 3 7:00 PM at Maine Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine ESPN+ Brady W 5–2  4,272 12–16–5 (5–14–3)
March 4 7:00 PM at Maine Alfond ArenaOrono, Maine ESPN+ Brady W 4–3  5,043 13–16–5 (6–14–3)
Hockey East Tournament
March 8 7:00 PM at Boston College* Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts NESN+, ESPN+ Brady L 2–5  1,376 13–17–5
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Scott Morrow D 35 9 22 31 16
Kenny Connors C 32 9 17 26 8
Ryan Ufko D 32 8 16 24 25
Reed Lebster RW 30 8 14 22 6
Cal Kiefiuk F 31 7 14 21 29
Cole O'Hara RW 32 4 13 17 14
Ryan Lautenbach RW 33 4 10 14 20
Lucas Mercuri C 35 3 11 14 33
Taylor Makar C/LW 32 10 2 12 54
Michael Cameron C 31 9 3 12 0
Tyson Dyck C 28 5 4 9 8
Matt Koopman C 35 5 4 9 0
Aaron Bohlinger D 25 2 7 9 8
Eric Faith LW 33 1 6 7 16
Jerry Harding F 32 1 5 6 8
Josh Nodler C/RW 27 2 3 5 8
Ryan Sullivan F 32 2 1 3 8
Owen Murray D 21 1 2 3 12
Elliott McDermott D 35 1 2 3 10
Mikey Adamson D 11 1 1 2 4
Noah Ellis D 23 1 1 2 6
Kennedy O'Connor D 21 0 2 2 2
Linden Alger D 11 1 0 1 6
Cole Brady G 12 0 1 1 2
Eric DeDobbelaer C/RW 2 0 0 0 0
Henry Graham G 8 0 0 0 0
Luke Pavicich G 23 0 0 0 0
Total 94 161 255 393

[5]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Henry Graham 11 256:16 1 2 1 10 117 0 .921 2.34
Luke Pavicich 24 1265:40 8 10 4 58 671 2 .920 2.75
Cole Brady 17 600:06 4 5 0 31 303 1 .907 3.10
Empty Net - 14:01 - - - 4 - - - -
Total 35 2122:02 13 17 3 103 1091 3 .914 2.89

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com 10 - 13 13 6 5 (2) 5 (1) 11 16 17 15 13 15 - 15 19 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR - NR
USA Today 10 10 13 14 6 5 (4) 5 10 15 17 15 12 15 15 15 17 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[6]

Players drafted into the NHL

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Round Pick Player NHL team
2 38 Michael Hrabal Arizona Coyotes
3 80 Aydar Suniev Calgary Flames
4 117 Larry Keenan Detroit Red Wings
7 215 Nicholas Vantassell Ottawa Senators

† incoming freshman [7]

References

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  1. ^ "Former Gopher Garrett Wait's career may be over after suffering serious off-season injury". The Rink Live. July 27, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
  2. ^ "NORTHEASTERN PICKED TO TOP HOCKEY EAST MEN'S LEAGUE". Hockey East. September 13, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2023.
  3. ^ "2022–23 Roster". UMass Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  4. ^ "2022-23 Hockey Schedule". UMass Minutemen. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "UMass (Amherst) 2022-2023 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  6. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  7. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2023 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved June 30, 2023.