2021–22 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season

The 2021–22 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season was the 90th season of play for the program. They represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2021–22 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season and for the 28th season in the Hockey East conference. The Minutemen were coached by Greg Carvel, in his sixth season, and played their home games at Mullins Center.

2021–22 UMass Minutemen
ice hockey season
Hockey East Tournament, Champion
NCAA Tournament, Northeast Regional semifinal
ConferenceT–2nd Hockey East
Home iceMullins Center
Rankings
USCHO#10
USA Today#10
Record
Overall22–13–2
Conference14–8–2
Home11–8–0
Road9–4–2
Neutral2–1–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachGreg Carvel
Assistant coachesJared DeMichiel
Matt Lindsay
Nolan Gluchowski
Captain(s)Bobby Trivigno
Alternate captain(s)Colin Felix
Matthew Kessel
UMass Minutemen ice hockey seasons
« 2020–21 2022–23 »

Season

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Fresh off of the program's first national championship, Massachusetts would have to overcome a sizable loss of talent if they wanted a repeat performance. While the team still possessed many returning players, including tournament MOP Bobby Trivigno, several players had left early for professional careers after outstanding seasons. While the team lost Filip Lindberg, Matt Murray had shared the starting role in net so the team was not without an experienced and proven goaltender. However, the losses were felt in the opening weekend when the Minutemen were swept by Minnesota State at home.

The team performed better over the succeeding month and won each of their next six games but then played poorly in the middle of November and saw their ranking sink down into the mid-teens. UMass suffered from Hockey East's poor performance in non-conference games. This meant that victories against their conference rivals, even ranked opponents, would not help their postseason hopes as much as it would in other years. For the remainder of the season, Massachusetts would hover around #10 in the national rankings as they weren't able to put together any extended winning streaks. Throughout the team's up and down play, Trivigno was the leading light offensively. Not only did he finish 16 points better than any other Minuteman but he ended up tied for third in the national scoring race.

Entering the final week of the regular season, UMass had a 5-point lead in the conference standings and needed just one point to guarantee itself a share of the Hockey East title. Instead, the Minutemen lost both games to Boston College by 1-goal margins while Northeastern swept its weekend finale to surge past Massachusetts. Aside from the stunning result, the losses forced UMass to play Providence in the quarterfinals. The Minutemen were badly outshot by the Friars in the match, 19–47, but Matt Murray stood tall and held the fort while the offense made the most of its sparse opportunities. They were again outshot in the semifinal, though that time only by 4, and managed to knock off Massachusetts Lowell behind Trivigno's second game-winner of the postseason.

Before the championship game, UMass knew they were mathematically guaranteed to receive a bid to the NCAA tournament but they weren't going to let that slow them down. Trivigno tied the game just past the midway point and, though he didn't net the winner, he assisted on the final goal that sealed their second consecutive Hockey East Championship.

Despite riding high after a conference victory, UMass could still only garner a #3 seed for the national tournament. This forced the team into an underdog role against one of the tournament favorites, Minnesota. The Minutemen got off to a decent start and then netted two quick goals in the later half of the first. The Gophers added their own before the period was out but UMass rebuilt its 2-goal advantage early in the second. After that, however, Minnesota slowly chipped away at Massachusetts' lead and ended up tying the game on the power play late in the third. Once overtime began, both teams looked to end things quickly. Unfortunately for the Minutemen, it was Ben Meyers, captain of the Gophers, who scored the final goal and ended the Minutemen's season.

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Gianfranco Cassaro Defenseman   Canada Transferred to RIT
Oliver Chau Forward   Canada Graduate transfer to Quinnipiac
Marc Del Gaizo Defenseman   United States Signed professional contract (Nashville Predators)
Jake Gaudet Forward   Canada Graduation (signed with Cleveland Monsters)
Carson Gicewicz Forward   United States Graduation (signed with Rockford IceHogs)
Zac Jones Defenseman   United States Signed professional contract (New York Rangers)
Philip Lagunov Forward   Canada Graduate transfer to Vermont
Filip Lindberg Goaltender   Finland Signed professional contract (Pittsburgh Penguins)
George Mika Forward   United States Graduation (retired)
Zac Steigmeyer Goaltender   United States Graduation (retired)
Kolby Vegara Defenseman   United States Left Program (retired)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Matt Baker Forward   Canada 24 Midhurst, ON; graduate transfer from Dartmouth
Eric DeDobbelaer Forward   Canada 21 Brantford, ON
Slava Demin Defenseman   United States 21 Cypress, CA; transfer from Denver; Selected 99th overall in 2018 NHL Entry Draft
Cam Donaldson Forward   United States 23 Pittsboro, NC; graduate transfer from Cornell
Ryan Lautenbach Forward   United States 21 Brighton, MI
Taylor Makar Forward   Canada 20 Calgary, AB; Selected 220th overall in 2021 NHL Entry Draft
Lucas Mercuri Forward   Canada 19 Montreal, QC; Selected 159th overall in 2020 NHL Entry Draft
Scott Morrow Defenseman   United States 18 Darien, CT; Selected 40th overall in 2021 NHL Entry Draft
Luke Pavicich Goaltender   United States 19 Clarence Center, NY
Ryan Ufko Defenseman   United States 18 Smithtown, NY; Selected 115th overall in 2021 NHL Entry Draft

Roster

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As of August 12, 2021.[1]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1   Luke Pavicich Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 174 lb (79 kg) 2002-03-21 Clarence Center, New York Kenai River (NAHL)
3   Ty Farmer Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-01-06 O'Fallon, Missouri Fargo (USHL)
4   Matthew Kessel (A) Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2000-06-23 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL) STL, 150th overall 2020
5   Linden Alger Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-09 Centerville, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL)
6   Ryan Ufko Freshman 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 Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-28 Macomb, Michigan Central Illinois (USHL)
8   Bobby Trivigno (C) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 162 lb (73 kg) 1999-01-19 Setauket, New York Waterloo (USHL)
9   Cam Donaldson Graduate F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 1998-07-14 Pittsboro, North Carolina Cornell (ECAC)
10   Josh Lopina Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2001-02-16 Minooka, Illinois Lincoln (USHL) ANA, 98th overall 2021
11   Lucas Mercuri Freshman 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 Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-06-13 Edina, Minnesota Minnesota (Big Ten)
13   Reed Lebster Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1999-03-04 Grand Rapids, Michigan Des Moines (USHL)
14   Ryan Lautenbach Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-27 Brighton, Michigan Omaha (USHL)
15   Oliver MacDonald Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-11-07 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Fargo (USHL)
17   Slava Demin Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 191 lb (87 kg) 2000-04-04 Cypress, California Denver (NCHC) VGK, 99th overall 2018
18   Taylor Makar Freshman F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-03-13 Calgary, Alberta Brooks (AJHL)
19   Ryan Sullivan Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-03-07 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL)
20   Matt Baker Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-02-21 Barrie, Ontario Dartmouth (ECAC)
22   Jerry Harding Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-03-22 Canton, Massachusetts Providence (HEA)
23   Scott Morrow Freshman 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
25   Aaron Bohlinger Sophomore D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-08-25 Walden, New York Waterloo (USHL)
26   Colin Felix (A) Senior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1999-01-07 Ocean City, New Jersey Madison (USHL)
27   Anthony Del Gaizo Senior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1998-01-31 Basking Ridge, New Jersey Muskegon (USHL)
28   Eric Faith Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-18 Carp, Ontario Brockville (CCHL)
29   Eric DeDobbelaer Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2000-06-15 Brantford, Ontario Brantford (OJHL)
31   Matt Murray Graduate G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1998-02-02 St. Albert, Alberta Fargo (USHL)
32   Henry Graham Sophomore G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2000-07-25 Manhattan, New York P. A. L. (NCDC)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SOW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#12 Northeastern 24 15 8 1 1 1 1 47 68 46 39 25 13 1 99 68
#10 Massachusetts * 24 14 8 2 2 3 1 46 77 54 37 22 13 2 117 88
#13 Massachusetts Lowell 24 15 8 1 1 0 1 46 62 48 35 21 11 3 102 74
#19 Connecticut 24 14 10 0 2 1 0 41 73 61 36 20 16 0 109 89
Boston University 24 13 8 3 3 2 0 41 69 58 35 19 13 3 107 89
Merrimack 24 13 11 0 1 3 0 41 70 70 35 19 15 1 109 99
#20 Providence 24 12 11 1 1 1 1 38 61 52 38 22 14 2 118 82
Boston College 24 9 12 3 0 1 1 32 67 77 38 15 18 5 114 123
New Hampshire 24 8 15 1 2 2 0 25 47 71 34 14 19 1 76 95
Vermont 24 6 16 2 3 1 2 20 41 72 35 8 25 2 59 101
Maine 24 5 17 2 2 3 1 19 54 80 33 7 22 4 74 111
Championship: March 19, 2022
† 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
Regular season
October 2 7:30 PM #5 Minnesota State* #1 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts   Murray L 0–2  8,412 0–1–0
October 3 4:00 PM #5 Minnesota State* #1 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray L 3–6  3,808 0–2–0
October 15 7:05 PM at American International* #9 MassMutual CenterSpringfield, Massachusetts   Murray W 5–1  1,306 1–2–0
October 16 7:00 PM American International* #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray W 4–2  4,664 2–2–0
October 23 7:00 PM Dartmouth* #9 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts (Exhibition)     L 2–3   
October 29 7:00 PM at Merrimack #12 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray W 5–4 OT 3,477 3–2–0 (1–0–0)
October 30 7:00 PM Merrimack #12 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray W 2–1  2,083 4–2–0 (2–0–0)
November 5 7:00 PM #7 Providence #12 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 1–0  4,485 5–2–0 (3–0–0)
November 6 7:00 PM #7 Providence #12 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island NESN+ Murray W 5–1  3,169 6–2–0 (4–0–0)
November 12 7:30 PM at Boston University #8 Agganis ArenaBoston, Massachusetts   Murray T 2–2 SOW 4,149 6–2–1 (4–0–1)
November 13 7:00 PM Boston University #8 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray L 3–4 OT 5,741 6–3–1 (4–1–1)
November 19 7:00 PM New Hampshire #8 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire NESN Murray W 3–0  4,363 7–3–1 (5–1–1)
November 20 7:00 PM at New Hampshire #8 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire   Murray L 1–2 OT 4,316 7–4–1 (5–2–1)
December 3 7:15 PM at #15 Massachusetts Lowell #14 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN Murray T 4–4 SOL 6,289 7–4–2 (5–2–2)
December 4 7:00 PM #15 Massachusetts Lowell #14 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray W 3–2  5,423 8–4–2 (6–2–2)
December 9 7:00 PM at Merrimack #12 J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts   Murray W 3–2  2,122 9–4–2 (7–2–2)
January 3 6:00 PM at Merrimack* #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray W 4–3 OT 529 10–4–2
January 8 5:00 PM at #6 Michigan* #10 Yost Ice ArenaAnn Arbor, Michigan BTN Murray L 1–4  5,800 10–5–2
January 9 4:00 PM at #6 Michigan* #10 Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan ESPNU Murray L 2–4  5,800 10–6–2
January 21 7:00 PM #12 Northeastern #14 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 3–2  3,542 11–6–2 (8–2–2)
January 22 7:30 PM at #12 Northeastern #14 Matthews ArenaBoston, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray W 6–0  0 12–6–2 (9–2–2)
January 25 7:00 PM Boston University #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Pavicich L 4–6  6,269 12–7–2 (9–3–2)
January 28 7:00 PM #17 Providence #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray L 1–2  4,493 12–8–2 (9–4–2)
January 30 1:05 PM at #14 Massachusetts Lowell #9 Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts   Murray W 4–3  3,745 13–8–2 (10–4–2)
February 4 7:00 PM Long Island* #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray W 6–3  3,274 14–8–2
February 5 7:00 PM Long Island* #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Pavicich W 3–1  3,410 15–8–2
February 11 7:00 PM Maine #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray L 2–3 OT 3,294 15–9–2 (10–5–2)
February 12 7:00 PM Maine #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 4–2  3,434 16–9–2 (11–5–2)
February 18 7:05 PM at #20 Connecticut #10 XL CenterHartford, Connecticut   Murray W 2–1  4,358 17–9–2 (12–5–2)
February 19 7:00 PM #20 Connecticut #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray L 2–4  5,036 17–10–2 (12–6–2)
February 25 7:00 PM at Vermont #10 Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, Vermont   Murray W 5–1  2,304 18–10–2 (13–6–2)
February 26 7:00 PM at Vermont #10 Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont   Murray W 8–2  2,380 19–10–2 (14–6–2)
March 4 7:00 PM at Boston College #9 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts NESN Murray L 1–2  5,524 19–11–2 (14–7–2)
March 5 4:30 PM Boston College #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray L 3–4  5,736 19–12–2 (14–8–2)
Hockey East Tournament
March 12 7:00 PM #20 Providence* #12 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal)   Murray W 4–2  2,422 20–12–2
March 18 7:30 PM vs. #13 Massachusetts Lowell* #11 TD GardenBoston, Massachusetts (Semifinal) NESN+ Murray W 3–1  13,106 21–12–2
March 19 7:00 PM vs. #19 Connecticut* #11 TD Garden • Boston, Massachusetts (Championship) NESN Murray W 2–1 OT 12,049 22–12–2
NCAA Tournament
March 25 6:00 PM vs. #5 Minnesota* #10 DCU CenterWorcester, Massachusetts (Northeast Regional semifinal) ESPNU Murray L 3–4 OT 6,002 22–13–2
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[2]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Bobby Trivigno LW 37 20 29 49 28
Scott Morrow D 37 13 20 33 10
Ryan Ufko D 37 5 26 31 12
Josh Lopina C 27 12 15 27 8
Garrett Wait LW 32 13 12 25 12
Reed Lebster RW 36 9 9 18 23
Cal Kiefiuk F 30 6 12 18 24
Anthony Del Gaizo F 36 7 10 17 12
Matthew Kessel D 37 6 11 17 22
Lucas Mercuri C 36 6 9 15 18
Aaron Bohlinger D 28 2 11 13 4
Ryan Lautenbach RW 31 3 7 10 2
Colin Felix D 36 2 8 10 30
Ty Farmer D 36 1 8 9 24
Eric Faith LW 32 2 4 6 6
Oliver MacDonald F 27 3 2 5 6
Ryan Sullivan F 33 2 2 4 4
Matt Baker C 19 1 2 3 6
Slava Demin D 22 1 2 3 4
Cam Donaldson C 27 1 2 3 4
Taylor Makar C/LW 17 1 0 1 12
Jerry Harding F 30 1 0 1 2
Henry Graham G 1 0 0 0 4
Luke Pavicich G 4 0 0 0 0
Linden Alger D 11 0 0 0 2
Matt Murray G 36 0 0 0 2
Total 117 201 318 277

[3]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Luke Pavicich 4 111 1 1 0 3 42 0 .933 1.62
Matt Murray 36 2128 21 12 2 82 910 3 .917 2.31
Empty Net - 14 - - - 3 - - - -
Total 37 2253 22 13 2 88 952 3 .915 2.34

Rankings

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Poll[4] 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 (Final)
USCHO.com 1 7 9 9 12 12 8 8 13 14 12 12 10 14 14 9 10 9 10 10 9 12 11 10 - 10
USA Today 1 6 9 9 10 12 9 8 13 14 12 12 9 14 12 8 9 9 9 10 9 12 12 9 10 10

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.[5]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Scott Morrow AHCA East First Team All-American [6]
Bobby Trivigno
Bobby Trivigno Hockey East Player of the Year [7]
Bobby Trivigno Hockey East Scoring Champion [7]
Massachusetts Charlie Holt Team Sportsmanship Award [7]
Bobby Trivigno William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player
Scott Morrow Hockey East First Team [8]
Bobby Trivigno
Matt Murray Hockey East Third Team [8]
Matthew Kessel
Ryan Ufko Hockey East Rookie Team [9]
Matt Murray Hockey East All-Tournament Team [10]
Colin Felix
Garrett Wait
Bobby Trivigno

Players drafted into the NHL

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Round Pick Player NHL team
4 103 Kenny Connors Los Angeles Kings
4 114 Cole O'Hara Nashville Predators
5 143 Cameron O'Neill Ottawa Senators
7 206 Tyson Dyck Ottawa Senators

† incoming freshman [11]

References

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  1. ^ "2020–21 Roster". UMass Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  2. ^ "Massachusetts 2021-22 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "UMass (Amherst) 2021-2022 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  4. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. ^ "Four players return to 2021-22 Division I men's All-American teams, led by three-time pick Dryden McKay". USCHO.com. April 8, 2022. Retrieved April 8, 2022.
  7. ^ a b c "Bobby Trivigno Named Hockey East Player of the Year". Hockey East. March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  8. ^ a b "Hockey East Names 2021-22 Men's All-Star Teams". Hockey East. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team". Hockey East. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  10. ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team". Hockey East. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  11. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2022 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 9, 2022.