2020–21 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season

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2020–21 UMass Minutemen
ice hockey season
NCAA Division I National Champion
Hockey East tournament, Champion
2021 NCAA tournament, Champion
Conference3rd Hockey East
Home iceMullins Center
Rankings
USCHO1
USA Today1
Record
Overall20–5–4
Conference13–5–4–1–1–1
Home11–2–2
Road5–3–2
Neutral4–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachGreg Carvel
Assistant coachesBen Barr
Jared DeMichiel
Ryan Bliss
Nolan Gluchowski
Captain(s)Jake Gaudet
Alternate captain(s)Marc Del Gaizo
Bobby Trivigno
UMass Minutemen ice hockey seasons
« 2019–20 2021–22 »

The 2020–21 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season was the 89th season of play for the program, the 31st season competing at the Division I level, and the 27th season in the Hockey East conference. The Minutemen represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst and were coached by Greg Carvel, in his 5th season. UMass won the first national championship in program history.

Season[edit]

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Massachusetts' players would lose a season of play.[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.[2]

Regular season[edit]

Despite high hopes, UMass got off to a rocky start. After winning their opening weekend, the Minutemen were swept by Boston College in a battle of top-10 teams. While the Maroon offense scored in both games, it was their goalies, who were normally stout in net, that let them down. The losses, however, weren't too damaging as BC was ranked #2 at the time and the team had plenty of time to recover. Unfortunately, the very next weekend the team could only manage a split with Merrimack. The Warriors were one of the league's worst teams (at least by reputation) and when the Minutemen could only manage a single shot on goal during the third period, they looked bad. The game was also marked by an odd occurrence; UMass typically rotated their starting goalies, having Matt Murray and Filip Lindberg alternate starts, which had happened in the first two weeks. However, Murray had started both games against Merrimack. When it happened again after a week off, Greg Carvel admitted that Lindberg had been injured and would be out for several weeks.[3]

In the offseason, the coaches, in conjunction with both starting goalies, had agreed that it was time for one of the two to become the primary starter. The rotation at the start was supposed to be a way to determine which player would get the starring role but Lindberg's injury decided for the team. Murray got his shot in goal and won seven consecutive games in December and January. The run included three shutouts and the team was ranked near the top of the Hockey East standings. After the loss to Merrimack, the offense had also recovered; the team scored at least 4 goals in each game during Murray's winning streak. One of the biggest surprises was Carson Gicewicz, who scored 7 goals in that span, and nearly tied his career high in goals after just 12 games. Gicewicz had transferred from St. Lawrence, and was finally able to play for Carvel, who had recruited Gicewicz originally.

Murray's and Massachusetts' winning streak came crashing to an end in mid January. Boston University, who had played just 2 games to that point due to COVID-19, swept the Minutemen in consecutive games, scoring 4 goals in each outing. To make matters worse, they did so while being outshot by at least 15 goals in both games. The two poor efforts gave Lindberg, who had recovered by that point, a chance to earn the starting role. Less than a week later Lindberg was in net and shut out Providence and allow just one goal in the second game. The team could only earn ties since the offense had gone dormant, but the sterling performance set Lindberg in goal and he continued to pay dividends.

The next week the team faced its long-time rival Massachusetts–Lowell and swept the weekend. The Minutemen were able to win at the Tsongas Center for the first time in over a decade while Lindberg was named as the Hockey East defensive player of the week.[4] Lindberg's 0.50 goals against average since returning left little doubt that he was the team's starting goaltender and, with him acting as a wall in the crease, the offense was able to return to life. Unfortunately, everything was put on pause for several weeks due to the coronavirus. Due to a growing number of cases on the Amherst campus, UMass paused all athletic programs for several weeks.[5] This prevented the Minutemen from being able to improve their conference ranking and, due to Hockey East using a power index rather than winning percentage,[6] the four losses to BC and BU left the team unable to rise higher than third in the conference.

After a three-week layoff, UMass returned with a vengeance. The Minutemen poured it on in a 8–1 drubbing of Providence and then earned a hard-fought win over Boston College. The victories put them solidly in the top-10 for national rankings even with a disappointing effort against Maine to end the regular season. Massachusetts was essentially guaranteed a spot in the NCAA tournament but the Minutemen were determined to make a statement.

Hockey East tournament[edit]

As the #3 seed, they opened the postseason against Northeastern and got off to a great start, scoring twice in the first 9 minutes. The Huskies were able to cut the lead in half in the second period but Lindberg allowed nothing afterwards and UMass skated to a 4–1 victory. They met Providence in the semifinal and the Friars were looking for revenge after the previous game. The game started with a flurry of goals, 3 in the opening 9 minutes, but it was Providence who took an early 2–1 lead. Zac Jones tied the game before the period was over and, after a wild first 20-minutes, UMass put the clamps on Providence. Bobby Trivigno scored early in the second and then the defense shone, allowing just 3 shots against in the period. Providence was forced to open up the game in the third but all that served to do was give UMass the chance to extend its lead and eventually win the game 5–2.

The win sent Massachusetts to just its second Hockey East championship game (the first since 2004) and they were facing a surprising Lowell squad that had defeated both BC and BU. The Lowell defense played a tremendous game in the final, limiting UMass to just 22 shots in the contest. Henry Welsch allowed 1 goal in the first and then shut the door on the Minutemen but Lindberg was perfect in the game, stopping all 16 shots and leading UMass to its first Hockey East Championship. This was the first conference title for the program since 1972, before the NCAA even used numerical divisions. Trivigno was named Tournament Most Valuable Player, leading the Minutemen with 6 points.[7]

NCAA tournament[edit]

Even with the Hockey East title, UMass was only able to jump up to 5th in NCAA selection committee's rankings and had to settle for a #2 seed in the tournament. The Minutemen began the tournament against Lake Superior State, who were making their first appearance in 25 years, but UMass wasn't about to give them a welcome return. After a mostly even first period, Massachusetts blew the game open in the second, outshooting the Lakers 18–7 and took a commanding 3–1 lead. After Jake Gaudet scored his second of the game in the third there was little hope for LSSU and UMass coasted to a 5–1 win.[8] In the regional final, UMass was in control of the game from the start but Bemidji seeped up to the challenge for a time. Enter Carson Gicewicz, who opened the scoring on a penalty kill after the 14-minute mark and then tallied again before the end of the first. Gicewicz completed his hat-trick in the second, the only one in his collegiate career,[9] and put the game out of reach for the Beavers. BSU tried to get back into the game but the UMass defense was too good and Lindberg earned his fourth shutout of the season.[10]

Frozen Four[edit]

Massachusetts headed to its second Frozen Four (the other coming in 2019) and were looking forward to a rematch with Minnesota Duluth. Just days prior to the game, the Minutemen lost 4 players due to COVID protocols; While Duluth would be without their backup goalie, UMass lost the services of their leading goal scorer, Gicewicz, and their starting goalie, Lindberg, as well as Jerry Harding and Henry Graham.[11] Missing two star players were bad enough but the loss of Graham meant that the team was down to just a single goaltender on the roster. Zac Steigmeyer, a senior and assistant equipment manager, had played goalie in high school and was dragooned into service as an emergency backup.[12] When the team made it onto the ice, they faced a very experienced team with a defense nearly as impressive as their own. The Bulldogs took over the game in sports, especially in the middle frame, but they were never able to distance themselves from the Minutemen. Zac Jones opened the scoring near the end of the first on the power play and then the team had to weather an offensive storm from UMD. Matt Murray hadn't played a game for two and a half months but his performance didn't show any rust. He allowed two goals but turned aside 36 shots, including everything in the third, to allow UMass to tie the game and send the match into overtime. In the extra session the Minutemen took control and carried the play for nearly the entire time. Umass fired 13 shots on goal, compared with UMD's 2, and it only seemed like a matter of time before they would break through. When Trivigno flew around the back of the net and slid the puck across the front of the goal for a Garrett Wait tap-in, the small but enthusiastic crowd erupted.[13]

National Championship[edit]

After overcoming their biggest challenge of the season, UMass received good news; both Gicewicz and Lindberg tested negative for COVID and drove overnight to Pittsburgh so they could play in the championship game. The Minutemen were making their second consecutive appearance in the title match and faced St. Cloud State in their first championship appearance. UMass got off to a good start, getting a goal from Aaron Bohlinger to open the scoring, and then the two teams played a mostly defensive battle for the remainder of the first. While killing off a penalty, a UMass defender grabbed the puck out of the air and threw it into center ice. A penalty for delay-of-game could have been called but nothing was forthcoming, much to the displeasure of the St. Cloud bench. Just minutes later, Massachusetts scored their second goal of the game. Upon review, however, it appeared that the play was offside and that the goal would be disallowed. Fortunately for the Minutemen, the play was allowed to stand and their two-goal lead held. The controversial calls didn't take the fight out of St. Cloud, who quadrupled their shot total in the second, but when Philip Lagunov scored an astounding goal on the penalty kill, the game looked to be slipping away from the Huskies. Matthew Kessel's power play marker later in the period all but sealed the game and the two teams played a fairly pedestrian third period, ending with UMass up 5–0 to win the program's first national championship.[14]

Trivigno was named Tournament Most Outstanding Player, making up for having been suspended for the Championship game two years earlier.[15] Filip Lindberg set an NCAA record with a 0.33 GAA in the tournament, breaking the single-tournament record of 0.50 held by several goaltenders including Parker Milner (2012), Tim Regan (1972) and Ken Dryden (1967).

Henry Graham sat out the season.

Departures[edit]

Player Position Nationality Cause
Marco Bozzo Forward  Canada Transferred to Northeastern
Alex Camarre Goaltender  United States Left program
Mitchell Chaffee Forward  United States Signed professional contract (Minnesota Wild)
Jeremy Davidson Forward  United States Returned to juniors (Fargo Force)
Niko Hildenbrand Forward  United States Graduation
Bobby Kaiser Forward  United States Left program
John Leonard Forward  United States Signed professional contract (San Jose Sharks)
Jake McLaughlin Defenseman  United States Graduation (Signed with Henderson Silver Knights)
Peyton Reeves Forward  Canada Transferred to Toronto
Jack Suter Forward  United States Graduation (Signed with Rapid City Rush)

Recruiting[edit]

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Linden Alger Defenseman  United States 20 Centerville, MA
Aaron Bohlinger Defenseman  United States 20 Walden, NY
Carson Gicewicz Forward  United States 23 Orchard Park, NY; transfer from St. Lawrence
Henry Graham Goaltender  United States 20 Manhattan, NY
Jerry Harding Forward  United States 21 Canton, MA; transfer from Providence
Josh Lopina Forward  United States 19 Minooka, IL
Oliver MacDonald Forward  United States 19 Grosse Pointe, MI
Zac Steigmeyer Goaltender  United States 22 Ludlow, MA; emergency goaltender
Ryan Sullivan Forward  United States 20 Grosse Pointe, MI
Garrett Wait Forward  United States 22 Edina, MN; transfer from Minnesota

Roster[edit]

As of February 12, 2021.[16]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Massachusetts Zac Steigmeyer Senior G 5' 10" (1.78 m) 150 lb (68 kg) Ludlow, Massachusetts Pope Francis High (US-Prep) —
2 New Jersey Marc Del Gaizo (A) Junior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1999-10-11 Basking Ridge, New Jersey Muskegon (USHL) NSH, 109th overall 2019
3 Missouri Ty Farmer Junior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1998-01-06 O'Fallon, Missouri Fargo (USHL) —
4 Michigan Matthew Kessel Sophomore D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 203 lb (92 kg) 2000-06-23 Bloomfield Hills, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL) STL, 150th overall 2020
5 Massachusetts Linden Alger Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2000-04-09 Centerville, Massachusetts Youngstown (USHL) —
6 Massachusetts Kolby Vegara Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1997-07-15 Malden, Massachusetts Philadelphia (NAHL) —
7 Michigan Cal Kiefiuk Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-02-28 Macomb, Michigan Central Illinois (USHL) —
8 New York (state) Bobby Trivigno (A) Junior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 162 lb (73 kg) 1999-01-19 Setauket, New York Waterloo (USHL) —
10 Illinois Josh Lopina Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2001-02-16 Minooka, Illinois Lincoln (USHL) —
11 New York (state) Carson Gicewicz Senior (RS) F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 213 lb (97 kg) 1997-03-04 Orchard Park, New York St. Lawrence (ECAC) —
12 Minnesota Garrett Wait Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-06-13 Edina, Minnesota Minnesota (Big Ten) —
13 Michigan Reed Lebster Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1999-03-04 Grand Rapids, Michigan Des Moines (USHL) —
15 Michigan Oliver MacDonald Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-11-07 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Fargo (USHL) —
17 Ontario Philip Lagunov Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 1998-11-22 Hamilton, Ontario Burlington (OJHL) —
18 Ontario Jake Gaudet (C) Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 201 lb (91 kg) 1996-06-18 Ottawa, Ontario Kemptville (CCHL) —
19 Michigan Ryan Sullivan Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-03-07 Grosse Pointe, Michigan Sioux Falls (USHL) —
20 Ontario Oliver Chau Senior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 164 lb (74 kg) 1997-08-21 Oakville, Ontario Brooks (AJHL) —
22 Massachusetts Jerry Harding Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1999-03-22 Canton, Massachusetts Providence (HEA) —
23 Ontario Gianfranco Cassaro Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1999-03-30 Nobleton, Ontario Youngstown (USHL) —
24 Virginia Zac Jones Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 2000-10-18 Glen Allen, Virginia Tri-City (USHL) NYR, 68th overall 2019
25 New York (state) Aaron Bohlinger Freshman D 5' 9" (1.75 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-08-25 Walden, New York Waterloo (USHL) —
26 New Jersey Colin Felix Junior D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1999-01-07 Ocean City, New Jersey Madison (USHL) —
27 New Jersey Anthony Del Gaizo Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 193 lb (88 kg) 1998-01-31 Basking Ridge, New Jersey Muskegon (USHL) —
28 Ontario Eric Faith Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 1998-04-18 Carp, Ontario Brockville (CCHL) —
29 Florida George Mika Senior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 184 lb (83 kg) 1996-10-19 Naples, Florida Amarillo (NAHL) —
31 Alberta Matt Murray Senior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1998-02-02 St. Albert, Alberta Fargo (USHL) —
32 New York (state) Henry Graham Freshman G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 181 lb (82 kg) 2000-07-25 Manhattan, New York P. A. L. (NCDC) —
35 Finland Filip Lindberg Junior G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 1999-01-31 Espoo, Finland TUTO U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) MIN, 197th overall 2019

Standings[edit]

2020–21 Hockey East Standings
Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SOW HEPI GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#6 Boston College 21 16 4 1 3 2 0 58.61 82 46 24 17 6 1 91 58
#11 Boston University 14 10 3 1 3 1 1 56.36 49 37 16 10 5 1 52 45
#1 Massachusetts * 22 13 5 4 1 1 1 55.44 76 42 29 20 5 4 103 48
Connecticut 22 10 10 2 1 4 2 52.01 69 63 23 10 11 2 70 69
#16 Providence 23 10 8 5 0 0 2 50.80 63 61 25 11 9 5 71 67
Northeastern 20 9 8 3 1 0 3 49.94 68 60 21 9 9 3 69 64
#19 Massachusetts–Lowell 16 7 8 1 1 1 0 48.00 46 53 20 10 9 1 59 63
Maine 15 3 10 2 0 1 2 46.66 41 61 16 3 11 2 43 68
Merrimack 18 5 11 2 0 1 0 45.38 47 66 18 5 11 2 47 66
New Hampshire 21 5 13 3 3 2 2 43.66 51 83 23 6 14 3 60 88
Vermont 12 1 9 2 0 0 0 38.02 17 37 13 1 10 2 20 42
Championship: March 20, 2021[17]
No Regular Season Champion Awarded[18]
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results[edit]

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular Season
November 20 6:00 PM vs. Connecticut #7 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray W 5–1  0 1–0–0 (1–0–0)
November 21 4:00 PM at Connecticut #7 XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut   Lindberg T 2–2 SOL 0 1–0–1 (1–0–1)
November 27 6:00 PM at #2 Boston College #7 Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts NESN Murray L 3–4  0 1–1–1 (1–1–1)
November 28 4:30 PM vs. #2 Boston College #7 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN+ Lindberg L 3–6  0 1–2–1 (1–2–1)
December 5 4:30 PM vs. Merrimack #8 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray W 3–1  0 2–2–1 (2–2–1)
December 6 4:35 PM at Merrimack #8 J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts   Murray L 2–3  0 2–3–1 (2–3–1)
December 19 6:00 PM vs. Vermont #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 4–0  0 3–3–1 (3–3–1)
December 20 6:00 PM vs. Vermont #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 4–1  0 4–3–1 (4–3–1)
December 23 3:30 PM vs. Connecticut #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 6–2  0 5–3–1 (5–3–1)
December 30 3:30 PM at New Hampshire #9 Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire   Murray W 4–0  0 6–3–1 (6–3–1)
January 1 7:05 PM at #13 Northeastern #9 Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts NESN Murray W 4–3  0 7–3–1 (7–3–1)
January 2 6:00 PM vs. #13 Northeastern #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN+ Murray W 5–3  0 8–3–1 (8–3–1)
January 6 3:30 PM vs. New Hampshire #8 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Murray W 4–0  0 9–3–1 (9–3–1)
January 17 3:30 PM vs. Boston University #6 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Murray L 2–4  0 9–4–1 (9–4–1)
January 18 3:05 PM at Boston University #9 Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts   Murray L 3–4 OT 0 9–5–1 (9–5–1)
January 22 3:00 PM vs. #18 Providence #9 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Lindberg T 0–0 SOL 0 9–5–2 (9–5–2)
January 23 7:00 PM at #18 Providence #9 Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island NESN+ Lindberg T 1–1 SOW 0 9–5–3 (9–5–3)
January 29 8:00 PM vs. #16 Massachusetts–Lowell #10 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts   Lindberg W 5–0  0 10–5–3 (10–5–3)
January 30 7:00 PM vs. #16 Massachusetts–Lowell #10 Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts   Lindberg W 2–1  0 11–5–3 (11–5–3)
February 23 7:00 PM at #14 Providence #9 Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island   Lindberg W 8–1  0 12–5–3 (12–5–3)
February 26 7:00 PM at #1 Boston College #9 Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts NESN+ Lindberg W 3–2 OT 0 13–5–3 (13–5–3)
March 5 2:30 PM vs. Maine #6 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts NESN Lindberg T 3–3 SOL 0 13–5–4 (13–5–4)
Hockey East tournament
March 14 4:30 PM vs. #20 Northeastern* #7 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Hockey East Quarterfinal) NESN+ Lindberg W 4–1  0 14–5–4
March 17 7:00 PM vs. #14 Providence* #7 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Hockey East Semifinal) NESN Lindberg W 5–2  0 15–5–4
March 20 7:00 PM vs. #14 Massachusetts–Lowell* #7 Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Hockey East Championship)   Lindberg W 1–0  0 16–5–4
NCAA tournament
March 26 6:30 PM vs. #13 Lake Superior State* #6 Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut (NCAA East Regional semifinal) ESPNU Lindberg W 5–1  100 17–5–4
March 27 4:00 PM vs. #14 Bemidji State* #6 Webster Bank Arena • Bridgeport, Connecticut (NCAA East Regional Final) ESPNU Lindberg W 4–0  0 18–5–4
April 8 9:00 PM vs. #9 Minnesota Duluth* #6 PPG Paints Arena • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (NCAA National semifinal) ESPN2 Murray W 3–2 OT 3,660 19–5–4
April 10 7:00 PM vs. #7 St. Cloud State* #6 PPG Paints Arena • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (NCAA national championship) ESPN Lindberg W 5–0  3,963 20–5–4
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

[19]

2021 National Championship[edit]

(E2) Massachusetts vs. (NE2) St. Cloud State[edit]

April 10, 2021
7:00 PM		(E2) Massachusetts5 – 0(NE2) St. Cloud StatePPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 3,963
Game reference
Scoring summary
Period Team Goal Assist(s) Time Score
1st UMA Aaron Bohlinger (1) – GW Sullivan and Farmer 7:26 1–0 UMA
UMA Reed Lebster (2) Kiefiuk 18:56 2–0 UMA
2nd UMA Philip Lagunov (6) – SH unassisted 25:10 3–0 UMA
UMA Matthew Kessel (10) – PP Chau and Gaudet 33:45 4–0 UMA
3rd UMA Bobby Trivigno (11) Lebster 46:00 5–0 UMA
Penalty summary
Period Team Player Penalty Time PIM
1st UMA Anthony Del Gaizo Slashing 15:27 2:00
2nd STC Seamus Donohue Tripping 20:24 2:00
UMA Ryan Sullivan Tripping 23:57 2:00
UMA Jake Gaudet Elbowing 30:31 2:00
STC Bench (served by Zach Okabe) Too Many Men 32:35 2:00
3rd None

Scoring statistics[edit]

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Bobby Trivigno F 29 11 23 34 12
Oliver Chau C 29 5 22 27 4
Carson Gicewicz C 28 17 7 24 37
Zac Jones D 29 9 15 24 8
Matthew Kessel D 29 10 13 23 16
Josh Lopina F 29 9 14 23 12
Garrett Wait LW 29 9 8 17 10
Marc Del Gaizo D 27 3 11 14 4
Jake Gaudet C 28 5 8 13 31
Aaron Bohlinger D 29 1 11 12 6
Colin Felix D 29 0 10 10 32
Cal Kiefiuk F 22 5 4 9 8
Philip Lagunov C 25 4 2 6 21
Ty Farmer D 24 3 3 6 12
Jerry Harding F 25 2 4 6 10
Oliver MacDonald F 17 2 3 5 8
Anthony Del Gaizo F 28 2 3 5 16
Eric Faith LW 18 1 4 5 2
George Mika F 17 3 1 4 0
Ryan Sullivan F 25 0 4 4 4
Reed Lebster F 12 2 1 3 2
Matt Murray G 14 0 1 1 0
Kolby Vegara D 6 0 0 0 4
Linden Alger D 7 0 0 0 0
Gianfranco Cassaro D 10 0 0 0 0
Filip Lindberg G 15 0 0 0 0
Bench - - - - - 4
Total 103 172 275 263

[20]

Goaltending statistics[edit]

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Filip Lindberg 15 918 10 1 4 19 357 5 .949 1.24
Matt Murray 14 851 10 4 0 28 308 3 .917 1.97
Empty Net - 9 - - - 1 - - - -
Total 29 1778 20 5 4 48 665 8 .933 1.62

Rankings[edit]

Main article: 2020–21 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey rankings
Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 (Final)
USCHO.com 7 7 7 8 10 10 10 9 8 6 9 10 10 9 10 9 6 7 6 6 - 1
USA Today 7 7 8 9 12 13 10 9 8 6 8 10 9 9 9 9 6 8 7 5 2 1

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.[21]

Awards and honors[edit]

Player Award Ref
Bobby Trivigno NCAA tournament Most Outstanding Player [22]
Bobby Trivigno AHCA East First Team All-American [23]
Zac Jones AHCA East Second Team All-American [23]
Filip Lindberg NCAA All-Tournament Team [24]
Zac Jones
Matthew Kessel
Bobby Trivigno
Bobby Trivigno Walter Brown Award [25]
Josh Lopina Hockey East Rookie of the Year [26]
Bobby Trivigno William Flynn Tournament Most Valuable Player [7]
Bobby Trivigno Hockey East First Team [27]
Filip Lindberg Hockey East Second Team [27]
Zac Jones
Marc Del Gaizo Hockey East Third Team [27]
Matthew Kessel
Josh Lopina Hockey East Rookie Team [28]
Filip Lindberg Hockey East All-Tournament Team
Zac Jones
Jake Gaudet
Bobby Trivigno

Players drafted into the NHL[edit]

2021 NHL Entry Draft[edit]

Round Pick Player NHL team
2 40 Scott Morrow† Carolina Hurricanes
4 98 Josh Lopina Anaheim Ducks
4 115 Ryan Ufko† Nashville Predators
7 220 Taylor Makar† Colorado Avalanche

† incoming freshman [29]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  2. ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
  3. ^ "'It's Matt's net right now': How Matt Murray took over as the starter for UMass". Daily Collegian. January 14, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  4. ^ "UMass hockey notebook: Filip Linberg seizes starting spot". Daily Hampshire Gazette. February 2, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  5. ^ "UMass athletics pause threatens men's basketball's A-10 tournament eligibility". Daily Hampshire Gazette. February 7, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  6. ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format" (PDF). Hockey East. February 10, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  7. ^ a b "Bobby Trivigno's evolution pushed UMass hockey to championship caliber". Daily Hampshire Gazette. March 24, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  8. ^ "Lake Superior State vs UMass Ice Hockey Game Highlights, 2021 NCAA Bridgeport Regional semifinal". YouTube.com. NCAA. March 26, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  9. ^ "Carson Gicewicz hat trick sends UMass hockey back to Frozen Four". Daily Hampshire Gazette. March 27, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  10. ^ "Bemidji State vs UMass Ice Hockey Game Highlights, 2021 NCAA Bridgeport Regional Final". YouTube.com. NCAA. March 27, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  11. ^ "Fanti Out for UMD Due to COVID Protocols". College Hockey News. April 8, 2021. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
  12. ^ "Economics Major, Zac Steigmeyer '21 "From Equipment Manager to Goalie in the Frozen Four"". UMass. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  13. ^ "Minnesota Duluth vs UMass Ice Hockey Game Highlights, 2021 NCAA Frozen Four". YouTube.com. NCAA. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  14. ^ "St. Cloud State vs UMass Ice Hockey Game Highlights, 2021 NCAA national championship". YouTube.com. NCAA. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  15. ^ "UMass hockey player suspended for national title game for unpenalized hit to head". Yahoo Sports. April 12, 2019. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  16. ^ "2020–21 Roster". UMass Athletics. Retrieved September 6, 2017.
  17. ^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
  18. ^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
  19. ^ "Massachusetts Minutemen (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
  20. ^ "UMass (Amherst) 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  21. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  22. ^ "Frozen Four: Bobby Trivigno, UMass Minutemen scale the sweet peak of redemption". Jockey Journal. April 11, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  23. ^ a b "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
  24. ^ "UMass Hockey Wins National Championship". UMass. April 15, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  25. ^ "Massachusetts' Trivigno Named Recipient of 69th Walter Brown Award". UMass Minutemen. March 22, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2021.
  26. ^ "Spencer Knight Named Hockey East Player of the Year - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  27. ^ a b c "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  28. ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  29. ^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
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