# 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.

## Season

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

| 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

| 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

As of August 12, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall 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

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| October 2 | 7:30 PM | #5 Minnesota State* | #1 | Mullins Center • Amherst, 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 Center • Springfield, 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 Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Exhibition) | | | L 2–3 | | |
| October 29 | 7:00 PM | at Merrimack | #12 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North 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 Arena • Providence, 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 Arena • Boston, 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 Center • Durham, 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 Center • Durham, 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 Center • Lowell, 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 Arena • Ann 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 Arena • Boston, 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 Center • Hartford, 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 Fieldhouse • Burlington, 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 Forum • Chestnut 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 Garden • Boston, 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 Center • Worcester, 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: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| 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 |

## Goaltending statistics

| 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

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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.

## Awards and honors

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

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2022 NHL Entry Draft

| 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