# 2023–24 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 64th season of play for the program, the 26th at the Division I level, and the 10th in Hockey East. The Huskies represented the University of Connecticut and were coached by Mike Cavanaugh in his 11th season.

## Season

Hopes were high for UConn entering the season but the Huskies had trouble getting off the ground. While the goaltending rotation of Ethan Haider and Arsenii Sergeev performed well in the first month, the offense did not. Matthew Wood, the team's top prospect, had just 3 goals through the first eight games while the rest of the team wasn't much better. Then, when they least could afford it, the Huskies had to contend with a crisis in goal. Once November rolled around, Sergeev appeared to play properly in goal and a pair of very poor performances landed him on the shelf for two months. Haider was able to shoulder the load in the interim thanks to a modest improvement in scoring.
Connecticut was unable to find any consistency in the first half and they were hoping to remedy that with a strong performance after the winter break. They were able to improve their position with a pair of split series against ranked teams, which included Sergeev's triumphant return against Maine. A second place finish in Connecticut Ice didn't do them many favors but the team had a great opportunity to make a charge for the postseason with six straight games against ranked opponents. Unfortunately, Connecticut won just one of those games and had no hope of securing an at-large bit by the end of the season.
UConn was given a date with Vermont to start the conference tournament and Sergeev, who had played very well down the stretch, was given the starting job in goal. UConn was able to use a pair of power play markers to capture the match and reach the quarterfinals. The nation's top team, Boston College, was their next opponent but the Huskies didn't appear to be intimidated in the least. Even when BC built a 3-goal lead just 8 minutes into the game, UConn didn't quit. Hudson Schandor got his team back in the game, contributing on a pair of goals, before Matthew Wood scored two in the third period to tie the game 4–4. However, UConn was unable to keep the momentum and a fifth goal from the Eagles was one too many for Connecticut.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Ty Amonte | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Adam Dawe | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Newfoundland Growlers) |
| Ryan Keane | Goaltender | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Roman Kinal | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda) |
| Aidan Metcalfe | Defenseman | United States | Left program (retired) |
| Justin Pearson | Forward | United States | Graduation (signed with Cleveland Monsters) |
| Logan Terness | Goaltender | Canada | Transferred to Ohio State |
| Ryan Tverberg | Forward | United States | Signed professional contract (Toronto Maple Leafs) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Oliver Flynn | Forward | United States | 20 | Wolcott, CT |
| Ethan Haider | Goaltender | United States | 22 | St. Louis Park, MN; transfer from Clarkson; selected 148th overall in 2019 |
| Ryan Mahshie | Forward | Canada | 24 | Stoney Creek, ON; graduate transfer from Rensselaer |
| Joey Muldowney | Forward | United States | 19 | Lake View, NY; selected 176th overall in 2022 |
| Jake Richard | Forward | United States | 19 | Jacksonville, FL; selected 170th overall in 2022 |
| Owen Simpson | Defenseman | Canada | 20 | Toronto, ON |
| Bauer Swift | Defenseman | United States | 21 | West Hartford, CT |

## Roster

As of September 21, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 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 | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Boston College †* | 24 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 105 | 56 | 41 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 183 | 89 |
| #3 Boston University | 24 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 104 | 53 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 163 | 97 |
| #10 Maine | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 76 | 67 | 37 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 119 | 94 |
| #16 Providence | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 66 | 58 | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 100 | 83 |
| #13 Massachusetts | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 57 | 62 | 37 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 108 | 105 |
| #20 New Hampshire | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 69 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 106 | 90 |
| Northeastern | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 65 | 71 | 36 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 113 | 97 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 49 | 77 | 36 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 90 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 52 | 81 | 35 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 87 | 106 |
| Merrimack | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 62 | 85 | 35 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 98 | 114 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 39 | 78 | 36 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 72 | 113 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 7:00 pm | at Colgate* | | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Sergeev | W 4–2 | 923 | 1–0–0 |
| October 8 | 3:00 pm | at Colgate* | | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Haider | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 792 | 1–0–1 |
| October 13 | 7:00 pm | at Holy Cross* | #20 | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey, NESN+ | Sergeev | L 1–2 | 1,100 | 1–1–1 |
| October 14 | 7:00 pm | Holy Cross* | #20 | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Haider | L 0–2 | 2,296 | 1–2–1 |
| October 20 | 7:00 pm | at Union* | | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | ESPN+ | Sergeev | L 1–4 | 2,100 | 1–3–1 |
| October 21 | 4:00 pm | at Union* | | Achilles Rink • Schenectady, New York | ESPN+ | Haider | W 5–0 | 1,821 | 2–3–1 |
| October 27 | 7:15 pm | at Massachusetts Lowell | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Sergeev | W 2–1 $^{OT}$ | 6,560 | 3–3–1 (1–0–0) |
| October 28 | 4:00 pm | Massachusetts Lowell | | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Haider | L 0–1 | 2,902 | 3–4–1 (1–1–0) |
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | at Vermont | | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Sergeev | L 1–4 | 2,796 | 3–5–1 (1–2–0) |
| November 4 | 6:00 pm | at Vermont | | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Haider | W 5–2 | 3,235 | 4–5–1 (2–2–0) |
| November 10 | 7:00 pm | Merrimack | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Sergeev | L 3–6 | 2,630 | 4–6–1 (2–3–0) |
| November 11 | 7:00 pm | at Merrimack | | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Haider | W 4–3 | 2,432 | 5–6–1 (3–3–0) |
| November 17 | 7:00 pm | at #4 Boston College | | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Haider | L 4–5 $^{OT}$ | 6,127 | 5–7–1 (3–4–0) |
| November 18 | 7:00 pm | #4 Boston College | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Haider | L 0–3 | 2,630 | 5–8–1 (3–5–0) |
| November 25 | 3:00 pm | Dartmouth* | | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Haider | W 6–1 | 3,582 | 6–8–1 |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | Massachusetts Lowell | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+, NESN | Haider | W 2–0 | 2,630 | 7–8–1 (4–5–0) |
| December 3 | 4:00 pm | at #11 Maine | | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Haider | L 3–7 | 4,661 | 7–9–1 (4–6–0) |
| December 31 | 3:00 pm | Harvard* | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPNU | Haider | W 4–2 | 2,630 | 8–9–1 |
| January 5 | 7:00 pm | at #13 Massachusetts | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Haider | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 2,630 | 8–9–2 (4–6–1) |
| January 12 | 7:00 pm | #7 Maine | | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Haider | L 3–5 | 4,377 | 8–10–2 (4–7–1) |
| January 13 | 3:00 pm | #7 Maine | | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Sergeev | W 2–0 | 9,428 | 9–10–2 (5–7–1) |
| January 19 | 7:00 pm | #17 New Hampshire | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+, NESN | Haider | L 0–5 | 2,691 | 9–11–2 (5–8–1) |
| January 21 | 4:00 pm | at #17 New Hampshire | | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+, NESN | Sergeev | W 2–1 | 5,482 | 10–11–2 (6–8–1) |
| Connecticut Ice ||||||||||
| January 26 | 3:30 pm | Sacred Heart* | | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut (Connecticut Ice Semifinal) | SNY | Sergeev | W 6–2 | 4,633 | 11–11–2 |
| January 27 | 7:30 pm | #7 Quinnipiac* | | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut (Connecticut Ice Championship) | SNY | Haider | L 3–4 | 6,429 | 11–12–2 |
| February 2 | 7:00 pm | #10 Providence | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Sergeev | L 0–5 | 2,691 | 11–13–2 (6–9–1) |
| February 3 | 7:00 pm | at #10 Providence | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Haider | W 2–1 | 2,870 | 12–13–2 (7–9–1) |
| February 9 | 7:00 pm | #12 Massachusetts | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Sergeev | L 0–2 | 2,691 | 12–14–2 (7–10–1) |
| February 10 | 7:00 pm | at #12 Massachusetts | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN | Haider | L 1–3 | 6,342 | 12–15–2 (7–11–1) |
| February 23 | 7:00 pm | #2 Boston University | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Sergeev | L 1–6 | 2,691 | 12–16–2 (7–12–1) |
| February 24 | 7:00 pm | at #2 Boston University | | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Haider | L 0–6 | 5,857 | 12–17–2 (7–13–1) |
| March 1 | 7:30 pm | at Northeastern | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN+ | Sergeev | W 4–3 | 3,188 | 13–17–2 (8–13–1) |
| March 2 | 3:00 pm | Northeastern | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Haider | L 2–4 | 2,691 | 13–18–2 (8–14–1) |
| March 7 | 7:00 pm | Vermont | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Sergeev | W 5–1 | 2,691 | 14–18–2 (9–14–1) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 13 | 7:00 pm | Vermont* | | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut (Opening Round) | ESPN+ | Sergeev | W 4–1 | 2,021 | 15–18–2 |
| March 16 | 7:00 pm | at #1 Boston College* | | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | ESPN+, NESN+ | Sergeev | L 4–5 | 6,705 | 15–19–2 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Matthew Wood | C//LW | 35 | 16 | 12 | 28 | 43 |
| Chase Bradley | C/LW | 31 | 11 | 11 | 22 | 53 |
| Hudson Schandor | C | 34 | 5 | 16 | 21 | 31 |
| Jake Richard | RW | 36 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 6 |
| Samu Salminen | C/LW | 35 | 7 | 10 | 17 | 35 |
| Andrew Lucas | D | 36 | 5 | 11 | 16 | 16 |
| Jake Percival | F | 36 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 18 |
| Joey Muldowney | RW | 35 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 12 |
| Ryan Tattle | F | 34 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 22 |
| Tristan Fraser | F | 35 | 7 | 4 | 11 | 33 |
| Tom Messineo | D | 36 | 0 | 11 | 11 | 2 |
| Nick Capone | RW | 32 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 46 |
| Tabor Heaslip | F | 36 | 1 | 7 | 8 | 16 |
| Harrison Rees | D | 36 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 10 |
| John Spetz | D | 36 | 2 | 4 | 6 | 18 |
| Jake Flynn | D | 33 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 10 |
| Ryan Mahshie | F | 21 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Jake Black | F | 24 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 2 |
| Oliver Flynn | C | 23 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Owen Simpson | D | 14 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 4 |
| Arsenii Sergeev | G | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Huston Karpman | F | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jake Veilleux | D/F | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Ethan Haider | G | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Matt Pasquale | G | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Jack Pascucci | D | 24 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
| Total | | | 90 | 141 | 231 | 401 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Arsenii Sergeev | 16 | 934:02 | 8 | 8 | 0 | 42 | 443 | 1 | .913 | 2.70 |
| Ethan Haider | 22 | 1216:33 | 7 | 11 | 2 | 59 | 564 | 2 | .905 | 2.91 |
| Matt Pasquale | 2 | 7:28 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 0 | .800 | 8.04 |
| Empty Net | - | 20:05 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2178:08 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 105 | 1011 | 3 | .906 | 2.89 |

## 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 | 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 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | 20 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.