# 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.

## Season

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. 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.
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

| 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

| 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

As of August 6, 2022.

## Standings

2022–23 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 |
| #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

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 1 | 7:00 PM | Sacred Heart* | #10 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Exhibition) | | Graham | L 2–3 | | |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 8 | 7:05 PM | at American International* | #13 | MassMutual Center • Springfield, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Pavicich | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 1,144 | 0–0–1 |
| October 14 | 7:00 PM | #1 Denver* | #13 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | W 4–2 | 7,297 | 1–0–1 |
| October 15 | 7:30 PM | #1 Denver* | #13 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | W 3−0 | 6,315 | 2−0−1 |
| October 21 | 7:00 PM | Union* | #6 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | W 7–1 | 3,721 | 3–0–1 |
| October 22 | 7:00 PM | Union* | #6 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Brady | W 7–0 | 3,737 | 4–0–1 |
| October 28 | 7:00 PM | Merrimack | #5 | Mullins Center • Amherst, 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 Rink • North 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 Arena • Providence, 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 Center • Amherst, 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 Center • Amherst, 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 Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Brady | L 1–5 | 4,869 | 5–5–1 (1–5–0) |
| November 18 | 7:00 PM | at New Hampshire | #16 | Whittemore Center • Durham, 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 Belfast • Belfast, 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 Belfast • Belfast, 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 Center • Amherst, 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 Center • Amherst, 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 Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Semifinal) | BSW+ | Pavicich | L 3–6 | - | 7–7–3 |
| December 29 | 5:00 PM | vs. Lake Superior State* | #15 | Fiserv Forum • Milwaukee, Wisconsin (Holiday Face–Off Consolation) | BSW+ | Graham | W 4–1 | - | 8–7–3 |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| January 3 | 7:00 PM | Brown* | #15 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | W 3–0 | 2,070 | 9–7–3 |
| January 7 | 6:00 PM | vs. Boston College* | #15 | Fenway Park • Boston, 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 Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 2–6 | 2,721 | 9–9–3 (2–7–1) |
| January 15 | 3:00 PM | New Hampshire | #19 | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | NESN, ESPN+ | Graham | L 1–3 | 4,246 | 9–10–3 (2–8–1) |
| January 20 | 7:00 PM | #13 Connecticut | | Mullins Center • Amherst, 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 Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 1–3 | 2,691 | 9–12–3 (2–10–1) |
| January 27 | 7:15 PM | at #18 Massachusetts Lowell | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | NESN+, ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 0–1 | 6,339 | 9–13–3 (2–11–1) |
| February 3 | 7:00 PM | at Providence | | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | NESN+, ESPN+ | Pavicich | W 3–2 | 3,236 | 10–13–3 (3–11–1) |
| February 10 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Graham | T 4–4 $^{SOW}$ | 4,314 | 10–13–4 (3–11–2) |
| February 11 | 7:00 PM | Vermont | | Mullins Center • Amherst, 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 Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 3–7 | 5,328 | 10–14–5 (3–12–3) |
| February 18 | 7:00 PM | Boston College | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Brady | L 1–3 | 5,278 | 10–15–5 (3–13–3) |
| February 24 | 7:00 PM | #15 Northeastern | | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Brady | W 3–2 | 4,638 | 11–15–5 (4–13–3) |
| February 25 | 7:30 PM | at #15 Northeastern | | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Brady | L 0–4 | 4,407 | 11–16–5 (4–14–3) |
| March 3 | 7:00 PM | at Maine | | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Brady | W 5–2 | 4,272 | 12–16–5 (5–14–3) |
| March 4 | 7:00 PM | at Maine | | Alfond Arena • Orono, 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 Forum • Chestnut 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: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| 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 |

## Goaltending statistics

| 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

| 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 | 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 | 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.

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2023 NHL Entry Draft

| 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