UMass hockey: Minutemen prepare to host Alaska for two-game set

UMass players stand together as the starting lineup is introduced before the NCAA hockey game against Merrimack at the Mullins Center, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Amherst.

UMass players stand together as the starting lineup is introduced before the NCAA hockey game against Merrimack at the Mullins Center, Saturday, Jan. 18, 2025, in Amherst. STAFF PHOTO / DANIEL JACOBI II

By RYAN AMES

Staff Writer

Published: 01-23-2025 6:16 PM

For the first time ever, the UMass hockey team will host Alaska for a two-game set, beginning Friday at the Mullins Center.

The Nanooks make the 4,375 mile trek to Amherst with some good vibes as they haven’t lost in their last six games. Two of those were exhibitions against Simon Fraser, yet the point remains that this Alaska team will not roll over easily.

Six Nanooks skaters have at least 10 points, signaling a scoring-by-committee approach that has gotten them to a respectable record of 7-9-5 as an independent program. Although, goalscoring isn’t exactly a strength for Alaska as it’s averaging 2.1 goals a game, which is sixth-worst in the country.

The Minutemen welcomed the Nanooks’ rival, Alaska-Anchorage, last season, and head coach Greg Carvel said linking up with another team from The Last Frontier made sense from a scheduling perspective.

“I think those Alaska teams, independent teams are always looking for games this time of year,” Carvel said. “If you have openings in your schedule, I believe this is our bye-week in the league, and they’re always, at this time of year those independents are scratching for games. I think when both of us saw that it was open, it was an easy decision.”

The only time UMass and Alaska met up previously was during the 1993-94 season and it was ugly for the Minutemen. The Nanooks won the two-game series by a combined score of 20-4.

More than 30 years later, UMass will look to sharpen up during its final pair non-conference games of the season.

“We can’t take them lightly,” Minuteman freshman defenseman Larry Keenan said. “We got to come ready to play and get two wins.”

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The Minutemen will be shorthanded as top-goalscorer Aydar Suniev sustained a lower-body injury against Merrimack last Saturday early in the second period. Carvel’s update after the game was that Suniev will “probably be out for a little while.”

With that in mind, UMass will look to junior Cole O’Hara to keep filling the net and sophomore goalie Michael Hrabal to end his two-game losing skid in the Minutemen net.

O’Hara had a hat trick and four points in UMass win over the Warriors on Saturday, while Hrabal hasn’t won since shutting out Northeastern in Boston on Jan. 10. Jackson Irving got the start in the victory against Merrimack on Jan. 18. Carvel said sitting Hrabal was mainly due to his recent hectic schedule going from the World Junior Championships, then right back to college hockey action.

It also appears freshman Francesco Dell’Elce has found a home on the top power-play unit. Carvel made the switch last Saturday before Suniev’s injury and it proved beneficial as the Minutemen scored three times with the extra man. Heading into the game, UMass was 0-for-11 on the power play.

“[Dell’Elce] will run that one unit, then we’ll have two defenseman on that other unit,” Carvel said.

Should the Minutemen take both games against Alaska this weekend, it would mark the first three-game winning streak of the year. At 11-10-2, UMass’ results have been up and down the whole season.

“I’ve had to get stern with them a few times and every time I do they respond really well,” Carvel said on his view of the team’s inconsistencies. “So that’s, to me, a positive that the group is unified and they want to do good things.”

Puck drop on Friday is set for 7 p.m.

“We’re feeling pretty good after Saturday so hopefully we can keep that rolling to the weekend,” Dell’Elce said.