The 2023–24 UMass Minutemen ice hockey season was the 92nd season of play for the program, the 31st at the Division I level, and 30th in Hockey East. The Minutemen represented the University of Massachusetts Amherst in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Mullins Center and were coached by Greg Carvel in his 8th season.
With about half of the team being made up of new faces, UMass entered the season as a relative unknown. While most of the defense returned, headed by Ryan Ufko and Scott Morrow, both the goaltenders and forward units had been completely revamped. Unsurprisingly, with so much unknown about the Minutemen, the team was unranked coming into the season but the swiftly made their mark on the year.
Cole Brady, the only returning netminder, got the start in the first two games. However, after surrendering 7 goals to Michigan, top prospect Michael Hrabal was swapped in and the team never looked back. Hrabal provided an instant boost and allowed the Minutemen to earn a split with the Wolverines. The following week, the freshman goalie did even better by backstopping Massachusetts to a sweep of Minnesota State, earning his first career shutout in the process. Part of the reason Hrabal was able to get wins in his first three games was that the new additions up front were working as well. While the scoring was sparked by the blueline, Jack Musa and Aydar Suniev were proving to be key contributors on offense and both finished in the team's top five as freshmen.
UMass jumped into the national rankings by late October and proceeded to climb up the ranks until they reached the top 10 by the beginning of December. When the team returned after the winter break, Brady was back as the team starter because Hrabal was still busy helping the Czech Republic win a bronze medal at the World Junior Championships. Unfortunately for UMass, the team didn't play too well in his absence and lost three consecutive games (two in a shootout). Once Hrabal rejoined the team, he was given complete control of the net for the rest of the season and the team would need every bit of his heroics to make the NCAA tournament.
With Hockey East as one of, if not the strongest, league in the nation, the Minutemen had a sizable hurdle in front of them with their conference schedule. In January and February, the team's offense declined a bit from what it had been before the break but was fairly consistent nonetheless. Hrabal's performed well under pressure, aside from a poor showing against #1 Boston College, but the team still had to struggle to find wins. Massachusetts entered the last couple of weeks of the regular season just above the cut line for the NCAA tournament. A sweep of Massachusetts Lowell gave the team a little breathing room but a pair of 1-goal losses to Maine put the Minutemen in a very precarious position as the conference tournament began.
With UMass sitting at 15 in the PairWise, they would have to win their quarterfinal match at Providence to have any chance at a tournament berth. Hrabal ended up having a great game, stopping 27 of 28 shots while the line of Ryan Lautenbach, Taylor Makar and Lucas Mercuri provided enough offense to carry the day.[1] As they entered their semifinal match with BC, the Minutemen had moved up to 12th and were hoping to shore up their bid with a win over the nation's top team. Lucas Mercuri got UMass on the board first but after that very little went right for Massachusetts. BC scored the next 8 goals, flattening the Minutemen as they steamrolled their way to the conference title.[2] The match had gone so poorly for UMass that they slipped down out of the playoff race. They were in a virtual tie with Colorado College and would need a very specific set of circumstances to push them ahead of the Tigers for the last spot in the tournament. In the final day of the conference tournaments, fortune was with the Minutemen and somehow UMass finished .0004 ahead of CC.
When the tournament began, Massachusetts found itself opposite #3 Denver. Remembering their less-than satisfactory performance against the Eagles, UMass came out fighting and tried to batter Denver into submissions with body checks. For a time the ploy appeared to work but the Minutemen were unable to get any goals to show for their efforts. In the second period, a seeing-eye shot from the blueline got through several bodies and sailed past a screened Hrabal for the opening goal of the game. Several minutes later the physical play finally paid off for UMass when they forced a turnover in the offensive zone. After a couple for failed attempts, Liam Gorman scored his first goal of the season and tied the match. With an upset in their sights, Massachusetts kept the pressure on Denver by checking them at every opportunity. However, despite getting several chances themselves, the Minutemen were unable to get a second goal and the teams headed into overtime. UMass had several great chances to win the game but they were unable to find the back of the Pioneer cage. In the back half of the second overtime, a shot from the high-slot beat a screened Hrabal for the apparent winner but the goaltender had been interfered with by a Denver attacker. Upon review, the referees determined that a Massachusetts player had pushed the Pioneer into Hrabal and allowed the goal to stand.[3]
While the ending was bittersweet, UMass had managed to take the eventual national champions to the very limit and proved to be worthy of their berth in the tournament.[4] The national voters indicated as much as UMass rose to 12th in the USA Today poll in spite of the loss.
| Mikey Adamson | Defenseman | Transferred to Sacred Heart | ||
| Tyson Dyck | Forward | Transferred to Wisconsin | ||
| Noah Ellis | Defenseman | Transferred to Omaha | ||
| Eric Faith | Forward | Graduation (retired) | ||
| Henry Graham | Goaltender | Transferred to Boston University | ||
| Jerry Harding | Forward | Graduation (retired) | ||
| Cal Kiefiuk | Forward | Graduate transfer to Providence | ||
| Matt Koopman | Forward | Graduation (signed with Wheeling Nailers) | ||
| Reed Lebster | Forward | Graduate transfer to Michigan State | ||
| Josh Nodler | Forward | Graduate transfer to Bowling Green | ||
| Luke Pavicich | Goaltender | Transferred to Massachusetts Lowell | ||
| Ryan Sullivan | Forward | Transferred to Miami | ||
| Garrett Wait | Forward | Graduation (retired) |
| Bo Cosman | Forward | 21 | Milton, GA | ||
| Liam Gorman | Forward | 23 | Boston, MA | ||
| Michael Hrabal | Goaltender | 18 | Prague, CZE
| ||
| Jackson Irving | Goaltender | 19 | Newbury, MA | ||
| Dans Ločmelis | Forward | 19 | Jelgava, LAT
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| Jack Musa | Forward | 20 | Orange Park, FL | ||
| Samuli Niinisaari | Defenseman | 25 | Hamina, FIN
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| Cam O'Neill | Forward | 19 | Odenton, MD
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| Aydar Suniev | Forward | 18 | Kazan, RUS
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| Sebastian Törnqvist | Defenseman | 20 | Everlöv, SWE | ||
| Nick Van Tassell | Forward | 19 | Basking Ridge, NJ
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| Lucas Vanroboys | Forward | 24 | Thamesville, ON
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As of August 11, 2023.[5]
|-!colspan=12 style=";" | Regular Season|-!colspan=12 style=";" | |-!colspan=12 style=";" | Regular Season|-!colspan=12 style=";" | |-!colspan=12 style=";" |
See main article: 2024 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey tournament.
| Game summary | |
| Both teams looked ready to play at the start. Denver was skating fast while Massachusetts played a more physical game, though the Pioneers didn't back down. Near the middle of the period, an odd bounce off of the end boards popped right out in front of the Denver cage to a streaking Michael Cameron. The Minuteman was unable to settle the bouncing puck and was forced to rush a close shot on Matt Davis. While the goalie stopped the relatively easy shot, the player lost his edge and slid into the netminder but the puck stayed out. Afterwards, the play began tilting in favor of Massachusetts thank to their forechecking and solid defensive play. Denver avoided another disaster when McKade Webster hit Zeev Buium with a clearing attempt. The puck rebounded towards the Denver cage but Davis was aware enough to stop the puck as it was rolling towards his feet. Denver was able to refocus after a TV timeout and play evened out for the final third of the period. Both teams got scoring chances in the final five minutes but the puck refused to cooperate and the game remained scoreless. With about two minutes left, Taylor Makar and Sean Behrens got into a battle behind the goal. Makar grabbed the Pioneer player as both fell down but the referees made no call. On the ensuing faceoff, Liam Gorman was called for a boarding minor and gave the nation's #16 power play a chance to score. UMass managed to kill off the rest of the period with a man down. Just before the final buzzer, the clock was stopped erroneously when the Minutemen cleared the puck into Denver's end of the ice. Rather than try to determine of there was any time remaining on the clock, the officials announced that the period was over. Because the faceoff would have been held at center ice with less than three seconds, neither team had any issue with the decision. Denver continued to increase its offensive pressure in the second period and starting taking control of the game. Just past the 5-minute mark, a high cycle play ended up causing Michael Hrabal to get screened by both teams. With the goalie unable to see the puck, Boston Buckberger fired the puck from the top of the circle into the far corner for the first goal of the game. UMass resumed its physical play in the wake of the opening goal and tried to establish some zone time. While the Minutemen did get some scoring chances, Denver counterpunched and got several more chances of their own. The Minutemen continued to lay the body and eventually forced Denver into a turnover behind their own net with about seven minutes left in the period. The 4th-line for UMass threw the puck in front of the net for an attempt from Lucas Vanroboys but his shot was stopped by Davis. Davis also stopped the next shot off of the rebound but the puck then bounced to Liam Gormam. By then, Davis was sprawled out on his back and unable to stop the backhand, allowing Gorman to tie the game with his first of the season. Massachusetts seemed inspired by the goal and redoubled their efforts over the next several minutes. Davis came under siege by the UMass offense but he was able to weather the storm and keep the match tied. Vanroboys got a further chance with about 2 minutes to play but he was taken down on his way to the cage. Once more, the referees decided against calling a penalty, however, as Vanroboys' stick hit a Denver player in the head both could have ended up receiving minor penalties. When play resumed in the third period, the style remained the same. UMass continued to attack Denver whenever the Pioneers got the puck and gave the favorites no room to maneuver. When Denver did get a scoring chance, their shots either went wide or were blocked before getting to the UMass net. Despite their failures to score, the pressure did eventually cause the Minutemen to make a mistake. Near the middle of the period, Behrens managed to get behind the Massachusetts defense and forced Linden Alger to take a hooking penalty. Denver wasn't able to get set up in the offensive zone but still had a few good looks at the net. With about 7 minutes to play, a mistake inside the UMass blue line by Aidan Thompson caused him to lose control of the puck. He then grabbed the Minuteman to prevent an odd-man rush and was called for interference. Near the end of the man-advantage, Cole O'Hara had a glorious opportunity for a one-timer but he wasn't able to get good wood on the puck and Davis made a relatively easy save. After the penalty expired, Massachusetts continued to carry the play and has several more scoring chances, but Davis stood his ground. In the final few minutes, Denver began to ratchet up their offense once more but the UMass defense was equal to the task. Both teams began overtime by trying to score quick. End-to-end rushes by both sides were unable to break the tie. After a pair of near-misses by Denver, one from the doorstep by Jack Devine, UMass began generating some zone time of their own and the game continued to see-saw back and forth in the first 5 minutes. The mostly even battle persisted but Devine ended up getting a second chance to end the game when he wrapped the puck around the cage at the 8-minute mark. Unfortunately for Denver, his shot hit the side of the cage and stayed out. About a minute later, Scott Morrow nearly ended the game when Davis wasn't able to pick up his shot but the puck hit Davis in the shoulder and bounced wide. The play started to slow down in the middle part of the period as both teams were becoming tired. Ryan Lautenbach nearly got a chance to end the game with less than 7 minutes to play but the puck was deflected away at the last moment by Tristan Lemyre. Shortly thereafter, Devine got a third scoring chance in overtime after a missed clearing attempt but his shot was stopped by Hrabal's pad. A few minutes later it was Cam O'Neill's turn to get a scoring opportunity from the high slot but Davis was equally unbeatable. With less than 90 seconds to play, Davis missed the puck as it rolled behind the net. UMass knocked it out in front of the net for an open Lucas Mercuri but the puck jumped over his stick and the Minutemen missed an open cage. The second overtime period began in a similar fashion, with scoring chances being generated by both teams, however, Denver's structure of was beginning to break down. UMass took advantage and got a few good looks at the cage in the third minute but Davis remained stout. Off of a faceoff in the UMass end, Sam Harris took a tripping call and gave UMass a second power play. Massachusetts won the ensuing faceoff and quickly got the puck on goal. While Davis made the save, he was felled by an apparent groin injury (though it turned out to just be cramps). After a medical stoppage, Davis remained in goal and tried to play through the pain. UMass got a few more changes on goal but Denver kept the Minutemen at bay. Right at the end of the penalty, Lautenbach got on a short-handed break but missed the net with his shot. After the penalty expired play evened out and both teams found enough energy to get several scoring chances. Hrabal's right pad continued to be save the game for UMass and allow his team to try and pull off the upset. Massachusetts held the balance of play in the middle of the period but Denver was able to set up in the offensive zone with less than eight minutes left. The puck was wrapped around behind the goal and came out to Tristan Broz in the high slot. He fired a shot into the top corner of the net for the apparent winning goal but the play was reviewed for goaltender interference. Sam Harris had made contact with Hrabal but the referees rules that he had been pushed into the crease by Aaron Bohlinger so the goal stood and Denver advanced. |
| 37 | 6 | 24 | 30 | 25 | |||
| 37 | 12 | 17 | 29 | 6 | |||
| 37 | 10 | 16 | 26 | 14 | |||
| 36 | 12 | 13 | 25 | 25 | |||
| 37 | 9 | 16 | 25 | 29 | |||
| 37 | 10 | 14 | 24 | 29 | |||
| 37 | 7 | 15 | 22 | 14 | |||
| 37 | 7 | 11 | 18 | 18 | |||
| 30 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 4 | |||
| 27 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 4 | |||
| 35 | 6 | 4 | 10 | 0 | |||
| 36 | 4 | 5 | 9 | 22 | |||
| 31 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 4 | |||
| 29 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 22 | |||
| 34 | 3 | 5 | 8 | 4 | |||
| 28 | 3 | 4 | 7 | 23 | |||
| 35 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 4 | |||
| 28 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 17 | |||
| 14 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 8 | |||
| 24 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 19 | |||
| 15 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 | |||
| 35 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 14 | |||
| 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | |||
| 30 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Total | 108 | 185 | 293 | 331 |
|---|
| 1 | 8:50 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 | ||
| 30 | 1785:54 | 16 | 12 | 1 | 77 | 796 | 2 | .912 | 2.59 | ||
| 9 | 474:40 | 4 | 2 | 2 | 24 | 303 | 0 | .886 | 3.03 | ||
| Empty Net | - | 12:40 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | |
| Total | 37 | 2282:04 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 105 | 989 | 2 | .904 | 2.76 |
|---|
See main article: 2023–24 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 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 (Final) | ||
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | 19 | 18 | 14т | 15 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | – | 13 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 11 | 12 | 11 | 14 | 14 | 12 | 16 | 13 | 13 | – | 13 | |
| USA Today | NR | NR | NR | 19 | 18 | 14 | 15 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | – | 13 | 12т | 10 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 16 | 12 | 14 | 13 | 12 | |
| Ryan Ufko | AHCA East First Team All-American | [8] |
| Ryan Ufko | Len Ceglarski Award | [9] |
| Ryan Ufko | Hockey East First Team | [10] |
| Michael Hrabal | Hockey East Second Team | [11] |
| Scott Morrow | Hockey East Third Team | [12] |
See main article: 2024 NHL Entry Draft.
| 4 | 116 | † | San Jose Sharks |