The Massachusetts men’s club hockey team closed out a 3-0 shutout against Connecticut College late Friday night. The No. 7 Minutemen (19-8) fought what was largely a tight and physical battle with the No. 8 Camels (16-4), as the scoreboard remained within one score through almost 40 minutes of play.
With UMass’ win streak now standing at three, the Minutemen are building momentum as postseason play approaches.
“This is playoff hockey at this point,” head coach Skip Welch said. “We’re making sure we can keep our solid standings for regionals, so it’s very important to get in there, and they treated the game like [playoff hockey].”
UMass goalkeeper Nick Hubbard — nicknamed “Hub” by his teammates — led the way to the victory with his shutout performance, saving all 32 shots that came his way. The goaltender’s most notable play occurred within the first four minutes of the third period, making a leaping glove save to prevent Connecticut College from chipping into the Minutemen’s 2-0 advantage.
Hubbard joined the team just a couple of weeks ago at the start of the spring semester. Welch explained he “can’t ask anymore” of Hubbard following his “fantastic” night.
“We have a great group of guys [who] are all super welcoming, and at the end of the day, there’s not much of the season left, so I’m going to play my heart out for [them],” Hubbard said. “It’s some of these guys’ last year. I just want to give it my all for them.”
Although the goalkeeper was the backbone of the team Friday night, the people around him played physical defense, making it difficult for the Camels to get a clear shot on goal.
Welch was fond of the UMass defensemen, noting the group’s “stingy” play of getting sticks in tight lanes and on the puck.
Nobody embodied that play more than TJ Michel, who found himself sandwiched between two baby blue uniforms on a two-on-one fastbreak in the first period. As a Connecticut College attacker attempted to slip a pass to a teammate with an open view of the net, Michel decisively tipped the puck out of Camel possession to prevent a potential tie — a simple yet crucial play.
Minutemen forward Christian Rosa commenced his night with a two-goal performance in the third frame, sealing the team’s victory. Forward Matt Carrara sent a cross-ice pass to Rosa, and with opposing goaltender Ryan Rosenau failing to recover in time, Rosa chipped the puck in the back of the net to create a 2-0 lead. His second score came on an empty net shot in the final two minutes; Carrara assisted on both goals.
Carrara punched in the first goal of the contest after an 11-minute standstill in the opening period, capitalizing on a mesmerizing deke displayed by Rosa. The forward worked the puck side to side, manipulating Rosenau to step up to the top of his crease before delivering the tone-setting score to Carrara.
“It [set the tone],” Welch said on the opening goal. “They’ve been playing very well and just not getting the results. The puck hasn’t bounced their way, and it was great to see a beautiful goal and a full-line effort.”
Leaning on both sides of the puck with a disciplined defensive structure, timely scoring and stout goaltending, UMass controlled the pace of this tight battle. The Minutemen put together a complete group effort as the regular season quickly comes to an end, setting the tone for the postseason and strengthening their push to solidify an automatic playoff berth.
UMass will return to the Mullins Center Community Rink to host No. 14 Boston College for the team’s Senior Night, which falls on Saturday, Feb. 7 at 6:00 p.m. That contest will be the Minutemen’s final regular season game.
Andrew Guindon can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @NestPgs.
