Connecticut Huskies men's ice hockey

Connecticut Huskies men's ice hockey
Current season
University University of Connecticut
Conference Hockey East
Head coach Mike Cavanaugh [1]
6th season, 66–89–25 (.436)
Captain(s) Miles Gendron (C), Max Kalter (A), Benjamin Freeman (A)
Arena XL Center
Capacity: 8,089
Surface: 200' x 85'
Location Storrs, Connecticut
Colors National Flag Blue and White[2]
         
Conference Tournament championships
2000

The Connecticut Huskies men's ice hockey team is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I college ice hockey program that represents the University of Connecticut. The Huskies are a member of Hockey East. They play at the XL Center in Hartford, Connecticut.[3]

History

The Huskies men's ice hockey program began in 1960 under head coach John Chapman. UConn began NCAA competition at the NCAA Division III level in the ECAC East.[4]

Prior to 1998, the Huskies played all home games outdoors at a partially enclosed rink on-campus near Memorial Stadium. The UConn Hockey Rink had a roof but was open on the sides.[5] However, in preparation for the upgrade to Division I, the University built the Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum. Construction began in 1996, and the first indoor home game for UConn was on November 7, 1998.[6][7]

The move to NCAA Division I status allowed the team to join other Husky athletic programs. In 1998 they joined the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, after previously playing for 38 years in the Division III ECAC East.[8] At the time, head coach Bruce Marshall was in his tenth season at the position. In its 2nd season in the 2000 MAAC Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, Uconn beat Iona 6-1 to win its 1st league championship. However, due to a 2-year probationary period placed on the MAAC for an automatic bid to the NCAA Ice Hockey championship by the league champion, UConn was unable to participate in the NCAA tournament that year. It has been the only championship Uconn would earn since moving to Division I (as of May, 2016). But when the athletic department was forced to remove all athletic scholarships from the sport in order to comply with Title IX,[9] and the Huskies consistently finished in the bottom few spots of the national computer rankings before the most recent season.[10] In 2003, the MAAC formed a new league called Atlantic Hockey.

In June 2010, the University announced that the team would face Sacred Heart at Rentschler Field in East Hartford on February 13, 2011, as part of a doubleheader also featuring a game between the women's team and the Providence Friars.[11] The Huskies won this game 3-1, in front of 1,711 fans. The Huskies also played their first ever game at the XL Center in downtown Hartford that year, though this was not originally scheduled. Due to heavy snow accumulation on the Freitas roof, the team's February 5 game against Army was moved to the off-camps arena, also home to the Connecticut Whale of the American Hockey League.[12] In spite of free admission, only 891 fans turned up on short notice to watch the Huskies lose 5-3.[13] As a whole, the 2010-11 season was also a major improvement for the Huskies, who advance to the Atlantic Hockey Tournament semifinals at Blue Cross Arena before being eliminated. They finished with a final record of 16-18-4. One of the major factors in the turnaround was the young recruits the Huskies had signed. Freshman Cole Schneider led the team with 32 points, while sophomore Sean Ambrosie finished second with 29.[14] Meanwhile, sophomore Garrett Bartus set a school record with 1,085 saves.[15] The 2011-12 AHA preseason rankings reflected the newly gained reputation, with the Huskies ranked fifth out of twelve teams.[16] The Huskies posted a winning record once again in the 2012-13 season.

On June 21, 2012 Connecticut announced the program will join Hockey East as the conference's 12th member beginning in the 2014-15 season.[17] Prior to the move into Hockey East, on January 7, 2013, head coach Bruce Marshall resigned after 25 years [18] and was replaced in interim by Asst. Dave Berard.[19] The season ended with a record of 17-13-4. The team finished 4th in the AHA, drawing a crowd of 1438 for their final home game of the season against Sacred Heart. As part of the move from Atlantic Hockey to Hockey East, the university added 18 scholarships for the men's ice hockey team and additional scholarships to existing women's sports programs to meet Title IX gender equity requirements.[17] The university is also investigating options to significantly renovate the Freitas Ice Forum, which has a seating capacity around 2,000 fans, and mostly consists of metal bleachers; or build a new, larger ice arena on-campus.[17] As a new member of Hockey East the team will play home games at the 15,635-seat former NHL arena, the XL Center in downtown Hartford, with other select (home) games at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, CT. A study by the university projected a cost around $20,000 a game to play at the XL Center.[17]

New Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh, who spent 18 seasons as an assistant at Boston College, was hired to guide Uconn into their new era of scholarship hockey in the Hockey East. He coached Uconn's final season (2013–14) in Atlantic Hockey to a record of 18-14-4, with wins over future Hockey East opponents Providence and Umass, while playing to a 2-2 draw with eventual 2014 NCAA Champ Union . Uconn made a successful transition to Hockey East in 2014-15 as they finished in the top 10 nationally in home attendance (5,396) while also leading their new conference . They were also competitive on the ice as their transition year resulted in 4 wins over top 20 teams while gaining ties with national championship game finalists Providence and Boston University. Starting in the 2015-16 season all home games were played at the XL Center, which drew a much better attendance per game (5,879) than those at the Webster Bank Arena (2,900) in which Uconn appeared during the 2014-15 season.

Season-by-season results[20]

Coaching staff

[21] The Huskies are coached by Mike Cavanaugh, the fourth head coach in program history.

All-time coaching records

As of completion of 2017-18 season[4]

Tenure Coach Years Record Pct.
2013–presentMike Cavanaugh566–89–25.436
2012–2013David Berard1†19–10–3.641
1988–2012Bruce Marshall25332–377–69.471
1981–1988Ben Kirtland785–98–2.465
1960–1981John Chapman21196–221–7.471
Totals 5 coaches 58 seasons 698–795–106 .470

† David Berard served as an interim head coach after Bruce Marshall took a medical leave of absence.

Awards and honors

ECAC East

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-ECAC East

  • 1991–92: Chris Potter, D; Bryan Krygier, F
  • 1992–93: Chris Potter, D
  • 1994–95: Bryan Quinn, F
  • 1995–96: Ryan Equale, F

Second Team All-ECAC East

  • 1987–88: Todd Krygier, F
  • 1989–90: Bryan Krygier, F
  • 1990–91: Bryan Krygier, F
  • 1991–92: Mike Krygier, F
  • 1993–94: D. J. LeBlanc, F
  • 1997–98: Eric Linkowski, D

MAAC

Individual Awards

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-MAAC

  • 1998–99: Geoff Angell, F
  • 2001–02: Mike Boylan, D

Second Team All-MAAC

  • 1998–99: Rob Martin, D
  • 2000–01: Michael Goldkind, F

MAAC All-Rookie Team

  • 1998–99: Jon Chain, G; Mike Boylan, D
  • 2000–01: Eric Nelson, D
  • 2001–02: Adam Rhein, D

Atlantic Hockey

Individual Awards

All-Conference Teams

First Team All-Atlantic Hockey

  • 2003–04: Eric Nelson, D; Tim Olsen, F
  • 2004–05: Tim Olsen, F
  • 2011–12: Cole Schneider, F

Second Team All-Atlantic Hockey

  • 2006–07: Matt Scherer, F
  • 2007–08: Beau Erickson, G
  • 2008–09: Sean Erickson, D
  • 2011–12: Alex Gerke, D

Third Team All-Atlantic Hockey

  • 2006–07: Sean Erickson, D
  • 2012–13: Matt Grogan, G
  • 2013–14: Brant Harris, F

Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team

  • 2003–04: Scott Tomes, G; Matt Scherer, F
  • 2004–05: Brad Smith, G
  • 2005–06: Sean Erickson, D
  • 2009–10: Alex Greke, D
  • 2010–11: Cole Schneider, F

Hockey East

All-Conference Teams

Second Team All-Hockey East

  • 2015–16: Maxim Letunov, F
  • 2017–18: Maxim Letunov, F

Third Team All-Hockey East

Atlantic Hockey All-Rookie Team

  • 2015–16: Maxim Letunov, F

Statistical Leaders[20]

Career points leaders

Player Years GP G A Pts PIM
Bryan Krygier 1988–1992 92 127 219
Todd Krygier 1984–1988 99 101 200
Ryan Equale 1992–1996 79 109 188
Brian Sutherland 1990–1994 61 92 153
Jeff Ray 1988–1992 78 73 151
Bryan Quinn 1991–1995 64 85 149
D. J. LeBlanc 1990–1994 68 80 148
Harry Geary 1984–1987 70 87 148
Dave L'Ecuyer 1979–1983 66 79 145
Mark Kosinski 1982–1986 59 77 136

Career Goaltending Leaders

GP = Games played; Min = Minutes played; GA = Goals against; SO = Shutouts; SV% = Save percentage; GAA = Goals against average

Minimum 50 Games

Player Years GP Min GA SO SV% GAA
Matt Grogan2010–20145930821192.9262.32
Rob Nichols2013–200593538623910.9182.66
Marc Senerchia1996–2000933.02
Garrett Bartus2009–201311163533205.9113.02
Beau Erickson2006–20098548912642.9023.24

Statistics current through the start of the 2018-19 season.

Current roster

As of September 7, 2018.[22]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
2 New York (state) Corson Green Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-03-04 Potsdam, New York Central Illinois (USHL) —
3 Connecticut Adam Karashik Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1998-01-15 Ridgefield, Connecticut Chicago (USHL) —
4 Michigan Roman Kinal Freshman D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-07-20 Waterford, Michigan Dubuque (USHL) —
6 New York (state) Ryan Wheeler Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1997-08-24 Lancaster, New York New Jersey (NAHL) —
7 British Columbia Jonny Evans Freshman F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 164 lb (74 kg) 1997-05-01 Delta, British Columbia Powell River (BCHL) —
8 British Columbia Carter Turnbull Freshman F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-09-08 Nanaimo, British Columbia Powell River (BCHL) —
9 Quebec Alexander Payusov Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-07-26 Montreal, Quebec Madison (USHL) —
10 Massachusetts Miles Gendron (C) Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-06-28 Shrewsbury, Massachusetts Penticton (BCHL) OTT, 70th overall 2014
11 Czech Republic Jáchym Kondelík Freshman F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1999-12-21 Budejovice, Czech Republic Muskegon (USHL) NSH, 111th overall 2018
12 New Jersey Evan Wisocky Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-03-20 Hoboken, New Jersey Youngstown (USHL) —
13 New York (state) John Wojciechowski Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) 1998-02-18 Larchmont, New York Langley (BCHL) —
14 Illinois Zac Robbins Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 1996-10-03 Glenview, Illinois Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
15 Pennsylvania Jordan Timmons Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1998-10-25 South Fayette, Pennsylvania Cedar Rapids (USHL) —
16 Quebec Karl El-Mir Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1996-03-14 Montreal, Quebec Grande Prairie (AJHL) —
17 Massachusetts Marc Gatcomb Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-07-22 Woburn, Massachusetts The Gunnery (USHS–CT) —
18 Illinois Max Kalter (A) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 1996-03-01 Highland Park, Illinois Sioux City (USHL) —
19 Illinois Brian Rigali Sophomore F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-03-08 Libertyville, Illinois Sioux City (USHL) —
20 Minnesota Wyatt Newpower Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1997-12-09 Hugo, Minnesota White Bear Lake (USHS–MN) —
22 Minnesota Justin Howell Junior F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1997-04-26 Saint Paul, Minnesota Des Moines (USHL) —
24 Maine Benjamin Freeman (A) Junior F 6' 5" (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 1996-01-10 Falmouth, Maine Connecticut (USPHL) —
26 Sweden Philip Nyberg Junior D 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1997-04-27 Linköping, Sweden Madison (USHL) BUF, 129th overall 2016
29 Alberta Kale Howarth Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1997-06-10 Red Deer, Alberta Trail (BCHL) CBJ, 148th overall 2017
30 Slovakia Adam Huska Junior G 6' 4" (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 1997-05-12 Zvolen, Slovakia Green Bay (USHL) NYR, 184th overall 2015
33 Czech Republic Tomáš Vomáčka Freshman G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-05-02 Trutnov, Czech Republic Lincoln (USHL) NSH, 154th overall 2017
34 Russia Ruslan Iskhakov Freshman F 5' 7" (1.7 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-07-22 Moscow, Russia Krasnaya Armiya (MHL) NYI, 43rd overall 2018
35 England Bradley Stone Sophomore G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1996-07-14 London, England Boston Jr. Bruins (USPHL) —

Notable alumni

Various alumni have gone on to play in the minor leagues, including the American Hockey League, ECHL, and Central Hockey League. Former Husky Todd Krygier played ten seasons in the National Hockey League.[23]

See also

References

  1. ↑ http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/m-hockey/mtt/mike_cavanaugh_858038.html
  2. ↑ "Brand identity Standards" (PDF). University of Connecticut. Retrieved June 8, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Connecticut Huskies Men's Hockey". U.S. College Hockey Online. Retrieved April 10, 2011.
  4. 1 2 "Connecticut Huskies Men's Hockey Team History". U.S. College Hockey Online. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  5. ↑ Newell, Bill (12 September 1956). "Hockey Rink, Arena Planned at Uconn". Hartford Courant. Ebsco. Retrieved 27 January 2012. (Subscription required (help)).
  6. ↑ "UConn Facilities - Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum". Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  7. ↑ "New covered ice arena now ready for play". Retrieved 27 January 2012.
  8. ↑ "UConn Hockey Record Book" (PDF). University of Connecticut. 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  9. ↑ McDonough, Matt (October 19, 2011). "Hockey needs more support". Daily Campus. Retrieved 1 October 2011.
  10. ↑ http://www.theuconnblog.com/2010/2/9/1302109/uconn-hockey-enough-is-enough
  11. ↑ http://www.uconnhuskies.com/sports/w-hockey/spec-rel/060210aaa.html
  12. ↑ "CBS Local - UConn Hockey Games Moved to XL Center". Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  13. ↑ "UConn-Army Box Score, UConnhuskies.com" (PDF). Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  14. ↑ "Connecticut Huskies 2010-11 Stats". Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  15. ↑ "Garrett Bartus - UConn Huskies.com". Retrieved 13 January 2012.
  16. ↑ "Bentley Falcons: Atlantic Hockey Preseason Poll Released".
  17. 1 2 3 4 Associated Press Staff (June 21, 2012). "Connecticut joins Hockey East". ESPN. Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  18. ↑ "Bruce Marshall Resigns As UConn Men's Hockey Head Coach". www.uconnhuskies.com. Retrieved 2016-05-19.
  19. ↑ http://articles.courant.com/2013-01-07/sports/hc-uconn-hockey-coach-bruce-marshall-resigns-20130107_1_bruce-marshall-hockey-east-marshall-lives
  20. 1 2 "Connecticut Men's Ice Hockey 2016-17 Media Guide section 3" (PDF). Connecticut Huskies. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  21. ↑ "Bruce Marshall". University of Connecticut. 2011. Retrieved January 10, 2012.
  22. ↑ "2018-19 Roster". University of Connecticut. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
  23. ↑ "U. of Connecticut Alumni Report". HockeyDB.com. November 2010. Retrieved January 9, 2012.
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