Facing Providence in the Hockey East semifinals Wednesday may feel like looking in a mirror for UMass.
Both teams rank in the conference’s top three in defense, killing penalties and staying out of the penalty box.
“They’re probably the most similar team to us in Hockey East. They play hard, and they stick to their systems really well,” UMass junior Bobby Trivigno said. “We’re expecting a really fast, physical game. I think it’s going to be tight. We basically have to outwork them.”
The Minutmen, seeded second, won’t have much time to prepare for the fifth seeded Friars after Sunday’s quarterfinal victory over Northeastern. Providence visits the Mullins Center at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Top-seeded Boston College will face No. 7 UMass Lowell at 4:30 p.m. at Kelly Rink in Chestnut Hill.
UMass shouldn’t need much of a refresher, though. The Minutemen, ranked No. 6 nationally, faced No. 14 Providence three times during the regular season. The teams tied two games in late January 0-0 and 1-1, splitting shootout wins. Then the Minutemen lambasted the Friars 8-1 on Feb. 23 as they exited a two-week pause due to elevated COVID-19 levels on campus, an aberration UMass coach Greg Carvel won’t put any stock in.
“Their identity and the way they want to play is very similar to us. They want to be a strong, effective defensive minded team that when given offensive opportunity, make the most of it,” he said. “I expect it to be very low-scoring, very tight game.”
Providence (11-8-5) ended the regular season in a 1-1-2 rut but bounced back with a comfortable 6-1 win on the road against No. 4 UConn. The six goals each came from a different player. No Friar reached double-digit goals this season, but five players have at least 10 points. Tyce Thompson (nine goals) and Parker Ford (12 assists) lead the squad with 16 points each. The Friars boast eight NHL draft picks on the roster.
“Playing simple and being efficient is the thing our whole D corps has been stressing, Keeping it simple and boxing guys in front of the net and being hard to play against down low,” UMass junior Marc Del Gaizo said.
Friars goalie Jaxson Stauber ranks fourth in Hockey East in both goals against average (2.16) and save percentage (.919). He and UMass netminder Filip Lindberg, who leads the conference in both categories (1.55 GAA, 93.0 save percentage), matched each other save for save during that tightly contested series in Rhode Island. The sophomore from Espoo, Finland, has started the last eight games for the Minutemen. They’ve gone 5-0-3 during that stretch, allowing more than one goal just twice.
Lindberg is one of 10 players remaining from UMass’ last trip to the Hockey East semifinals in 2019. The Minutemen fell 3-0 against Boston College at TD Garden but ultimately reached the national championship game. UMass has reached the semifinals five times, including Wednesday. Four of those trips resulted in losses, while UMass beat New Hampshire 5-2 in 2004 to advance to the final. The Minutemen were the league’s No. 2 seed last year before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the tournament.
UMass has never won the Hockey East tournament title.
“We’re very fortunate to be playing right now. It’s pretty bittersweet because we had this opportunity taken away from us last year,” Del Gaizo said. “We have a lot of guys who have the knowledge and experience of what it takes to go on a deep playoff run. It’s a fun time of the year, and we’re really grateful we have the opportunity in front of us.”
HOCKEY EAST AWARDS – UMass freshman forward Josh Lopina was named the Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Year on Tuesday with Boston College’s Nikita Nesterenko. He’s the first athlete in program history to win the award, and it’s just the third time UMass has ever claimed a major Hockey East honor. Cale Makar was named the Player of the Year, and Carvel won Coach of the Year in 2019.
Lopina, a Minooka, Illinois native, also made the league’s all-rookie team and was second in the conference in rookie scoring with 17 points. He was fifth in Hockey with four power-play goals. Lopina leads all freshmen in faceoff wins. He was the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for November/December and the Rookie of the Week on Jan. 5.
“He was such a useful player for us, reliable on faceoffs, killing penalties and the power play. It wasn’t until the end of the year when I saw his stats and I realized he was going to be in the running,” Carvel said. “He absolutely deserves to be the Rookie of the Year. He’s a pro prospect.”
BC dominated the rest of the awards. Goalie Spencer Knight was named Player of the Year, while Jerry York earned Coach of the Year recognition for the fifth time.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.