SPRINGFIELD – Integrating a dozen new players meant the UMass hockey team needed 50 minutes or so to resemble itself.
AIC scored two goals in that time during Saturday’s season opener at the MassMutual Center, but those may have hastened the Minutemen becoming a similar UMass hockey team to what it has presented in recent years.
No. 13 UMass scored two goals in the final seven minutes to open the season with a 2-2 tie Saturday. The Yellow Jackets won the shootout 1-0, but the game went in the official NCAA scorebook as a draw and is recorded as such for postseason qualification and seeding.
“I wish we would have came out and played like we did the last 10 minutes. We finally found some desperation,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “Still, we’re working on habits and details.”
The Minutemen (0-0-1) rolled out a lineup featuring eight newcomers, five of whom were freshmen making their college debuts. UMass held the puck in AIC’s zone for most of the first period but never broke through.
The Yellow Jackets (0-1-2) took the game’s first lead on a breakaway. After UMass sustained its most intense pressure of the game near the end of the second period, AIC finally broke out and created a 2-on-2 amidst a change. Blake Bennett assessed his options while the UMass defense played the pass. He chose a shot and beat UMass goalie Luke Pavicich with a wrist shot with 1 minute, 59 seconds remaining in the period.
UMass responded with an inspired stretch but entered the second intermission trailing 1-0.
AIC doubled its lead 7 minutes into the third. The Yellow Jackets won a faceoff in their zone, then Luis Ledner fed a long stretch pass to Dustin Manz. Manz slipped the puck to a charging Oscar Geschwind, who tipped the puck past Pavicich with an acrobatic finish.
“I didn’t like the second goal, not that it was his fault. He made a lot of big saves, but we left him out to dry a lot,” Carvel said.
Pavicich, a sophomore starting just his second game, turned away 34 shots, including several from his back.
“I told the goalies it’s day to day just see how things go, but Pav probably earned another start the way he played,” Carvel said.
Allowing the second goal stoked whatever had been brewing on the UMass bench. The Minutemen further put the screws to AIC and finally found the back of the net with 7:07 left.
Lucas Mercuri worked the puck behind the net and found Michigan State transfer Josh Nodler, who beat AIC goalie Jarrett Fiske (32 saves) for his first goal as a Minuteman. Ryan Lautenbach also received an assist on the play.
“We run a pretty aggressive system, and it takes a little bit getting used to, but I think myself and us as a team are coming along,” Nodler said. “Obviously we have a lot of work to do, but once we get those systems down, it's kind of second nature.”
The scoring muscle memory returned quickly. Defenseman Scott Morrow worked around the net for an angle, and sent the puck to Reed Lebster for a tap-in on the back porch with 5:56 left. Cal Kiefiuk also picked up an assist.
“We built up some shifts. We kept them in their zone for a while, had a lot of good chances,” Carvel said. “We were able to suffocate them, get in and pin them in their zone. That was the game plan, and we didn’t do a very good job up until that point.”
Each team put two shots on goal during the overtime period, but they couldn’t separate.
AIC’s Jordan Biro scored the only goal of the shootout to send the Yellow Jackets fans home happy. Fiske made two saves in the shootout, and Morrow hit the post. Pavicich stopped Alexander Malinowski.
“We're disappointed with the result. We expect a lot more out of ourselves, and we expect to win every game,” UMass captain Eric Faith said. “Anything less than a win is kind of a loss for us.”
The Minutemen host defending national champion and No. 1 Denver on Oct. 14 and 15 to open the Mullins Center slate.
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.