UConn Huskies shut out Northeastern 4-1 with help from goalie Adam Huska on November 28th, 2017. (Eric Wang/The Daily Campus)
Riding their seven-game winning streak, the UConn men’s hockey team are slated to take on UMass Amherst Thursday night in their final game before the Hockey East playoffs. With a win, the Huskies would complete their longest win streak in program history. The team has been averaging 3.88 goals per game while only giving up 2.62.
Entering the final weekend of play, UConn is tied with Maine for fifth place in the conference. Eleven Hockey East wins on the season are a team best since joining the league in 2014.
Spencer Naas is riding a record of his own, a career best point steak. He’s earned at least one in each of the seven games of the streak, including a two-goal night against BU last weekend.
Benjamin Freeman is on a six-game point streak and posting career high totals in points, goals, and assists.
After scoring the game winner on Friday, Maxim Letunov secured a four-game goal streak and leads the team in points with 27 on the season.
Finally, senior goalie Tanner Creel has started in the last eight games after Adam Huska went down with a wrist injury, and Creel has been nothing short of impressive. He has gone 7-1 and is wearing a .913 save percentage going into Thursday’s matchup.
The Minutemen have gone 7-13-2 in the conference and sit in ninth place in the league. They are fresh off a loss to Boston College, 5-2 at home. Their freshman class has been leading the way thanks to impressive seasons from John Leonard and Mitchel Chaffee. Leonard has 23 points to his name, including ten goals. Chaffee is the leading goal-scorer for UMass with 12 this season.
Additionally, freshman goalie Matt Murray made an appearance in twenty games this season and owns a .908 save percentage. He’s worked his way to three shutouts on the year.
In two matchups so far this season, the Huskies have split with the Minutemen. Back on December 1st, UMass rallied in the second period, scoring three and erasing the lead the Huskies had carried to that point. Ultimately, UConn took a 4-2 loss. A few days later, both teams ventured to the XL Center for a rematch. Six different players scored for UConn that night in a game that would eventually end with an 8-2 victory over the Minutemen.
The Huskies will face off against UMass Thursday night at the XL Center.
Rachel Schaefer is a staff writer for The Daily Campus. She can be reached via email at rachel.schaefer@uconn.edu.
