The UConn men’s ice hockey team is set to open up their season with a two-game set against Colgate this weekend at the Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Connecticut.
UConn is hoping to jump out to a hot start this season after finishing with an overall 15-19-2 record last year. A 9-14-1 conference record earned them the No. 8 seed in the Hockey East Conference, their lowest finish since 2019. Despite a challenging regular season, they managed to grab an opening-round win in the Hockey East Tournament over the University of Vermont. The Huskies were eventually knocked out in the quarterfinal round against No. 1 ranked Boston College. UConn is looking to build off their finish last year, and the first stop is against the Colgate Raiders.
The Huskies boast an all-time advantage over the Raiders, with a superior record of 3-1-2. The last time these teams faced off was last season when UConn traveled to the Class of 1965 Arena, Colgate’s home arena. UConn took a decisive victory in game one of the series after jumping out to a two-goal lead in the first period. In game two, the Huskies were trailing 3-1 going into the third period, before rallying to score two goals, forcing the contest into overtime. After two scoreless overtime periods, the game ended in a tie.
Colgate is looking to settle the score as they travel to Storrs. Waiting for them will be fifth-year forward Hudson Schandor. In his senior campaign, Schandor scored 21 points on a .076 shooting percentage through 34 games played. Sophomore Jake Richard was not far behind him, with 18 points on a .113 shooting percentage. There will also be a new face for the Huskies in the net this season: Tyler Muszelik, a junior transfer from the University of New Hampshire. Last year, in eight games for the Wildcats, he allowed 3.38 goals per game with a save percentage of .874.
UConn will have their work cut out with Colgate junior Daniel Panetta on the ice. The Canadian forward scored 29 points last year with a .137 shooting percentage. Panetta will have an even larger role in Colgate’s offense this year following the graduation of their leading scorer Ross Mitton, who scored 30 points for the Raiders last year. Senior Brett Chorske is sure to make an impact for Colgate as well, he tallied 27 points of his own last season.
The puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, while the second game of the series will take place at the same time on Saturday night. The game can be streamed on The Varsity Network.