After beating Penn State in the season opener and losing to Bowling Green the next day, UConn men’s hockey hosts the Colorado College Tigers this weekend.
UConn made its second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance last year, losing to Michigan State 2-1 in its opening game.
Expectations are high for the Ice Bus and coach Mike Cavanaugh as they entered the season ranked 16 and currently sit at 17.
William McIsaac got the party started against Penn State with a goal in his first colligate game. Star forward Joey Muldowney gave UConn the lead back with his first goal of the season before Kaden Shahan scored an empty net dagger to put away the Nittany Lions.
Sophomore Kam Hendrickson has stepped into the starting goalie role after Tyler Muszelik signed with the Florida Panthers. Hendrickson saved 42 of 43 shots and was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Week. Veeti Louhivaara got the start in net against Bowling Green last Saturday. The Finnish freshman allowed three goals on 30 shots. Both could see time between the pipes against the Tigers.
UConn has a lot of returning pieces from the team that made the Hockey East Championship last season. Forwards Ethan Whitcomb, Mike Murtagh, Alexander Blais and Ethan Gardula will have plenty of goal scoring opportunities while Brendan Dunphy, Kai Janviriya, Trey Scott and Anthony Allen-Samake will help the goalies on the defensive end.
Colorado College is ranked number 12 in the nation, and the Tigers have jumped to a 2-0 start. The Tigers swept UMass last weekend, outscoring the Minutemen 8-1.
Jackson Unger started the first two games for the Tigers, and he has saved 54 of 55 shots. The sophomore went 1-4-2 last season as a backup. If the Huskies send some shots the youngster’s way, they can create plenty of goal scoring opportunities.
Drew Montgomery scored in both games against UMass last weekend. Montgomery had eight goals last season, tied for second on the team. Klavs Veinbergs dished out three assists against the Minutemen to start the season. The Latvian led the team with 11 goals and 12 assists in the 2025-2026 season. Both will be a test for the young Connecticut goalies.
The Ice Bus was 8-8-2 at home last season. If the Huskies want to make a deep run in 2027, they will need to have a better record at the Toscano Family Ice Form.
UConn and Colorado College have faced off three times prior to this weekend’s tilts. The Ice Bus took the trip to Colorado Springs last season and split the series a game apiece. This will be the first time the Tigers play in Storrs, as their 2015 match was played in Bridgeport.
Friday’s game at Toscano is at 7 p.m. while the puck will drop at 5 p.m. on Saturday.