AMHERST — The promise and the problems of a large freshman class played out in the UMass hockey team’s 5-3 season-opening win over Rensselaer on Friday.
Freshmen accounted for three goals and two assists, making their mark on a team that raised its 2018-19 Hockey East regular season championship and national runner-up banners in the Mullins Center rafters.
“It’s great three of them scored goals, but they also looked like freshman in a lot of ways. Hopefully they grew up a lot,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “They don’t understand what it takes to play at this level until you actually play a game. We need them to figure it out. They’re all capable.”
Cal Kiefiuk and Zac Jones had a goal and an assist each, while Reed Lebster scored what proved to be the game-winner.
Early in the third period, RPI (0-1), which had trailed by two goals for most of the second period and into the third, pulled back within one after Patrick Polino stole the puck and found the net 3 minutes, 56 seconds in.
Lebster responded 17 seconds later with a one-time shot on a feed from Kiefiuk that put UMass up 4-3.
“We knew we should win the game there. There’s no worry on the bench,” UMass junior Mitchell Chaffee said. “A lot of guys have gone through that over the past year, so we brought that in, and I hope a lot of the younger guys felt that we weren’t worried.”
Chaffee provided a stabilizing veteran presence. He scored twice — an empty-netter with 1:16 left to ice the game and also during UMass’ three-goal second period — and added an assist on UMass’ first line.
RPI held a 1-0 lead after the first period when Zack Dubinsky’s wrist shot beat Filip Lindberg over his left shoulder following a turnover with 26.6 seconds left in the period. The Engineers outshot UMass 12-9 in the opening frame. It was the Minutemen’s first game action of the year against another team after not playing any preseason exhibitions.
“The reason we like to play those exhibition games is so we don’t have a first period like we had tonight where it took a little while to get the rust off,” Carvel said. “Every detail needs to be covered. Every time we turned the puck over or missed a check, RPI did a good job creating offense or scoring goals.”
UMass controlled the puck for most of the second period and put away three goals to show for it.
Kiefiuk scored his first career goal after swiping an RPI pass then splitting two Engineer defenders on a breakaway that tied the game 2:11 into the second.
“I rushed out to the point to get my guy, and it took a good bounce off me,” he said. “It was kind of surreal. It’s a loud building, it’s the first time I’ve been in a building like that.”
Chaffee put UMass ahead initially 2-1 on a feed from Zac Jones when he popped the puck over Rensselaer goalie Owen Savory (34 saves) 10:48 into the second.
RPI’s Mike Gornall committed a holding penalty 34 seconds later. Jones ended the power play with his first career goal: a blast high between the circles on a feed from Chaffee.
“Some quiet moments cost us the game in the second period,” RPI coach Dave Smith said. “We got very stagnant.”
The teams played an even third period at two goals apiece. RPI twice pulled within a goal, but the Minutemen kept the Engineers at arms length.
“They were taking advantage of poor puck decisions by us,” Carvel said. “The entire game comes down to puck decision and puck battles.”
Lindberg recorded 20 saves.
“You don’t give up three goals,” Carvel said. “Our goalies know that. I like our goalies (Lindberg and Matt Murray), I think we’re fortunate to have those guys, but we’re not going to win many games this year when we give up three goals. It needs to be better.”
Coming off a season when UMass reached the Frozen Four, it could have opened with an easy game and a victory lap. Instead the Minutemen battled to open 1-0.
“It’s good that we were pushed,” Carvel said. “I needed to find out what we are.”