AMHERST – UMass will need every advantage the Mullins Center provides when it opens its doors Friday.
The No. 13 Minutemen are hosting the defending national champion and No. 1-ranked University of Denver in one of college hockey’s premier nonconference matchups.
“Home ice should be an advantage. Denver traveling from long distance. Hopefully they have some delays in their flights. I think it’s good again with as many new players as we have playing on our ice and just getting more reps in game situations and a comfortable environment, I think is important,” UMass coach Greg Carvel said. “We’ve got to keep taking steps forward. I thought we did from Sacred Heart to AIC.”
UMass (0-0-1) plays on an Olympic-sized rink at the Mullins Center, which is 15 feet wider than the NHL rink the Minutemen played on in their opener at AIC. They finished 12th in the country in attendance last season averaging 4,306 fans per game. UMass has finished in the top 15 in attendance every season fans have been allowed in the doors since 2018-19.
“Our guys love the crowd, they love the student support. I’ve heard we’re close to sold out for Friday night, which is great,” Carvel said. “It’s going to be a hell of an environment. It’ll be great. It’s why these kids play college hockey: big time game, big time environment, big time hockey.”
It’s the first of five UMass games in a row at the Mullins Center. The Minutemen host the Pioneers (2-0) on Friday and Saturday before a two-game series against Union next weekend. Hockey East play opens with the first part of a home and home against Merrimack in Amherst on Oct. 28.
“All the returning guys know what it’s like, and we’re excited to get back in front of ’em and the student section, everything like that. The new guys are excited to get their first experience,” UMass’ Cal Kiefiuk said. “They don’t really know what it’s gonna be like, but I think they know it’s going to be pretty loud. It’s a unique environment.”
UMass highlighted some of the eccentricities of the Mullins Center student section using its own players in a Twitter video. Some Minutemen shouted “U” from one side of the student section and pointed to teammates on the other side that responded “Mass” and pointed back. They pounded on the glass. Defenseman Scott Morrow wore a reindeer onesie costume like stalwart Quinn McCarron, who has become known as the UMass Reindeer Kid for his attire. McCarron even appeared in the video himself to lead the players through “Let’s Go UMass” and “Valley Solar” chants and emphasized to repeat them just three times.
“It was fun. Not much of an actor, but I tried to do my part,” UMass senior Reed Lebster said.
Students will also bow to the UMass goalie and chant “sexy goalie” at him while showering opposing goalies with “ugly goalie” jeers and respond “thank you” when the PA announcer indicates there’s one minute remaining in the period.
“It’s a huge difference, the students and the energy they bring. It gives us energy and gives us momentum in the game,” Kiefiuk said. “It helps us stay up and it gets us more into a game early when it’s loud.”
BIG WEEKEND – UMass isn’t the only Hockey East team stepping to top flight competition. Ohio State is visiting UConn. Michigan and Boston University are squaring off, as are UMass Lowell and Michigan State.
“The thing that is probably the most important is these are really important for pairwise. You need your league to win these games,” said Carvel, referencing the formula that decides who makes the NCAA Tournament and the seeds. “The first thing is that you want your team to play well and try to find a way to win games, but the next thing to me is how important it is to get teams to the NCAA tournament.”
That puts Carvel in a bizarre position to root for teams that UMass wants to beat later in the season. He was watching UMass Lowell host Miami last weekend and found himself pulling for the River Hawks.
“It’s an awkward feeling,” Carvel said. “That’s our rival, yet I’m going ‘come on.’ I hope they win, but it doesn’t feel good to say it out loud.”
LINES IN THE SAND – Three of UMass’ four forward lines in its opener against AIC were divided by class. Seniors Cal Kiefiuk, Michigan State transfer Josh Nodler and Reed Lebster skated on the top line, while sophomores Taylor Makar, Lucas Mercuri and Ryan Lautenbach were on the second line. Freshmen Tyson Dyck, Kenny Connors make up line No. 4.
“We’re trying to build chemistry that way,” Carvel said.
The top line also shares similar roots. All three grew up in Michigan. Kiefiuk and Nodler played together with the Honeybaked Youth program, where they sometimes skated against Lebster and his Fox Motors squads.
“We obviously all know each other from the past so it makes it easy to build those relationships,” Kiefiuk said. “Lebby’s a little bit further away than us, me and Nod lived a little bit closer. We enjoy it, we always kind of talk a little bit of trash to each other about whose town’s better.”
DROP THE PUCK – The NHL season opened Tuesday night, and there are 10 former Minutemen on opening night rosters: Justin Braun (Philadelphia), Mario Ferraro (San Jose), Joe Hanley (Dallas), Matt Irwin (Washington), Zac Jones (New York Rangers), Cale Makar (Colorado), Brandon Montour (Florida), Jonathan Quick (Los Angeles), Conor Sheary (Washington) and Frank Vatrano (Anaheim)
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.