The Forecheck: Huston Karpman makes debut in loss to Merrimack
The Huskies have used the extra skater spot to cycle through freshmen.
Welcome to the UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.
Huston Karpman makes UConn debut in loss to Merrimack
Though it may have been easy to miss in the drama of UConn’s Friday night loss to Merrimack, freshman forward Huston Karpman made his on-ice debut.
He was a surprise inclusion as the team’s extra skater ahead of fifth-year forward Adam Dawe and freshman defenseman Jack Pascucci, who had split time at the spot in recent games.
Despite being one of the less-heralded members of UConn’s freshman class, Karpman forced his way into the lineup with a strong week of practice.
“He's worked hard and played well in practice,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “I didn't give it to him, he earned it.”
On a day when the Huskies struggled to find many positives, Karpman put in a solid effort despite the lack of shots or points. He played hard, limited mistakes, and got more ice time as the game progressed. The freshman did pick up a penalty, though that shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering he totaled 215 penalty minutes in 54 games with the NAHL’s Minot Minotaurs last season.
“I thought he did a good job,” Cavanaugh said. “He was out there, I thought he worked hard.”
Karpman is one of two UConn freshmen to make the jump from the NAHL along with forward Jake Black. In addition to the eye-popping penalty minutes, the Manhattan Beach, California native racked up 17 goals and 35 assists in the league.
Karpman struggled with conditioning but over the last two months, he’s improved and has now proven himself to be a capable reserve at the very least.
Cavanaugh’s use of the extra skater has changed some since Samu Salminen arrived in late October but he’s still rotated it heavily. Only sophomore defensemen Aidan Metcalfe and freshman forward Mark D’Agostino have yet to make an appearance this season. Pascucci has been tapped for five games, freshman forward Ryan Tattle has four games under his belt, Black has three and now Karpman has one.
While the Huskies will only play once more before the winter break, the use of the extra skater projects remains a point of interest for the foreseeable future.
Week in review
From the UConn Hockey Hub:
From The UConn Blog:
Last Forecheck:
Elsewhere:
UConn stayed at No. 8 in the USCHO Poll.
Three stars
First star: Nick Capone
The junior scored the game-sealing goal on Tuesday with an impressive spin-and-shoot while also adding an assist on Friday. Capone is now third on the team with six goals and also hit the 10-point mark on the season.
Second star: Samu Salminen
After arriving late, Salminen has started to find his groove. He scored in both games and also added an assist on Friday for a three-point weekend. Salminen is also one of two players on the team (alongside Capone) to win more face-offs than he’s lost at 74-59 (55.6 percent).
Third star: Jake Flynn
While Flynn didn’t record a point on the weekend, he made a game-changing play on Tuesday when he hustled back to disrupt a breakaway and kept himself out of the penalty box in both contests.
Play of the Week
Ice-cold capture
