The Forecheck: Ty Amonte made the most of his time at UConn

The BU transfer only spent one year in Storrs, but certainly left his mark on the program.

Mar 14, 2023

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.

Ty Amonte made the most of his time at UConn

In Ty Amonte’s final game at UConn, he suited up despite being far from 100 percent. The forward injured his right shoulder in the regular season finale a week prior, but head coach Mike Cavanaugh couldn’t imagine putting Amonte in the stands for the quarterfinal matchup.

“He wasn't healthy today. I just wanted him on the bench. He gave us everything he could,” the coach said.

It was the third shoulder injury Amonte suffered this season alone after they’d limited him to just 24 games over the previous three years. Still, he played in all but five contests and finished with six goals — tied for the second-most of his career. UConn knew Amonte was an injury risk but even in the immediate aftermath of the loss to UMass Lowell, Cavanaugh had no regrets about bringing him in from Boston University.

“I just told him in the locker room, I appreciated him believing in us. He was at BU for five years and he had one more year of eligibility and he decided to come here,” the coach said. “He came as a walk on, too — we eventually upgraded him and gave him some money — but he came as a walk on, which is even more impressive. Unfortunately, he couldn't really stay healthy.”

Amonte certainly left his mark on the program. After preseason wrapped up, the team voted to make him an assistant captain despite only just arriving. Even though he spent so much time at BU and comes from a family of Terriers — his dad, Tony, played there while his brother, Tristan, is in his sophomore season — Amonte had no reserves about going all-in on UConn and “jumped in with two feet,” according to Cavanaugh.

He notched two goals in a statement win early in the season vs. Ohio State then recorded an overtime game-winner against Maine that featured one of the best celebrations of the season: He took his glove off and signaled for a goal.

“I looked down and my glove was already off so I was like, ‘Alright, might as well just let ‘em know it's in,” Amonte said postgame.

His final goal came in the regular season finale vs. Boston College, a win that helped UConn clinch a fourth-place finish for the third year in a row.

Amonte’s time in Storrs might’ve been short, but his impact will be felt for a long time.

“I love the kid,” Cavanaugh said. “I’ll take 20 (players) like him any day of the week.”

Week in review

From the UConn Hockey Hub:

From The UConn Blog:

Last week’s Forecheck:

The unique friendship powering UConn men's hockey's offense

Three stars of the season

First star: Matthew Wood

Despite being the youngest player in the country, Wood led UConn with 23 assists and 34 points while being a unanimous pick for the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. The freshman came in with plenty of hype and still managed to surpass expectations.

“I never thought he'd lead our team,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “I knew he was a good player but if you told me after the regular season that he was going to be the leader on the team in points, I probably wouldn't have believed you. I thought he was certainly going to be a good offensive player but to come in as a 17-year-old and do what he's done, yes, he's exceeded my expectations.”

Wood showed off a lethal shot as well as a sneaky playmaking ability. Wood’s best play came when he split two defenders and set up Justin Pearson’s third goal of the day in the regular season finale, though he also came inches away from scoring a Michigan goal against UMass earlier in the year.

Second star: Andrew Lucas

Lucas put together the best offensive season by a defenseman under Cavanaugh with 22 assists and 24 points. From the first game of the season, he transformed UConn’s power play and consistently provided a threat from the blue line. Wood might’ve led the team in points, but Lucas allowed the Huskies to change the way he played. Even though he just finished his fourth collegiate season, he’ll be back next year.

Third star: Jake Flynn

Despite an innocuous line of four goals and 10 assists, Flynn was UConn’s best all-around defenseman this past season. He used his speed and skating to jump up on the rush — which is how he scored the Huskies’ lone shorthanded goal of the year — but also displayed plenty of skill on the offensive end to establish himself as a danger from the blue line. Flynn’s +18 led UConn, beating pair-mate Tom Messineo by +4 and Hudson Schandor by +8 in third place.