Weekly Roundup: UConn thumps Providence
The Huskies claim fourth place in Hockey East with a win over Providence in the regular season finale
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.
Subscriber news
IMPORTANT: When UConn’s season ends, we’ll be freezing the UConn Hockey Hub so that we can turn our full attention to UConn women’s basketball’s postseason and also take a break after a long season. So what does this mean?
Let’s say the Huskies fall to Providence in the quarterfinals, for example. You’ll still get the postgame show, postgame video, and Weekly Roundup. Then, we’ll pause the billing cycle, which means you won’t be charged at the start of April. We’ll take a one-month hiatus and return the corresponding week in April. So you’ll still get a full month’s worth of content, it just may be split between the first two weeks of March and the last two weeks of April.
Weekend thoughts
If there were any questions as to how UConn would handle the pressure of needing to win the regular season finale, the Huskies emphatically put them to bed.
UConn’s five-goal outburst in the first 20:25 was one of the most stunning things I’ve witnessed while covering this team. The only comparison I could think of was last season at UNH when the Huskies went up 3-0 in the first five minutes. Even still, they quickly blew that lead and the stakes weren’t nearly as high as they were on Friday.
Jachym Kondelik apparently saved all his goals for when it mattered. Zero in the first 21 games, three in the regular season finale. He also added an assist, which puts him up to 18 on the year — best in Hockey East.
There have been seven hat tricks in Hockey East this season. UConn is responsible for three of them.
The program’s single-season Division I assists record is 27, set by Michael Goldkind in 1999-2000. UConn’s single-season Hockey East record is 24, set by Max Letunov in 2015-16. If Kondelik came back for his senior season…
I’m planning to write an article about this on The UConn Blog, but Jonny Evans really deserves to be Hockey East Player of the Year. He bolstered his case with a goal and three assists against the Friars.
If this pregame speech from Mike Cavanaugh doesn’t give you goosebumps, I don’t know what will:
Personally, I don’t think Providence’s three-goal comeback bid is all that concerning, especially in hindsight. If anything, it benefitted the Huskies. If they won 5-0, they might’ve gone into the Hockey East Playoffs a little overconfident. Those three goals knocked UConn off that perch and reminded it of just how dangerous the Friars can be.
UConn and Providence will run it back in the quarterfinals on Sunday, March 14 at Freitas Ice Forum. With how the Huskies played on Friday and how unimpressed I remain with the Friars, I like UConn’s chances, especially with Vladislav Firstov back in the lineup.
College Hockey News’ NCAA Tournament projection has UConn and Providence on the bubble. It seems more and more likely that the winner of the quarterfinal will get a bid to the NCAA Tournament.
One of our subscribers, @HurleyMania, asked me who I thought UConn’s best freshman has been this season. Personally, I think it’s a tie between Hudson Schandor and John Spetz, just because it’s difficult to compare a forward to a defenseman.
Schandor is third on the team in points — ahead of Carter Turnbull — with 14 (six goals, eight assists). He’s been good in the face-off circle (.518 win percentage) and has played a big role on special teams as well. Spetz has been one of the team’s top defenseman since day one. He leads the d-men will three goals and 11 points and also quarterbacks the Huskies’ power play.
That’s not a knock on the other freshmen, many have done well. Artem Shlaine has been far better than his production indicates (one goal, eight assists) and leads the team with a .593 face-off percentage. Nick Capone is raw but holds his own out there and sets the tone physically. Cassidy Bowes has played well and produced when he’s been in the lineup. Gavin Puskar is a prime candidate to a breakout player next season after a full year in the program while early-enrollee Ryan Tverberg’s speed and skating ability has given defenses nightmares.
Up and down, this is a fantastic freshman class for UConn’s staff. Losing the heralded 2018 class after next season will hurt but the Huskies have put themselves in a position to stay competitive even after that group leaves.
UConn’s quarterfinal matchup with Providence will be at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 14, according to the team’s website.
Links
Last newsletter: Disaster averted
Episode 14: UConn Hockey Hub Podcast
UConn men’s hockey to end regular season with a high-stakes finale vs. Providence
Video: Mike Cavanaugh pregame availability (Providence)
UConn men’s hockey takes down No. 15 Providence, 5-3
UConn Hockey Hub Postgame Show
Video: Mike Cavanaugh postgame press conference
Three stars
Each week, we’ll highlight UConn’s top performers from the weekend.
Jachym Kondelik
One of our easier decisions of the year, Kondelik became just the fifth player in UConn’s Hockey East Era to notch a hat trick, joining a group that includes Jonny Evans, Sasha Payusov, Max Letunov, and Tage Thompson. He also scored one of the Huskies’ most unique goals of the season as well.
Kondelik was named Hockey East Co-Player of the Week alongside BC’s Matt Boldy.
Johnny Evans
All three of Kondelik’s goals came courtesy of Evans, who had an inverse of Kondelik’s day with three assists and a goal. Evans leads Hockey East with both 14 goals and 28 points on the season.
Vladislav Firstov
Firstov only got credit for one assist against Providence but his presence in the lineup continues to impact the Huskies. UConn’s offense and power play are just far more potent with Firstov available, even if he’s not directly creating goals. His one assist against Providence was impressive, though. He bursted into the offensive zone and dropped a perfect pass for Schandor to score. If Firstov can stay healthy, the Huskies will be a force to be reckoned with in the postseason.
Scoreboard
Wednesday, March 3
Women’s Semifinals:
Northeastern 2, UConn 1
Providence 1, Maine 0 (OT)
Friday, March 5
Men’s:
Maine 3(1), UMass 3(0) OT/shootout
BC 4, Northeastern 2
Saturday, March 6
Women’s Final:
Northeastern 6, Providence 2
Men’s:
BU 3(3), UMass Lowell 3(2) OT/shootout
The final standings: