2020–21 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season

2020–21 UConn Huskies
men's ice hockey season
2020–21 UConn Huskies; men's ice hockey season
Conference	4th Hockey East
Home ice	XL Center; Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum
Rankings
USCHO	NR
USA Today	NR
Record
Overall	10–11–2
Conference	10–10–2
Home	6–6–1
Road	4–5–1
Neutral	0–0–0
Coaches and captains
Head coach	Mike Cavanaugh
Assistant coaches	Joe Pereira; Tyler Helton; Vince Stalletti; Joe Ferriss; Will Moran
Captain(s)	Adam Karashik
Alternate captain(s)	Brian Rigali; Zac Robbins; Carter Turnbull
	UConn Huskies men's ice hockey seasons; « 2019–20 2021–22 »

The 2020–21 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 61st season of play for the program, the 23rd at the Division I level, and the 7th season in the Hockey East conference. The Huskies represented the University of Connecticut and were coached by Mike Cavanaugh, in his 8th season.

Season

As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of Connecticut's players would lose a season of play.^[1] However, the NCAA also approved a change in its transfer regulations that would allow players to transfer and play immediately rather than having to sit out a season, as the rules previously required.^[2]

UConn began the season going through a gauntlet or ranked teams. The stiff competition handed the Huskies a 1–4–1 record and left the team with wallowing near the bottom of the conference standings. Despite the bad start, Connecticut turned its season around with a solid performance in January. While facing a slightly easier schedule, the Huskies ended the month a game over .500 and, after defeating Northeastern at the start of February, the team found itself in the top-20. The ranking didn't last long, however, and Connecticut's 4-game losing streak nearly ended any hope for the team. Winning the last two games of the regular season put the Huskies at .500 and, because Hockey East used a power index for ranking for the 2021 season, UConn finished 4th in the conference, the best result to date.

In spite of their mediocre record, Connecticut had a small chance to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament but it would need a good performance to make itself stand out from the other 'bubble teams'.^[3] They got a good chance in the conference quarterfinals, facing Providence at home. The Huskies started slow and were badly outshot in the first period. When they did finally score the Friars had already built a 3-goal lead and their opponents cruised to a 6–1 victory.

Darion Hanson, Ryan Keane, Matt Pasquale, and Bradley Stone sat out the season.

Departures

Player	Position	Nationality	Cause
Ben Freeman	Forward	United States	Graduation (Signed with Wheeling Nailers)
Justin Howell	Forward	United States	Graduation
Ruslan Iskhakov	Forward	Russia	Signed professional contract (HC TPS)
Wyatt Newpower	Defenseman	United States	Graduation (Signed with Cleveland Monsters)
Alexandre Payusov	Forward	Canada	Graduation
Jordan Timmons	Forward	United States	Transferred to Robert Morris

Recruiting

Player	Position	Nationality	Age	Notes
Cassidy Bowes	Forward	Canada	21	Kelowna, BC
Nick Capone	Forward	United States	18	East Haven, CT; selected 157th overall in 2020
Darion Hanson	Goaltender	United States	23	East Bethel, MN; transfer from Union
Gavin Puskar	Forward	United States	19	Westfield, NJ
Hudson Schandor	Forward	Canada	19	North Vancouver, BC
Artem Shlaine	Goaltender	United States	19	Moscow, RUS; selected 130th overall in 2020
John Spetz	Defenseman	United States	20	Oak Ridge, NJ; graduate transfer from Sacred Heart
Ryan Tverberg	Forward	Canada	18	Richmond Hill, ON; selected 213th overall in 2020

Roster

As of February 12, 2021.^[4]

No.	Player	Class	Pos	Height	Weight	DoB	Hometown	Previous team	NHL rights
1	Ryan Keane	Sophomore	G	5' 9" (1.75 m)	160 lb (73 kg)	1998-03-15	Lewisville, Texas	Jamestown (NAHL)	—
2	Yan Kuznetsov	Sophomore	D	6' 4" (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	2002-03-21	Murmansk, Russia	Sioux Falls (USHL)	CGY, 50th overall 2020
3	Adam Karashik (C)	Senior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	200 lb (91 kg)	1998-01-15	Ridgefield, Connecticut	Chicago (USHL)	—
4	Roman Kinal	Junior	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1998-07-20	Waterford, Michigan	Dubuque (USHL)	—
5	Eric Linell	Sophomore	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	1998-09-17	Great Neck, New York	Penticton (BCHL)	—
6	Ryan Wheeler	Junior	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1997-08-24	Lancaster, New York	New Jersey (NAHL)	—
7	Jonny Evans	Junior	F	5' 9" (1.75 m)	170 lb (77 kg)	1997-05-01	North Delta, British Columbia	Powell River (BCHL)	—
8	Carter Turnbull (A)	Junior	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1998-09-08	Nanaimo, British Columbia	Powell River (BCHL)	—
9	Cassidy Bowes	Freshman	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1999-02-17	Sturgeon County, Alberta	Whitecourt (AJHL)	—
10	Vladislav Firstov	Sophomore	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	2001-06-19	Yaroslavl, Russia	Waterloo (USHL)	MIN, 42nd overall 2019
11	Jáchym Kondelík	Junior	F	6' 5" (1.96 m)	225 lb (102 kg)	1999-12-21	Budějovice, Czech Republic	Muskegon (USHL)	NSH, 111th overall 2018
12	Gavin Puskar	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-06-21	Farmington, Connecticut	Hotchkiss (USHS–CT)	—
13	John Wojciechowski	Junior	F	6' 3" (1.91 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	1998-02-18	Mamaroneck, New York	Langley (BCHL)	—
14	Zac Robbins (A)	Senior	F	5' 10" (1.78 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	1996-10-03	Glenview, Illinois	Cedar Rapids (USHL)	—
16	Jake Flynn	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2001-05-26	Bridgewater, Massachusetts	Thayer (USHS–MA)	—
17	Marc Gatcomb	Junior	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1999-07-22	Woburn, Massachusetts	The Gunnery (USHS–CT)	—
18	John Spetz	Freshman	D	5' 10" (1.78 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1999-12-01	Oak Ridge, New Jersey	Chicago (USHL)	—
19	Brian Rigali (A)	Senior	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	185 lb (84 kg)	1997-03-08	Libertyville, Illinois	Sioux City (USHL)	—
21	Nick Capone	Freshman	F	6' 2" (1.88 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	2001-12-17	East Haven, Connecticut	Tri-City (USHL)	TBL, 157th overall 2020
22	Hudson Schandor	Freshman	F	5' 8" (1.73 m)	165 lb (75 kg)	2000-09-29	North Vancouver, British Columbia	Surrey (BCHL)	—
23	Carter Berger	Sophomore	D	6' 0" (1.83 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1999-09-17	North Vancouver, British Columbia	Victoria (BCHL)	FLA, 106th overall 2019
27	Harrison Rees	Sophomore	D	6' 2" (1.88 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2000-03-19	Mississauga, Ontario	North York (OJHL)	—
28	Ryan Tverberg	Freshman	F	5' 11" (1.8 m)	180 lb (82 kg)	2002-01-30	Richmond Hill, Ontario	Toronto Jr. Canadiens (OJHL)	TOR, 213th overall 2020
29	Kale Howarth	Junior	F	6' 4" (1.93 m)	215 lb (98 kg)	1997-06-10	Red Deer, Alberta	Trail (BCHL)	CBJ, 148th overall 2017
31	Matt Pasquale	Freshman (RS)	G	6' 2" (1.88 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	2000-10-06	North Reading, Massachusetts	Northeast (NAHL)	—
32	Artem Shlaine	Freshman	F	6' 1" (1.85 m)	175 lb (79 kg)	2002-03-17	Moscow, Russia	Shattuck-St. Mary's (USHS–MN)	NJD, 130th overall 2020
33	Tomáš Vomáčka	Junior	G	6' 3" (1.91 m)	190 lb (86 kg)	1999-05-02	Trutnov, Czech Republic	Lincoln (USHL)	NSH, 154th overall 2017
35	Bradley Stone	Senior	G	6' 1" (1.85 m)	195 lb (88 kg)	1996-07-14	London, England	Boston Jr. Bruins (USPHL)	—

Standings

2020–21 Hockey East Standings v t e
	Conference record										Overall record
	GP	W	L	T	OTW	OTL	SOW	HEPI	GF	GA	GP	W	L	T	GF	GA
#6 Boston College	21	16	4	1	3	2	0	58.61	82	46	24	17	6	1	91	58
#11 Boston University	14	10	3	1	3	1	1	56.36	49	37	16	10	5	1	52	45
#1 Massachusetts *	22	13	5	4	1	1	1	55.44	76	42	29	20	5	4	103	48
Connecticut	22	10	10	2	1	4	2	52.01	69	63	23	10	11	2	70	69
#16 Providence	23	10	8	5	0	0	2	50.80	63	61	25	11	9	5	71	67
Northeastern	20	9	8	3	1	0	3	49.94	68	60	21	9	9	3	69	64
#19 Massachusetts–Lowell	16	7	8	1	1	1	0	48.00	46	53	20	10	9	1	59	63
Maine	15	3	10	2	0	1	2	46.66	41	61	16	3	11	2	43	68
Merrimack	18	5	11	2	0	1	0	45.38	47	66	18	5	11	2	47	66
New Hampshire	21	5	13	3	3	2	2	43.66	51	83	23	6	14	3	60	88
Vermont	12	1	9	2	0	0	0	38.02	17	37	13	1	10	2	20	42
Championship: March 20, 2021^[5] No Regular Season Champion Awarded^[6] * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and Results

^[7]

Date	Time	Opponent^#	Rank^#	Site	TV	Decision	Result	Attendance	Record
Regular Season
November 20	6:00 PM	at #7 Massachusetts		Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts	NESN+	Vomáčka	L 1–5	0	0–1–0 (0–1–0)
November 21	4:00 PM	vs. #7 Massachusetts		XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut		Vomáčka	T 2–2 ^SOW	0	0–1–1 (0–1–1)
December 11	6:00 PM	at #2 Boston College		Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts	NESN	Vomáčka	L 3–4 ^OT	0	0–2–1 (0–2–1)
December 12	3:35 PM	vs. #2 Boston College		XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut		Vomáčka	W 3–1	0	1–2–1 (1–2–1)
December 21	5:00 PM	vs. #17 Massachusetts–Lowell		XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut		Vomáčka	L 1–2	0	1–3–1 (1–3–1)
December 23	3:30 PM	at #10 Massachusetts		Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts	NESN	Vomáčka	L 2–6	0	1–4–1 (1–4–1)
December 28	3:00 PM	vs. #15 Providence		XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut		Vomáčka	W 2–0	0	2–4–1 (2–4–1)
January 1	4:00 PM	at New Hampshire		Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire	NESN	Vomáčka	W 2–1	0	3–4–1 (3–4–1)
January 2	4:00 PM	vs. New Hampshire		XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut		Vomáčka	L 1–2 ^OT	0	3–5–1 (3–5–1)
January 15	4:00 PM	vs. New Hampshire		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	W 6–5 ^OT	0	4–5–1 (4–5–1)
January 16	5:00 PM	at New Hampshire		Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire		Vomáčka	W 8–3	0	5–5–1 (5–5–1)
January 22	4:00 PM	vs. #1 Boston College		Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts		Vomáčka	T 3–3 ^SOW	0	5–5–2 (5–5–2)
January 23	4:00 PM	vs. #1 Boston College		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	L 2–4	0	5–6–2 (5–6–2)
January 29	3:05 PM	at Merrimack		J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts		Vomáčka	W 6–1	0	6–6–2 (6–6–2)
January 30	3:00 PM	vs. Merrimack		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	W 6–2	0	7–6–2 (7–6–2)
February 5	5:05 PM	at #14 Northeastern		Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts		Vomáčka	W 4–1	0	8–6–2 (8–6–2)
February 9	5:00 PM	at Massachusetts–Lowell	#20	Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts	NESN	Vomáčka	L 2–3 ^OT	0	8–7–2 (8–7–2)
February 12	4:30 PM	at #16 Providence	#20	Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island	NESN+	Vomáčka	L 0–4	0	8–8–2 (8–8–2)
February 20	4:00 PM	vs. #11 Boston University		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	L 2–3 ^OT	0	8–9–2 (8–9–2)
February 26	4:00 PM	vs. Maine		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	L 4–6	0	8–10–2 (8–10–2)
February 27	4:00 PM	vs. Maine		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	W 4–2	0	9–10–2 (9–10–2)
March 5	5:00 PM	vs. #15 Providence		XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut		Vomáčka	W 5–3	0	10–10–2 (10–10–2)
Hockey East Tournament
March 14	3:30 PM	vs. #17 Providence*		Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut		Vomáčka	L 1–6	0	10–11–2
*Non-conference game. ^#Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.

Scoring statistics

Name	Position	Games	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM
Jonny Evans	F	23	14	15	29	12
Jáchym Kondelík	C	23	4	18	22	6
Hudson Schandor	C	22	6	8	14	10
Carter Turnbull	RW	23	9	4	13	10
Marc Gatcomb	F	23	6	6	12	14
Vladislav Firstov	LW	13	3	9	12	12
John Spetz	D	22	3	8	11	10
Carter Berger	D	21	1	8	9	6
Adam Karashik	D	23	1	8	9	27
Artem Shlaine	C	23	1	8	9	16
Kale Howarth	LW/C	18	5	2	7	27
Ryan Tverberg	C	14	4	3	7	16
Roman Kinal	D	16	1	5	6	0
Yan Kuznetsov	D	16	1	5	6	4
Jake Flynn	D	23	1	5	6	12
Brian Rigali	F	23	3	2	5	16
Harrison Rees	D	21	2	3	5	8
Nick Capone	RW	20	1	4	5	8
Cassidy Bowes	LW	11	1	2	3	6
Ryan Wheeler	D	18	2	0	2	8
Zac Robbins	F	23	0	2	2	2
Eric Linell	G	14	1	0	1	0
John Wojciechowski	C	1	0	0	0	0
Gavin Puskar	C	3	0	0	0	0
Tomáš Vomáčka	G	23	0	0	0	2
Bench	-	-	-	-	-	6
Total			70	125	195	238

^[8]

Goaltending statistics

Name	Games	Minutes	Wins	Losses	Ties	Goals Against	Saves	Shut Outs	SV %	GAA
Tomáš Vomáčka	23	1393	10	11	2	66	659	1	.909	2.84
Empty Net	-	7	-	-	-	3	-	-	-	-
Total	23	1400	10	11	2	69	659	1	.905	2.96

Rankings

Poll	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21 (Final)
USCHO.com	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	20	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	-	NR
USA Today	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	15	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR	NR

USCHO did not release a poll in week 20.^[9]

Awards and honors

Player	Award	Ref
Jonny Evans	AHCA East Second Team All-American	^[10]
Jonny Evans	Hockey East Scoring Champion
Jonny Evans	Hockey East Three-Stars Award
Jonny Evans	Hockey East First Team	^[11]
Tomáš Vomáčka	Hockey East Third Team	^[11]
Jáchym Kondelík	Hockey East Third Team	^[11]

Players drafted into the NHL

2021 NHL Entry Draft

Round	Pick	Player	NHL team
7	205	Arsenii Sergeev^†	Calgary Flames

† incoming freshman ^[12]

References

^ "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
^ "Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look". USCHO. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.
^ "2020-21 Roster". University of Connecticut. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2018.
^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.
^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.
^ "UConn Huskies (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
^ "Univ. of Connecticut 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
^ "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.
^ ^a ^b "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
^ "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.

[1] "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility". CBS Sports. August 21, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[2] "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately". NCAA. December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021.

[3] "Bracketology: With Selection Sunday around the corner, taking one last stab at how the NCAA hockey tournament field will look". USCHO. March 18, 2021. Retrieved March 29, 2021.

[4] "2020-21 Roster". University of Connecticut. Archived from the original on April 16, 2009. Retrieved July 3, 2018.

[5] "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved February 10, 2021.

[6] "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 13, 2021.

[7] "UConn Huskies (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.

[8] "Univ. of Connecticut 2020-2021 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.

[9] "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.

[10] "Boston College, Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin lead way with three All-American college hockey players apiece for '20-21 season". USCHO.com. April 9, 2021. Retrieved April 10, 2021.

[AHE-11] "Hockey East Names 2020-21 Men's All-Star Teams - Hockey East Association". hockeyeastonline.com. Retrieved March 17, 2021.

[12] "NCAA player rankings, selections in 2021 NHL Draft". USCHO.com. Retrieved July 24, 2021.

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v t e UConn Huskies men's ice hockey
Formerly the Connecticut Agricultural College Aggies
Playing venues	UConn Ice Rink (1961–1998) Mark Edward Freitas Ice Forum (1998–2016) XL Center (2014–2023) Toscano Family Ice Forum (2023–present)
Head coaches	John Chapman (1960–1981) Ben Kirtland (1981–1988) Bruce Marshall (1988–2012) David Berard (2012–13) (interim) Mike Cavanaugh (2013–present)
Seasons	1911–12 1960–61 1961–62 1962–63 1963–64 1964–65 1965–66 1966–67 1967–68 1968–69 1969–70 1970–71 1971–72 1972–73 1973–74 1974–75 1975–76 1976–77 1977–78 1978–79 1979–80 1980–81 1981–82 1982–83 1983–84 1984–85 1985–86 1986–87 1987–88 1988–89 1989–90 1990–91 1991–92 1992–93 1993–94 1994–95 1995–96 1996–97 1997–98 1998–99 1999–00 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 2004–05 2005–06 2006–07 2007–08 2008–09 2009–10 2010–11 2011–12 2012–13 2013–14 2014–15 2015–16 2016–17 2017–18 2018–19 2019–20 2020–21 2021–22 2022–23 2023–24 2024–25
Conference affiliations	ECAC Hockey (1961–1964) ECAC 2 (1964–1984) ECAC East (1984–1998) MAAC (1998–2003) Atlantic Hockey (2003–2014) Hockey East (2014–present)
Culture & lore	Connecticut Ice
All-time leaders	Bryan Krygier (219 Points) Todd Krygier (99 Goals) Louis Parker (54 Wins)
Conference Tournament titles	MAAC: 2000
University of Connecticut Storrs, CT