The UConn hockey team is moving into thick of its Hockey East schedule this weekend, facing Providence in a home-and-home series.
“It’s going to be a big-league weekend for us,” coach Mike Cavanaugh said. “It’s always a highly contested, physical battle whenever we play Providence. … They’re always an NCAA contender.”
The Huskies (4-3-1), ranked 11th in the latest USCHO.com poll, are looking to get back to the NCAA Tournament themselves, and in a conference that routinely sends five or six teams to the 16-team championship chase, these games matter, even if it is early. UConn split its opening series at Colorado College, and split at home against Ohio State. Now they are 2-1 in conference play with this home-and-home, Friday at 7 p.m. at the Tuscano Family Ice Pavilion in Storrs and then Saturday in Providence at 7 p.m. The Huskies play first-place Northeastern Nov. 14 and 15.
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“We want to play fast,” Cavanaugh said. “We don’t want to hold the puck and regroup and slow the game down. We want to play to a fast pace, and part of that is our defensemen not holding on to pucks.”
The Huskies offense seemed to find its stride last Saturday with a 5-1 conference win over Merrimack. Mike Murtagh and Jake Richard are leading UConn in scoring, seven points each, while Joey Muldowney has six. Tyler Muszelik has been a workhorse in goal, playing seven of eight games, with a 2.14 goals-against average and a .929 save percentage.
Scoring will be a challenge against the Friars, 3-3-1 overall, 1-1 in the league, ranked 15th, especially when experienced Philip Svedeback (2.99 goals against, .893 save percentage) is in the net.
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“We’re always trying to score greasy goals,” Cavanaugh said. “Because of you rely on pretty ones, two-on-one goals, breakaway goals, you don’t get get many of them, especially against good teams. So you have to rely on taking the goalie’s eyes away, deflections, rebounds, second and third-chance opportunities. Against good goaltenders, that’s really the only way you can beat them consistently.”
Quinnipiac (5-2-2), ranked fifth, renews its Route 10 rivalry with Yale on Friday at Ingalls Rink at 7 p.m. in ECAC play.
The UConn women (7-2-1, 2-0 in Hockey East) also have an important league home and home this weekend, starting at Boston College Friday at 6 p.m., then at Toscano Saturday at 3.