Category: Massachusetts Minutemen

Massachusetts Minutemen category only shows posts related to Massachusetts hockey.

Posted on Posted in Hockey East, Maine Black Bears, Massachusetts Minutemen
CHH Relevant Rewind Header

Maine hosted Massachusetts during a late January weekend in 1979. It was the first time these two programs had ever met on the ice. At the time, both schools played hockey within Division II. The teams were on different trajectories, however. Going into the series, the Maine men boasted a 12-6 record while UMass was sitting at 1-5. The two-game series played out as expected without any upsets. On Friday the 26th, Maine won 8-3. The Minutemen scored three goals the following night as well, but Maine upped the ante and scored double digit goals with 13. By the end of the 1978-79 season, Maine finished with a 25-8-1 record and lost in the ECAC 2 semifinal game to Salem State. The Minutemen, on the other hand, would not win another game the remainder of the season, finishing at 1-18-1. This coincidentally was the last season within the Division II hockey world for both programs. The Black Bears made the leap to ECAC‘s top hockey conference in Division I the next season. UMass decided to end its hockey program for the foreseeable future. It would end up being 14 years before another team was fielded in Amherst. This time, the Minutemen would try their hand in Division I.

Both programs have flourished at different times throughout their respective Division I eras with multiple NCAA titles between the two. The first game the teams played within Division I was a Hockey East showdown in January 1995 when Maine traveled to Amherst for the first time. The Black Bears were the number one ranked team in the nation at the time, and UMass was able to split the series. Flash forward to today and the teams will play games 103 and 104 in the all-time series in Amherst this Thursday and Friday. Heading into the weekend, Maine leads the series 62-29-11.

Photo Credit: The Maine Campus, Feb. 2, 1979. Maine Campus Archives.

Posted on Posted in Hockey East, Massachusetts Minutemen, Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, NCHC
Embed from Getty Images

The second semifinal game of the 2021 Frozen Four will look familiar to hockey fans. When Massachusetts and Minnesota Duluth drop the puck Thursday night, they’ll be playing against one another for the first time since the most recent championship game in 2019. In that game, UMD blanked UMass 3-0 to earn back-to-back titles. Since there wasn’t a Frozen Four last year, UMD is looking to three-peat while UMass is looking to avenge their loss. In the accompanying photo, Hunter Shepard sprawls out to block a shot from Anthony Del Gaizo to help preserve his seventh shutout of the 2018-19 season. Shepard finished his NCAA career undefeated in the NCAA tournament at 8-0. The upcoming game on Thursday will mark the fourth Frozen Four in a row for UMD and the second in a row for UMass. UMD is looking to become the first three-peat champion since Michigan did so in 1951-53. However, the roles are reversed for this meeting as UMass is the higher seed instead of UMD. If the Bulldogs win, they’ll head back to the championship game looking for the program’s fourth title. If the Minutemen advance, they’ll be looking to win their first championship trophy.