2023–24 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 UConn Huskies men's ice hockey season was the 64th season of play for the program, the 26th at the Division I level, and the 10th in Hockey East. The Huskies represented the University of Connecticut and were coached by Mike Cavanaugh in his 11th season.

2023–24 UConn Huskies
men's ice hockey season
Conference8th Hockey East
Home iceToscano Family Ice Forum
XL Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA HockeyNR
Record
Overall15–19–2
Conference9–14–1
Home7–11–0
Road8–8–2
Coaches and captains
Head coachMike Cavanaugh
Assistant coachesTyler Helton
Michael Pereira
Vince Stalletti
Captain(s)Jake Flynn
Hudson Schandor
UConn Huskies men's ice hockey seasons
« 2022–23 2024–25 »

Season

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Hopes were high for UConn entering the season but the Huskies had trouble getting off the ground. While the goaltending rotation of Ethan Haider and Arsenii Sergeev performed well in the first month, the offense did not. Matthew Wood, the team's top prospect, had just 3 goals through the first eight games while the rest of the team wasn't much better. Then, when they least could afford it, the Huskies had to contend with a crisis in goal. Once November rolled around, Sergeev appeared to play properly in goal and a pair of very poor performances landed him on the shelf for two months.[1] Haider was able to shoulder the load in the interim thanks to a modest improvement in scoring.

Connecticut was unable to find any consistency in the first half and they were hoping to remedy that with a strong performance after the winter break. They were able to improve their position with a pair of split series against ranked teams, which included Sergeev's triumphant return against Maine. A second place finish in Connecticut Ice didn't do them many favors but the team had a great opportunity to make a charge for the postseason with six straight games against ranked opponents. Unfortunately, Connecticut won just one of those games and had no hope of securing an at-large bit by the end of the season.

UConn was given a date with Vermont to start the conference tournament and Sergeev, who had played very well down the stretch, was given the starting job in goal. UConn was able to use a pair of power play markers to capture the match and reach the quarterfinals. The nation's top team, Boston College, was their next opponent but the Huskies didn't appear to be intimidated in the least. Even when BC built a 3-goal lead just 8 minutes into the game, UConn didn't quit. Hudson Schandor got his team back in the game, contributing on a pair of goals, before Matthew Wood scored two in the third period to tie the game 4–4. However, UConn was unable to keep the momentum and a fifth goal from the Eagles was one too many for Connecticut.[2]

Departures

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Player Position Nationality Cause
Ty AmonteForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Adam DaweForward CanadaGraduation (signed with Newfoundland Growlers)
Ryan KeaneGoaltender United StatesGraduation (retired)
Roman KinalDefenseman United StatesGraduation (signed with San Jose Barracuda)
Aidan MetcalfeDefenseman United StatesLeft program (retired)
Justin PearsonForward United StatesGraduation (signed with Cleveland Monsters)
Logan TernessGoaltender CanadaTransferred to Ohio State
Ryan TverbergForward United StatesSigned professional contract (Toronto Maple Leafs)

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Oliver FlynnForward United States20Wolcott, CT
Ethan HaiderGoaltender United States22St. Louis Park, MN; transfer from Clarkson; selected 148th overall in 2019
Ryan MahshieForward Canada24Stoney Creek, ON; graduate transfer from Rensselaer
Joey MuldowneyForward United States19Lake View, NY; selected 176th overall in 2022
Jake RichardForward United States19Jacksonville, FL; selected 170th overall in 2022
Owen SimpsonDefenseman Canada20Toronto, ON
Bauer SwiftDefenseman United States21West Hartford, CT

Roster

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As of September 21, 2023.[3]

No. Nat. Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 United States Ethan Haider Senior G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 2001-09-04 Maple Grove, Minnesota Clarkson (ECAC) NSH, 148th overall 2019
2 United States Jack Pascucci Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-02-15 North Andover, Massachusetts Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL)
5 United States Bauer Swift Freshman D 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-06-17 West Hartford, Connecticut Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL)
6 United States Andrew Lucas Senior D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) 1999-02-05 Alexandria, Virginia Vermont (HEA)
7 United States Huston Karpman Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2001-02-07 Manhattan Beach, California Minot Minotauros (NAHL)
8 United States Joey Muldowney Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 154 lb (70 kg) 2004-06-05 Lake View, New York Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) SJS, 172nd overall 2022
9 Canada Ryan Tattle Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-09-07 Port Moody, British Columbia Coquitlam Express (BCHL)
10 Canada Tristan Fraser Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-11-13 West Vancouver, British Columbia Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL)
11 United States Jake Richard Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 194 lb (88 kg) 2004-08-15 Jacksonville, Florida Tri-City Storm (USHL) BUF, 170th overall 2022
12 United States Oliver Flynn Freshman F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 1998-05-17 Wolcott, Connecticut Madison Capitols (USHL)
13 Finland Samu Salminen Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2003-04-09 Helsinki, Finland Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-sarja) NJD, 68th overall 2021
15 United States Thomas Messineo Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2002-05-02 Westwood, Massachusetts Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL)
16 United States Jake Flynn (C) Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-26 Bridgewater, Massachusetts Thayer Academy (USHS–MA)
17 United States Jake Percival Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-02-11 Avon, Connecticut Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
18 United States John Spetz Senior D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1999-12-01 Oak Ridge, New Jersey Chicago Steel (USHL)
19 United States Jake Black Sophomore D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-03-05 Pomfret, Connecticut Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL)
20 United States Chase Bradley Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2002-01-09 St. Louis, Missouri Sioux City Musketeers (USHL) DET, 203rd overall 2020
21 United States Nick Capone Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2001-12-17 East Haven, Connecticut Tri-City Storm (USHL) TBL, 157th overall 2020
22 Canada Hudson Schandor (C) Senior F 5' 8" (1.73 m) 165 lb (75 kg) 2000-09-29 North Vancouver, British Columbia Surrey Eagles (BCHL)
23 United States Tabor Heaslip Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2001-12-17 Frisco, Texas Sioux City Musketeers (USHL)
24 United States Mark D'Agostino Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-05-06 North Branford, Connecticut Powell River Kings (BCHL)
25 Canada Ryan Mahshie Graduate F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-04-05 Stoney Creek, Ontario Rensselaer (ECAC)
27 Canada Harrison Rees Graduate D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 2000-03-19 Oakville, Ontario North York Rangers (OJHL)
29 United States Jake Veilleux Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2000-01-19 South Windsor, Connecticut Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
30 Russia Arsenii Sergeev Sophomore G 6' 3" (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2002-12-16 Yaroslavl, Russia Tri-City Storm (USHL) CGY, 205th overall 2021
31 United States Matt Pasquale Senior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2000-10-06 North Reading, Massachusetts Northeast Generals (NAHL)
34 Canada Owen Simpson Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2003-07-01 Toronto, Ontario Penticton Vees (BCHL)
71 Canada Matthew Wood Sophomore F 6' 3" (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2005-02-06 Nanaimo, British Columbia Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) NSH, 15th overall 2023

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#2 Boston College †*242031101611055641346118389
#3 Boston University2418421115710453402810216397
#10 Maine241491010447667372312211994
#16 Providence241194312376658351813410083
#13 Massachusetts24121024203657623720143108105
#20 New Hampshire2412111100366956362015110690
Northeastern249141130306571361716311397
Connecticut249141111294977361519290105
Vermont247143103265281351319387106
Merrimack246171011216285351321198114
Massachusetts Lowell24417314018397836824472113
Championship: March 23, 2024
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll

Schedule and results

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DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 7 7:00 pm at Colgate* Class of 1965 ArenaHamilton, New YorkESPN+ Sergeev W 4–2  923 1–0–0
October 8 3:00 pm at Colgate* Class of 1965 ArenaHamilton, New YorkESPN+ Haider T 3–3 OT 792 1–0–1
October 13 7:00 pm at Holy Cross* #20 Hart CenterWorcester, MassachusettsFloHockey, NESN+ Sergeev L 1–2  1,100 1–1–1
October 14 7:00 pm Holy Cross* #20 Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Haider L 0–2  2,296 1–2–1
October 20 7:00 pm at Union* Achilles RinkSchenectady, New YorkESPN+ Sergeev L 1–4  2,100 1–3–1
October 21 4:00 pm at Union* Achilles RinkSchenectady, New YorkESPN+ Haider W 5–0  1,821 2–3–1
October 27 7:15 pm at Massachusetts Lowell Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Sergeev W 2–1 OT 6,560 3–3–1 (1–0–0)
October 28 4:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell XL CenterHartford, ConnecticutESPN+ Haider L 0–1  2,902 3–4–1 (1–1–0)
November 3 7:00 pm at Vermont Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, VermontESPN+ Sergeev L 1–4  2,796 3–5–1 (1–2–0)
November 4 6:00 pm at Vermont Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, VermontESPN+ Haider W 5–2  3,235 4–5–1 (2–2–0)
November 10 7:00 pm Merrimack Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Sergeev L 3–6  2,630 4–6–1 (2–3–0)
November 11 7:00 pm at Merrimack J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, MassachusettsESPN+ Haider W 4–3  2,432 5–6–1 (3–3–0)
November 17 7:00 pm at #4 Boston College Conte ForumChestnut Hill, MassachusettsESPN+ Haider L 4–5 OT 6,127 5–7–1 (3–4–0)
November 18 7:00 pm #4 Boston College Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Haider L 0–3  2,630 5–8–1 (3–5–0)
November 25 3:00 pm Dartmouth* XL CenterHartford, ConnecticutESPN+ Haider W 6–1  3,582 6–8–1
December 1 7:00 pm Massachusetts Lowell Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+, NESN Haider W 2–0  2,630 7–8–1 (4–5–0)
December 3 4:00 pm at #11 Maine Alfond ArenaOrono, MaineESPN+ Haider L 3–7  4,661 7–9–1 (4–6–0)
December 31 3:00 pm Harvard* Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPNU Haider W 4–2  2,630 8–9–1
January 5 7:00 pm at #13 Massachusetts Mullins CenterAmherst, MassachusettsESPN+ Haider T 3–3 SOW 2,630 8–9–2 (4–6–1)
January 12 7:00 pm #7 Maine XL CenterHartford, ConnecticutESPN+ Haider L 3–5  4,377 8–10–2 (4–7–1)
January 13 3:00 pm #7 Maine XL CenterHartford, ConnecticutESPN+ Sergeev W 2–0  9,428 9–10–2 (5–7–1)
January 19 7:00 pm #17 New Hampshire Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+, NESN Haider L 0–5  2,691 9–11–2 (5–8–1)
January 21 4:00 pm at #17 New Hampshire Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+, NESN Sergeev W 2–1  5,482 10–11–2 (6–8–1)
Connecticut Ice
January 26 3:30 pm Sacred Heart* XL CenterHartford, Connecticut (Connecticut Ice Semifinal)SNY Sergeev W 6–2  4,633 11–11–2
January 27 7:30 pm #7 Quinnipiac* XL CenterHartford, Connecticut (Connecticut Ice Championship)SNY Haider L 3–4  6,429 11–12–2
Regular Season
February 2 7:00 pm #10 Providence Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Sergeev L 0–5  2,691 11–13–2 (6–9–1)
February 3 7:00 pm at #10 Providence Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Haider W 2–1  2,870 12–13–2 (7–9–1)
February 9 7:00 pm #12 Massachusetts Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Sergeev L 0–2  2,691 12–14–2 (7–10–1)
February 10 7:00 pm at #12 Massachusetts Mullins CenterAmherst, MassachusettsESPN+, NESN Haider L 1–3  6,342 12–15–2 (7–11–1)
February 23 7:00 pm #2 Boston University Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Sergeev L 1–6  2,691 12–16–2 (7–12–1)
February 24 7:00 pm at #2 Boston University Agganis ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+ Haider L 0–6  5,857 12–17–2 (7–13–1)
March 1 7:30 pm at Northeastern Matthews ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+, NESN+ Sergeev W 4–3  3,188 13–17–2 (8–13–1)
March 2 3:00 pm Northeastern Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Haider L 2–4  2,691 13–18–2 (8–14–1)
March 7 7:00 pm Vermont Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, ConnecticutESPN+ Sergeev W 5–1  2,691 14–18–2 (9–14–1)
Hockey East Tournament
March 13 7:00 pm Vermont* Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, Connecticut (Opening Round)ESPN+ Sergeev W 4–1  2,021 15–18–2
March 16 7:00 pm at #1 Boston College* Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal)ESPN+, NESN+ Sergeev L 4–5  6,705 15–19–2
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[4]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Matthew WoodC//LW3516122843
Chase BradleyC/LW3111112253
Hudson SchandorC345162131
Jake RichardRW36711186
Samu SalminenC/LW357101735
Andrew LucasD365111616
Jake PercivalF36771418
Joey MuldowneyRW35591412
Ryan TattleF34481222
Tristan FraserF35741133
Tom MessineoD36011112
Nick CaponeRW3244846
Tabor HeaslipF3617816
Harrison ReesD3634710
John SpetzD3624618
Jake FlynnD3315610
Ryan MahshieF212354
Jake BlackF242242
Oliver FlynnC231126
Owen SimpsonD140114
Arsenii SergeevG160000
Huston KarpmanF10000
Jake VeilleuxD/F110000
Ethan HaiderG210000
Matt PasqualeG10000
Jack PascucciD240006
Total90141231401

[5]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals against Saves Shut outs SV % GAA
Arsenii Sergeev16934:02880424431.9132.70
Ethan Haider221216:337112595642.9052.91
Matt Pasquale27:28000140.8008.04
Empty Net-20:05---3----
Total362178:081519210510113.9062.89

Rankings

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Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 (Final)
USCHO.com NR 20 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR
USA Hockey NR 20 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25.[6]
Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.

References

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  1. "How Arsenii Sergeev bounced back from his early season struggles". UConn Huskies. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  2. "Boston College at UConn - 2024 Hockey East Semifinal Highlights". YouTube. Retrieved May 1, 2024.
  3. "2023-24 MEN'S ICE HOCKEY ROSTER". UConn Huskies. Retrieved September 21, 2023.
  4. "2023-24 MEN'S ICE HOCKEY SCHEDULE". UConn Huskies. Retrieved September 1, 2023.
  5. "Univ. of Connecticut 2023-2024 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  6. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.