Senior forward Carson Gicewicz scored two goals for the Minutemen
Massachusetts Sweeps Series With 4-1 Win Against Vermont
Senior forward Carson Gicewicz scored two goals for the Minutemen

AMHERST, Mass. - No. 10/13 University of Massachusetts hockey used three first period power-play goals to propel the squad to a 4-1 victory and completed the weekend sweep over Vermont on Sunday evening at the Mullins Center. The win moves the Minutemen to 4-3-1 (4-3-1 HE) on the season, while the Catamounts fall to 0-2-0 (0-2-0 HE).

"Again, special teams were a big factor in the game," said UMass head coach Greg Carvel. "We got three power-play goals in the first period and I thought Vermont played better than last night. I thought it was a pretty close game, other than the three power-play goals. They scored in the third and I give our guys credit that we buckled down and found a way to score a fourth goal and kind of put the game out of reach."

Redshirt senior Carson Gicewicz was first to convert for the Minutemen, knocking a loose puck home from junior Bobby Trivigno and sophomore Cal Kiefiuk on the power play 6:39 into the first.

Freshman Josh Lopina doubled the lead with his power-play goal from junior Marc Del Gaizo and Aaron Bohlinger, putting back his own rebound off the pad of Tyler Harmon at the 18:16 mark of the opening period at the tail end of a 5-on-3.

Sophomore Matthew Kessel followed with another just 1:09 later as the man advantage continued, hammering in his third goal of the season from the high slot with sophomore Zac Jones and Trivigno picking up the assists.

UVM pulled to within 3-1 early in the third. Alex Esposito redirected William Lemay's shot through the legs of netminder Matt Murray on the power play, 1:48 into the stanza. The tally snapped a shutout streak of 236 minutes, 34 seconds for Murray against the Catamounts.

Gicewicz later added his second of the night at the 17:08 mark, tapping in a cross-ice feed from Bohlinger and Trivigno to bring the score to 4-1.

UMass out-shot Vermont 33-18 in the contest and went 3-for-5 on the power play, while the Catamounts were 1-for-3. Murray ended the night with 17 saves and Harmon had 29 stops for UVM.

Gicewicz's two-goal effort was his first multi-goal game since his sophomore year at St. Lawrence when he scored twice vs. Brown on Jan. 26, 2018. Trivigno tied his career single-game best for points and set a new career single-game best with three assists on the evening and Bohlinger's pair of helpers marked his second multi-point game of his collegiate career.

UMass will be back in action this Wednesday, Dec. 23, when the squad will play host to UConn at 3:30 p.m.

Game Summary

Sunday, December 20, 2020

1
4
Game statistics
18 Shots 33
1 / 3 Power Plays 3 / 5
6 / 12 PIM 4 / 8
0-2-0 Records 4-3-1
GOAL SCORERS
Vermont Massachusetts
Carson Gicewicz (2)
1st/6:39 PP
Josh Lopina (4)
1st/18:16 PP GW
Matthew Kessel (3)
1st/19:25.7 PP
Alex Esposito (1)
3rd/1:48 PP
Carson Gicewicz (3)
3rd/17:08
GOALTENDERS
Vermont Massachusetts
Tyler Harmon
60:00, 29 Saves, 4 GA
(L, 0-2-0)
Matt Murray
60:00, 17 Saves, 1 GA
(W, 4-2-0)