Massachusetts Holds On For 5-4 Win At Union
Oliver Chau, Niko Rufo and Mitchell Chaffee each post goal and assist for Minutemen

Freshman forward Oliver Chau had a goal and an assist for the Minutemen
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 6:01  UMA1-0 EV Niko Rufo (2)John Leonard/2, Philip Lagunov/1
2nd 0:52  UMA2-0 EV Oliver Chau (1)Mitchell Chaffee/1, John Leonard/3
2nd 8:17  UNI1-2 EV Ryan Walker (1)Jack Adams/1, Greg Campbell/1
2nd 10:33  UMA3-1 PP Mitchell Chaffee (2)Cale Makar/2, Oliver Chau/2
3rd 2:48  UNI2-3 PP Anthony Rinaldi (3)Brett Supinski/2, Sebastian Vidmar/2
3rd 9:12  UMA4-2 PP George Mika (1)Josh Couturier/2, Niko Rufo/2
3rd 18:27  UMA5-2 EV EN GW Niko Hildenbrand (1) -
3rd 18:45  UNI3-5 EV Brendan Taylor (1)Ryan Walker/1
3rd 19:50.6 UNI4-5 EV EA Brett Supinski (2)Sebastian Vidmar/3, Ryan Scarfo/1
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Massachusetts  1225
Union  0134
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Massachusetts  814931
Union  1131226
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Massachusetts (2-1-0)  2/3 5/13 0
Union (0-4-0)  1/5 3/6 0
Massachusetts Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Ryan Wischow (W, 1-1-0)60:004 112922
Union Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Jake Kupsky (L, 0-4-0)58:194 712726
Empty Net1:411     

SCHENECTADY, N.Y. - Five different goal scorers helped the University of Massachusetts hockey team pick up a 5-4 win on the road at Union on Friday night. With the victory, the Minutemen move to 2-1 on the season, while the Dutchmen drop to 0-4 overall.

"I thought tonight was going to be a really good test for our group," said UMass head coach Greg Carvel, "I've coached enough times here to know how well Union plays at home. We were really concerned about the first five minutes and I give my guys a lot of credit. I thought we came out and dictated the tempo for the first 10 minutes of the game."

UMass jumped out to a 1-0 lead 6:01 into the opening period. Redshirt senior Niko Rufo knocked the puck in amidst a net mouth scramble off a feed from freshmen John Leonard and Philip Lagunov. The assist marked Lagunov's first point of his collegiate career.

After carrying a 1-0 lead into the first intermission, Minutemen made it 2-0 just 52 seconds into the second period. Freshman Mitchell Chaffee sent the puck to classmate Oliver Chau down low and Chau walked in alone for the shot and score, his first career goal.

Union pulled back to within one at the 8:17 mark. Ryan Walker put the puck home at close range from Jack Adams and Greg Campbell.

Chaffee then regained the two-goal cushion for the Minutemen, notching the squad's first power-play goal of the season 10:33 into the second. Chaffee redirected in freshman Cale Makar's shot from the top of the slot with Chau collecting an assist for his second point of the contest, as well.

At 2:48 in the third period, the Dutchmen closed the gap to one once more. Brett Supinski and Sebastian Vidmar set up Anthony Rinaldi on the power play, bringing the score to 3-2.

UMass stretched things out to 4-2 at the 9:12 mark. George Mika deposited a pass from sophomore Josh Couturier and Rufo into the back of the net on the power play for his first career goal.

The Minutemen added a critical empty netter from sophomore Niko Hildenbrand 18:27 into the final frame to go up 5-2. Hildenbrand's unassisted tally proved to be the game winner after Union surged late with goals at 18:45 and 19:51.

UMass out-shot the Dutchmen 31-26 in the contest and went 2-for-3 on the power play, while limiting Union to a 1-for-5 clip with the man advantage, including killing off a five-minute major in the third.

Sophomore Ryan Wischow finished with 22 saves for the Minutemen and Jake Kupsky stopped 26 shots for the Dutchmen. UMass won 30 of 56 faceoffs (53.6%) on the night, as well.

Chaffee, Chau and Rufo all had multi-point nights for the Minutemen with a goal and an assist apiece. Through three games on the season, freshmen have provided seven of the team's 12 tallies. Rufo, a graduate transfer from Providence, leads UMass with four points, equaling his season career high in a Friars' uniform (2g, 2a in 19 games in 2016-17).

The Minutemen will be back in action tomorrow night, October 14, when the squad will play host to American International at 7 p.m. in the Mullins Center, the 2017-18 home opener.