University of Connecticut Athletics
Payusov and Linemates Off to Fast Start
10/31/2018 1:15:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Coaches will often stress the importance of getting off to a strong start, whether it be in a game or a season, and it would be hard to find a better start than the one junior Alexander Payusov (Montreal, Quebec) and his line mates have had to the 2018-19 season.
Payusov has had seven goals in six games putting him at the top of the Hockey East scoring charts and tied for fifth in the country. Payusov ran his goal-scoring streak to four straight games in the second game of this past weekend's series with Hockey East rival, Maine.
"One of the things I think Sasha (Payusov) has understood is that he's a shooter," said head coach Mike Cavanaugh. "He doesn't try to handle the puck. You very rarely see Ovechkin saying, let me have the puck I want to set the power play up, he just wants to shoot it. Sasha is understanding how to play his role and what he's really good at. He finds lanes to get open, he's going to the net and he's shooting pucks. He's doing simple very well."
Payusov saw action in 15 games his rookie campaign with two points on two assists. His offense took a big jump when he saw a spike in scoring during his sophomore year. He finished with 12 goals and 8 assists in 27 games. This year, Payusov is off to his fastest start.
"I think it was just a matter of maturing for me," said Payusov. "I had the skills as a freshman but I wasn't quite there mentally."
Senior Karl El-Mir (Montreal, Quebec), freshman Jachym Kondelik (Budejovice, Czech Republic) and Payusov have played on the same line together for the last four games. In those four games, the trio has piled up 15 points on 9 goals and 6 assists. With El-Mir and Payusov putting the puck in the back of the net, Kondelik has played the role of set-up man. The rookie playmaker has six assists in the past four games and eight on the season, tying him for first in the Hockey East rankings.
"I think it's great," said Payusov. "I think we have a good chemistry going. Kondelik is a really good passer and he's really smart and Karl works so hard every game and creates opportunities for all of us. I think we're a great fit."
The results the Huskies top line have seen during this stretch is a direct result of the work that goes in on and off the ice during a practice week.
"We're always trying to stay positive and we're always trying to talk to each other if there's something we want to try," said Kondelik. "We won't stay quiet. If one of us does something wrong we always try to pick each other up. For example, if the guys don't like a play I make, they're going to tell me and I'm not going to do it again."
To an outsider, this season may have looked like a transitional year with 12 new faces on the roster, but the team's leaders have worked hard to prove those people wrong.
"I think we have great leaders here," said Kondelik. "They've done a really great job helping us adjust to college hockey and how it works here. I think everyone is getting better and better every game. Maybe we had a slower start but we're really improving and I think it's mostly because of how great our leaders are and they're helping us get to where we want to be."
The Huskies will face Vermont in a weekend series this Friday and Saturday where Payusov, El-Mir and Kondelik and the rest of the Huskies look to build on their early season successes.
