University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
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Western Michigan
Viva Las Vegas! Huskies Play in Ice Vegas Invitational this Weekend
1/3/2019 10:52:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Video: BDGlobal.inplayer.com
Live Stats: Statbroadcast.com
Ice Chips…
- The UConn Huskies head out west to Las Vegas to take part in the 2019 Ice Vegas Invitational. The Huskies will battle Western Michigan in the opening game and then face either Air Force or St. Lawrence in game two.
- The Huskies have never skated against Western Michigan but the two schools do share a hockey bond. Former Husky Todd Krygier (1984-88) is in his third season as an assistant coach on head coach Andy Murray's coaching staff. Krygier, a two-time All-American, is UConn's all-time leading goal scorer (99) and is second all-time with 200 career points. He was UConn's first alum to play in the NHL, playing in 543 games with the Hartford, Washington and Anaheim.
- UConn has not faced Air Force since their days together in Atlantic Hockey. The two teams split their season series back in 2013-14, head coach Mike Cavanaugh's first season at the helm. The Falcons lead the all-time series, 21-7-4. The Huskies have never faced St. Lawrence.
- UConn heads into the tournament fresh off a 3-1 win over No. 15 Yale University on Monday. The Huskies ended a seven-game losing streak with the win and also earned their first ever win over Yale in 14 meetings.
- Junior goaltender Adam Huska stopped 39 of the 40 shots he faced in Monday's win, matching his season-high for saves. Huska was tabbed the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts, his second award this season.
- The Huskies will welcome back freshman forward Jachym Kondelik, who is played for his home country Czech Republic at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship in Vancouver. Kondelik and the Czech team fell to Team USA in the quarterfinals on Wednesday night. He had a goal and an assist in the team's five games.
- Kondelik has 14 points on the ledger in 17 games, coming on a goal and 13 assists. He is third among Hockey East rookies in scoring and his 13 assists (0.76 pg) is second in Hockey East. The UConn freshmen class as a whole leads the team with 41 points (11g/30a) this season.
- Junior Alexander Payusov scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season in Monday's win over Yale, tied for third among Hockey East leaders. Senior Karl El-Mir took over the team lead in poinst after a two-assist game at Yale. El-Mir has 15 points (9g/5a) on the season. Both have four power play goals on the year, third among league leaders.
- The Huskies are road warriors over the first three months of the season, playing just five times at the XL Center in their first 21 games. Once returning from Las Vegas, UConn will play 10 of the season's final 14 games at home in Hartford.
Scouting the Broncos
The Western Michigan Broncos jump back into action for the first time since going 1-0-1 against then No. 3 Minnesota Duluth on December 7 and 8. The Broncos were ranked No. 17 in the last USCHO.com top-20 poll and received votes in this week's USA Today top-15. The Broncos have six players with double digit points and a pair of 10-goal scorers in junior Hugh McGing and sophomore Josh Passolt. Five of McGing's 10 goals this season have come on the power play. Senior goaltender Trevor Gorsuch is 7-2-1 with a .927 save percentage and a 2.13 goals against.
Huskies vs. NCHC
- The Huskies are 1-2-0 when facing teams from the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, which began play in 2013-14.
- In 2016-17, the Huskies knocked off then No. 18 St. Cloud State on the way to winning the Desert Hockey Classic in Prescott Valley, Ariz.
- The Huskies have also faced Colorado College (0-1-0) and Miami (0-2-0). UConn previously faced Omaha (0-1-0) when they were a member of the former CCHA.
- The Huskies have never met Denver, Minnesota Duluth, North Dakota, or Western Michigan.
Scouting the Falcons
The Air Force Falcons come into the tournament at 10-7-1 after tying (3-3) and beating (6-3) Bemidji State last weekend. They sit atop the Atlantic Hockey standings with a 9-5-0 mark. Senior forward Evan Fenco has a team-best eight goals and 12 points on the year. Classmate Matt Koch also has 12 points, all assists, while senior Even Giesler has 11 points on four goals and seven assists. Senior goaltender Billy Christopolus has eight wins to go along with a 2.40 goals against and a .912 save percentage.
Huskies vs. Atlantic Hockey
- UConn was one of the inaugural members of the Atlantic Hockey Association and played in the conference for 11 seasons (2003-2014).
- Under head coach Mike Cavanaugh, the Huskies are 18-16-5 against schools from Atlantic Hockey and 3-5-0 since leaving the league for Hockey East in 2014-15.
- The Huskies have faced AIC, Army West Point, Sacred Heart, and RIT from the league since joining Hockey East.
Scouting the Saints
The St. Lawrence Saints come into the weekend 3-12-1 on the season and have been off since splitting a conference series with Clarkson back on December 7 and 8. The Saints have struggled to find offense during the first half, averaging just 1.69 goals per game on the year. Junior Carson Gicewicz is the team's leading scorer with eight points on two goals and six assists. A trio of goaltenders have seen action this season with senior Arthur Brey playing in 10 games with a 3.85 goals against and a .903 save percentage.
Huskies vs. ECAC
- UConn is 22-56-10 all-time against teams from the ECAC. Under head coach Mike Cavanaugh, the Huskies are 9-8-3 against the ECAC.
- This season, the Huskies are 3-2-0 against teams from the ECAC, beating Yale (3-1), RPI (2-1) and Brown (3-1) while falling to Quinnipiac (4-2) and the Bulldogs (6-3) in the Friendship Four.
- The Huskies have faced Brown (5-5-1), Colgate (3-5-0), Dartmouth (0-2-0), Princeton (0-3-0), Quinnipiac (11-19-2), Rensselaer (1-2-3), Union (1-7-4) and Yale (0-13-0) from the league.
Regular Season Tournament Time...
This is the second in-season tournament for UConn this year as the Huskies played in the Friendship Four in Belfast, Northern Ireland back in November. The Huskies fell to Boston University (3-2) and Yale (6-3) at the event.
The last time the Huskies went west to play in a tournament it was the 2017 Desert Hockey Classic in Prescott, Arizona. UConn took home the trophy, beating St. Cloud State and Brown to win their first regular season tournament trophy under head coach Mike Cavanaugh.
Huskies in NHL Arenas...
- The UConn Huskies will play in the second annual Ice Vegas Invitational at T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas, home to the NHL's Vegas Golden Knights. This is the sixth different NHL arena the Huskies will play in.
- The Huskies call the XL Center in downtown Hartford home, formerly the Hartford
- Civic Center and the home of the Hartford Whalers from 1975-1997.
- Huskies at NHL Arenas:
           3/1/03 vs. Quinnipiac (L, 4-3) at Madison Square Garden (New York Rangers)
           2/12/05 vs. Bentley (W, 4-1) at Fleet Center (Boston Bruins)
           10/31/14 vs. Merrimack (T, 2-2) at Prudential Center (New Jersey Devils)
           11/1/14 vs. Yale (L, 2-1) at Prudential Center (New Jersey Devils)
           11/1/15 vs. Notre Dame (L, 8-2) at Barclays Center (New York Islanders)
           1/8/16 vs. Michigan Tech (L, 4-2) at Gila River Arena (Arizona Coyotes)
           1/9/16 vs. Arizona State (W, 3-0) at Gila River Arena (Arizona Coyotes)
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