University of Connecticut Athletics
2001-02 Men's Hockey Season-In-Review
5/29/2002 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
In a season that began slowly, the University of Connecticut men’s ice hockey team ended the year with its fourth consecutive MAAC Playoff berth and a visit to the MAAC Semifinals for the third in the last four years. The Huskies were forced by the leadership and commitment of the team’s six graduating seniors; Mike Boylan, Matt Herhal, Anders Johnson, Trent Landry, Charles Ridolf and Evan Schwarz.
UConn went winless in October including a 4-4 tie against Iona in the season’s opener. The Huskies then suffered shutout losses to UMass Lowell and Bemidji twice, all on the road. Connecticut earned its first win of the season at AIC on November 2, a 5-2 victory. Kurt Kamienski (Pittsfield, MA) netted his second career hat trick plus added two assists having taken a part in every UConn goal that evening. Kamienski was named the MAAC Player of the Week for his efforts.
Dropping a 5-0 loss to Quinnipiac on November 9, UConn traveled to UMass Amherst for a hard fought battle. The Huskies were down 4-1 heading into the third period, but scored four goals in the last stanza to bring the score within one, dropping the 6-5 decision. Evan Schwarz (Shaker Heights, OH) notched a goal and two assists, and six different Huskies scored in the second period to lift UConn to a convincing 8-2 win over AIC on November 16 in Springfield. The following night, Connecticut lost to AIC, 4-3, on home ice.
Connecticut had its first of three ties against Army (2-2) during the Thanksgiving break. Then during a locally televised game, UConn defeated Quinnipiac, 3-2 at home, behind the game-winning and first collegiate goal from Adam Rhein (Cottage Grove, MN). Anders Johnson (North Kingston, RI) was named the MAAC Player of the Week for his goal and assist in UConn’s 1-0-1 week.
The Huskies went winless in the next four games dropping conference losses at home to Mercyhurst, Canisius and Holy Cross. On December 8, UConn tied ECAC opponent Vermont, 2-2, at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington. UConn held the Catamounts scoreless through two periods, giving the Huskies their first tie against an ECAC opponent since becoming a Division I program. Jonathan Jepson (Toledo, OH) tied the score at one six-minutes into the last period, and then DJ Miller (Mount Lebanon, PA) tied the score again with three-minutes left in regulation. Jason Carey (Oakdale, MN) made a career-high 52 saves in net, and was named the MAAC Goalie of the Week for his efforts.
After the 4-1 loss against Holy Cross in the first game of the ninth annual Cingular/UConn Classic at the end of December, the Huskies topped Bentley College in the consolation game for third place at the Classic. Miller had two goals in the win.
UConn opened the New Year with two ties at Army on January 4 & 5. In game one, a 3-3 tie, Matt Grew (Yarmouthport, MA) netted a hat trick. Connecticut scored a goal in each period, but Army scored three tallies in the third period to walk away with the tie. In the second game, UConn scored two goals in the third to tie the score (4-4) and send it into overtime. Grew was named the MAAC Rookie of the Week as each of his goals were scored in a different periods and propelled UConn in front of Army after each goal.
The Huskies defeated Sacred Heart using three first period power play goals on January 11 in Storrs. The following night, UConn was shutout for the sixth time, falling 6-0 to Sacred Heart in Fairfield. Connecticut spent the middle weekend of January facing Rhode Island opponents. UConn played to a 2-2 tie at Providence, with hometown boys Johnson and Charles Ridolf (West Warwick, RI) setting up the game-tying goal. Artie Imbriano (Stoneham, MA) stopped a career-high 56 saves in net. On Saturday night, UConn fell to Brown, 2-0.
Ending the month of January on a high-note, Connecticut won the first two of its six straight wins. The Huskies had its first series sweep of the season, defeating Fairfield, 5-1 and 6-0. Ron D’Angelo (Massapequa, NY) scored two goals in game one and Jon Ames (Baldwinsville, NY) had a goal and three assists in game two. Carey earned his first collegiate shutout in net in which he garnered MAAC Goalie of the Week honors. UConn then went on to take two from Bentley College, 3-2 and 5-2, in another home-away series. On the weekend, Miller had three goals and an assist, including both game-winners. The biggest sweep of the streak and of the season were wins over Iona on February 8 & 9. In New Rochelle, the Huskies won an overtime thriller on a goal from Grew. At home the next night, the win propelled UConn past Iona in the league standings to fifth place tied with Canisius. Johnson scored the game-winner midway through the third period in the 3-2 victory. Ames earned MAAC Rookie of the Week honors after scoring two goals and an assist in the sweep over the Gaels.
Mercyhurst snapped Connecticut’s six-game streak with a 4-1 win in Erie, PA. With the loss, UConn remained in fifth place tied with the Griffs. Connecticut tied Canisius in a 6-6 battle, which moved both teams into a three-way tie with Holy Cross in the league standings. Matt Owens (Framingham, MA) had two goals and two assists in the tie. Meeting Holy Cross for the second and third times this season, the Crusaders swept UConn, 3-2 and 3-1, to close out February.
Rounding out the last weekend of regular season play, each game meant an important push forward or behind in the league standings. UConn lost to Quinnipiac, 6-2, on the first of March, but bounced back for a 7-4 win over Bentley on Senior Night on Sunday. UConn fell behind 2-0 after the first period, but went on to score two in the second to tie the score. The Huskies then exploded for four goals in a 1:26 time span to take the victory. Grew and Kamienski each had two goals. The win placed UConn and Iona in a two-way tie for sixth place in the MAAC standings. Connecticut, who was picked to finish in sixth in the MAAC Preseason Poll, took the head-to-head in series, and went on to face the No. 3 seed Holy Cross in the MAAC Quarterfinal game in Worcester.
Connecticut earned its fourth straight MAAC Tournament berth, seeded as the No. 6 team in the tournament. UConn jumped out to the early 5-1 lead, and held onto it into the start of the third period. The Crusaders came out strong scoring four goals and out shot the Huskies, 21-5. Kamienski scored the game-winner with 11-seconds remaining in regulation to propel the Huskies into a MAAC semifinal game for the third time in four years.
Mercyhurst ended UConn’s hopes of returning to the Championship game, routing the Huskies, 5-0, in a MAAC Semifinal game in Worcester, MA. The shutout was the eighth of the season, the most in UConn’s program history.
The Huskies completed their season with a record of 13-16-7 overall, 11-10-5 in the MAAC. D’Angelo led all scoring with 17 goals and 16 assists for 33 points. UConn also set a school record for most ties in a single season with seven. Mike Boylan (Doylestown, PA) and Johnson completed their four-year careers at UConn having logged the most games played in the history of the hockey program. Boylan ended with 137, and Johnson was at 131. Boylan was named to the All-MAAC First Team, and Rhein was selected to the All-MAAC Rookie Team. Boylan, along with Kamienski, Miller and Eric Nelson (Big Lake, MN), were all named to the MAAC All-Academic Team. Boylan was also voted to the Verizon CoSIDA All-District I Academic Team.
