Friday's game will be the season-opener for Holy Cross, as they faced the Royal Military Academy in exhibition action on Friday, Oct. 14. The Crusaders handed RMA a 6-2 loss. Four different players scored for Holy Cross, including Tyler McGregor, who grabbed a hat trick in the contest. All three Crusader goalies saw time in net, including HC's 2004-05 top goalie, Tony Quesada.

The Minutemen are coming off of a hard-earned split, having taken the hardest trip in college hockey to St. Lawrence and Clarkson. UMass dropped the season opener by the score of 2-1 to the Saints, but bounced back the next night, handing the Golden Knights a 4-2 loss. On the weekend, five Minutemen scored, including Matt Anderson and Marvin Degon, who lit the lamp twice each, and rookie Chris Davis, who collected his first collegiate goal vs. St. Lawrence. A total of 19 penalties were called for both the Minutemen and their opponents, and UMass converted on three of them on Saturday. The Massachusetts penalty kill only allowed one man-advantage goal.

HOCKEY EAST OPENER NEXT WEEKEND VS. NEW HAMPSHIRE, MAINE
The 12th season of UMass Hockey under the Hockey East Association opens up next weekend, Oct. 28 and 29, when the Minutemen face powerhouses New Hampshire and Maine. Game time for both nights is set for 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.

New Hampshire opened their season last weekend, beating Ferris State 4-2 in the Maverick Stampede before falling to host Nebraska-Omaha 3-5 in the championship game. The Wildcats were picked to finish second in the preseason Hockey East poll, and are currently ranked No. 11/12 in the national polls.

Maine shocked NCAA champion Denver last weekend, taking both games in Orono 5-1 and 4-1. Overall, the Black Bears are 3-1-0 on the season, having also defeated Air Force before falling to Colorado College in overtime. Maine was picked to finish tied for third in the league preseason poll, and are currently No. 5 in both national polls.