AMHERST, Mass. -

UMass Hosts New Hampshire In Early Season Conference Battle
• After a weekend sweep of Niagara, Massachusetts returns to Hockey East play this weekend for two home games with New Hampshire. Both teams currently sit near the top of the Hockey East standings early in the season, with the Minutemen in second and Wildcats in third.
• UMass is tied for fifth nationally in scoring offense with 3.86 goals per game and has the fourth best power play in the country at 30.0 percent.
• As part of a ticket promotion, fans who bring their ticket stub from either Friday's hockey game or Saturday afternoon's football game can purchase a $5 general admission ticket to Saturday night's hockey game.

Broadcast Information
• Friday's game will be broadcast on 91.1 FM WMUA with John Hennessey calling the play-by-play and Brock Hines calling the color commentary. The pregame show will begin 15 minutes prior to the opening face-off. Saturday's game will be broadcast on 100.9 FM WRNX, 1060 AM WBIX, and 91.1 FM WMUA. The pregame show will commence 30 minutes before opening face-off.
• All UMass home hockey games will feature live video streaming and audio through the UMassAthletics.com All-Access Package. Road games featuring streaming video will be listed throughout the season.

Best Start since 2003-04
• With a 4-0 record, UMass matched its best start to a season since going 4-0 at the beginning of the 2003-04 campaign. That season, the Minutemen finished the year as Hockey East Championship Finalists with a 19-12-6 record.

The Series With New Hampshire
• This weekend will be the 100th and 101st meeting between UMass and the Wildcats. New Hampshire leads the all-time series 75-17-7, including a 1-0-2 record against the Minutemen last season. In 2008-09, each meeting between the two teams went into overtime with New Hampshire earning the lone win 2-1 at the Whittemore Center in extra time.

Up Next: Yale
• UMass will head back on the road next Thursday for a meeting with the Yale Bulldogs at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, Conn. Yale is currently 1-1-1 on the young season, and will play host to Cornell and Colgate this weekend before the Minutemen come to town. The Bulldogs are currently ranked sixth in the nation and hold a 12-5-0 all-time record against the Minutemen. The last meeting between the teams was on Jan. 14, 1997 when the Minutemen knocked off Yale 7-4 at the Mullins Center.

UMass Featured Nine Times On TV
• Nine regular-season games this season will be televised live including three on ESPNU and three on NESN. Over the summer, ESPNU and COMCAST Cable reached an agreement to add the channel to the regular cable line-up which means the Minutemen will be seen in over 55 million households.
• The Jan. 2 Boston University game, the Jan. 10 game at Northeastern and the Jan. 24 meeting against Vermont in the Mullins Center will all be televised on ESPNU.
• The Nov. 28 game at Quinnipiac will be shown on NESN, while the Feb. 5 Boston College game and the Feb. 20 Merrimack game, both in the Mullins Center, will be featured as part of NESN's Friday Night Ice game package.
• Both road games at Providence (10/30, 1/30) will be aired on COX Television which is available throughout Rhode Island, while the March 6 game at Maine will be carried by WABI-TV.

UMass Adds 1060 AM WBIX In Boston
• The UMass Radio Network has agreed to a deal with 1060 AM WBIX in Boston to carry the bulk of the Minutemen's basketball and hockey games in 2009-10. WBIX joins 100.9 FM WRNX in Springfield as the stations carrying UMass hockey this season along with 91.1 WMUA - UMass' student station which will carry selected games throughout the year.
• AM 1060, WBIX "The Business Station" is Boston's only all-business talk radio station. Based in Framingham, the station's daytime signal (40,000 watts) reaches north into southern New Hampshire, west into Worcester and south near Providence, Rhode Island. At night, the station can still be heard clearly throughout the Boston area.

Nolet & Watson Named Lowes Senior Class Award Nominees
• Seniors Martin Nolet and Brett Watson were both named to the Lowes Senior Class Award Nominee List on Wednesday, Oct. 7. They are two of 20 nominees for the award as UMass is the only team to have two on the initial list.
• The award is given annually to the collegiate hockey senior who exhibits character, community service, classroom excellence and is a major contributor on the ice.

Bud Light UMass Hockey Show
• The Bud Light UMass Hockey Show is back in full swing with voice of the UMass hockey John Hennessy and head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon. The show airs on 100.9 FM WRNX and UMassAthletics.com. In addition to game previews and recaps, a pair of player guests will be on each week. Brock Hines also joins the show each week with his unique perspective on the team after serving as color commentator for 17 years. Fans can come by the show which is hosted live at The Hangar Pub & Grill on University Drive at 7 PM. Say hi to coach and the players and have some of the best wings in town! For a complete schedule of the show, check UMassAthletics.com where you can also submit your questions during the season to Coach Cahoon and have them answered live on the air.

Story Lines Vs. New Hampshire
• After the first five weekends of play, UMass ranks first among Hockey East teams in scoring offense (3.86 gpg) and second in scoring defense (2.14 gpg). The power play unit remains tops in Hockey East as well going 12-for-40 (30.0) in five games. Defensively, UMass has killed off 20-of-25 penalties which ranks sixth in Hockey East.
• UMass started the year 4-0 for the first time since 2003-04 - the same season UMass finished as Hockey East Finalists.
• UMass's 3-0 start in Hockey East is its best ever.
• 12 of UMass' 27 goals scored have been on the power play ... 13 different UMass skaters have at least one goal, while 17 have posted at least one point ... seven different players have scored game-winning goals.
• Will Ortiz and Michael Lecomte combined for seven of UMass' 21 points last weekend. Lecomte scored twice Friday after missing the previous four games. Ortiz tallied one goal and three assists over the weekend.
• For the second straight season, UMass earned a win over a defending NCAA National Champion with the 3-2 victory over Boston University. In 2008-09 the Minutemen defeated Boston College 4-3 in overtime. UMass is now 2-18 all-time vs. defending national champions. The win over BU was the first in eight games against the Terriers after they won a national championship.
• Brett Watson will once again serve as a team captain. Justin Braun will also wear the `C' on his sweater after being named an assistant captain midway through last season. James Marcou and Martin Nolet will both serve as assistant captains this year.
• Nine returning players dressed in 30-or-more games last season. Seven returners have played in over 60 games for their career led by Justin Braun's 114. Brett Watson and Martin Nolet have each played in over 100 games as well.

Marcou An All-American Candidate
• James Marcou enters the weekend with 92 points in 82 career games. His 32 assists last season was a single-season UMass record, while his 47 points were tied for the fourth-best single-season effort. His 66 career assists is t-5th overall at UMass, while his 92 points is 14th all-time. He needs two points to move into 12th and three to move into 10th all-time.
• Marcou is the active leading career scorer among all Hockey East Players. • He became just the sixth All-American at UMass including the third in the modern era joining Thomas Pock (2004) and Jon Quick (2007).

The S.W.ar.M. Line
• UMass' top line of T.J. Syner, Casey Wellman and James Marcou may be one of the fastest and creative playmaking trios in the country. Against RPI, the line accounted for eight of UMass' 15 points in the game. Against Maine, the line combined for seven points (3g, 4a) with each player scoring a goal. For the season, the unit has 22 of UMass' 55 total points.
• The line features the 2008-09 Hockey East Rookie Leading Scorer in Wellman and the league's regular-season scoring co-leader in Marcou.
• In addition to time on regular shifts, Wellmand and Marcou are regulars on the power play, while Syner also plays on the penalty kill.

In The National Polls
• UMass earned a #14 national ranking in the USCHO.com Top-20 poll this week with 357 total votes after a 6-1-0 start to the season. In the USA Today/USA Hockey Top-15 poll, UMass was the second team listed in the Receiving Votes category with 42 votes.
• 12 teams listed on the polls are featured on UMass' schedule this year.
• Nine of the 10 teams in Hockey East are represented in the polls.

Cahoon Becomes All-Time Winningest Coach In UMass History
• Head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon became the all-time winning head coach in UMass history on Dec. 12, 2008 with a 4-0 win over American International. The win over AIC gave Cahoon 121 career wins which surpassed UMass Hall of Famer Jack Canniff who had 120 wins in his career from 1967-79. He earned his 300th overall win as a head coach on Dec. 5, 2008 in a 5-1 win over Connecticut.
• Under Cahoon's tenure, UMass made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance (2007) and played for the Hockey East Championship title in 2003-04.
• Cahoon now has a 135-167-31 record at UMass in 10 seasons. Overall, in 23 years as a head coach, Cahoon is 315-340-67.

Hard To Beat When Scoring 3'S
• UMass is 6-0-0 when scoring three-or-more goals this season.
• UMass was 15-4-0 last season when lighting the lamp three times or more in a game and 0-16-3 when they scored fewer than three goals.

Four-Or-More Is Best
• Over the last 67 games where UMass scores four-or-more goals, the Minutemen are an amazing 63-3-1. Before the home loss against Vermont (1/25/08), the Mass Attack had not lost a game when scoring four-or-more goals since March 14, 2003 against New Hampshire in the Hockey East Semifinals (5-4).

A Pair Of Draft Picks Anchor Blue Line
• Martin Nolet and Justin Braun started each game last season as UMass' top defensive pair - their first season as line mates. Nolet was a 5th-round draft pick by Los Angeles in the 2006 draft (144th overall), while Braun was a 7th-round draft pick by San Jose in the 2007 draft (201st overall).
• Both players have been key on special teams as they are both on the top power play and penalty kill units.
• For the two seasons prior to 2008-09, Nolet started every game paired with captain Mike Kostka, while Braun was paired with David Leaderer.

Braun One Of Hockey East's Top D-Men
• Senior defenseman Justin Braun is not only one of the best defensemen for the Minutemen, but he is one of the best in the entire league. Braun plays on the top power play and penalty kill lines and is one of the team leaders in minutes played. He averages over 30 minutes of ice time per game.
• The 2009 member of the Hockey East All-Conference Second Team was the 201st pick overall last season in the NHL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins who traded his rights to the San Jose Sharks.

Irwin Finding His Touch
• Sophomore blueliner Matt Irwin didn't just pick up where he left off his freshman campaign, he has carried his play to a whole new level to start the 2009-10 season. Prior to last weekend, the Brentwood Bay, British Columbia native had an eight-game scoring streak in place dating back to last season's Hockey East Quarterfinal series, is UMass' third leading scorer in points (9) and is UMass' leader in goals scored (5).
• Nationally, ranks fourth in power play goals (4), and ranks tied for fifth in points per game for defensemen.

Wellman Avoiding Sophomore Slump
• Sophomore Casey Wellman enters the weekend ranking third on the team in points with three goals and five assists. The Hockey East Rookie Scoring leader in 2008-09 has scored three of his four goals on the power play. In his first five games as a freshman, Wellman had one goal and four assists.

Power Play Unit Putting Up Points
• The top power play unit of James Marcou, Casey Wellman, T.J. Syner, Matt Irwin, and Justin Braun have been terriffic in the early going of the season. The group has 10 of UMass' 12 power play goals including four from Irwin and three from Wellman. Overall, the UMass power play is converting at 30.0 percent and has scored 12 of UMass' 27 goals this season. UMass has a power play goal in 5-of-7 games this season including a season-high four against RPI.

It's About Quality, Not Quantity
• UMass has been outshot in 4-of-7 games, but the Minutemen lost one game when they outshot their opponent (2-1 vs. Providence). The Minutemen have eclipsed 30+ shots three times including 48 in the loss to Providence. In the loss to Providence, UMass cranked out a season-high 21 shots in the period trying to find the game-tying goal.

Watson A Face-Off Leader
• For the season, Brett Watson leads the team in the face-off dot at 73-for-115 (.635). Watson's best performance of the year was at Niagara where he was 16-for-19.

Third Period Scoring An Edge
• UMass has outscored opponents 12-to-2 in the third period this year bolstered by a season-high three goals in the third period at Providence (10/30). The UMass defense has limited opponents to a .024 shooting percentage in the third allowing the two goals on 81 shots.

Rookies Making Contributions
• Several rookies this year have jumped in making an immediate impact for the Minutemen. Rocco Carzo leads the freshman class in scoring with 2 goals and three assists in five games played. Mike Donnellan has played in five games on defense paired with Matt Irwin. Kevin Czepiel, Eddie Olczyk and Darren Rowe have each seen significant action in the early portion of the season as well.

Geographic Diversity
• The 2009-10 UMass roster features players from 13 different states and Canadian provinces. From Massachusetts to California and Florida, UMass has a diverse group of players from across North America.
• Six Minutemen hail from Massachusetts while four represent New York and Quebec.
• Matt Irwin, Paul Dainton and Darren Rowe have the longest journey to get to UMass. Irwin and Dainton hail from British Columbia - a drive which would take over two days. Rowe's drive from Simi Valley, near Los Angeles, would also take roughly two days to complete.

Prospective Minutemen
• Several Minutemen spent part of their summers working out at NHL Prospect Camps. Martin Nolet (Los Angeles), Justin Braun (San Jose), Casey Wellman (Nashville), Matt Irwin (San Jose), and Rocco Carzo (Philadephia) spent time in the camps as part of their offseason training.

Minutemen Earn Academic Honors
• 12 players earned Hockey East All-Academic honors in 2008-09 - The Minutemen had the third most honorees in the league. This was the fourth consecutive season the UMass had 10-or-more student-athletes honored on the team.
• Martin Nolet was also named to the Hockey East Academic All-Star Team for having the highest grade point average among all league defensemen.
• Nolet and Brett Watson were named to the Academic All-Conference Team for the third consecutive season.

Look For Dan Meyers' Movie Picks On UMassAthletics.Com
• Known to the team as a movie fanatic, Dan Meyers has agreed to share his thoughts and movie critiques with fans with a blog on UMassAthletics.com. Meyers will pick out different movies and share his thoughts on them throughout the season. • Meyers' movie collection is a big bonus for the team when travelling on long bus trips.

Vs. Ranked Teams
• UMass is 1-0-0 vs. ranked teams this year after a 3-2 win over #2 Boston Univ. (Oct. 18).
• In 2008-09, UMass was 6-12-3 against ranked teams. Of those, UMass faced six teams ranked in the nation's top-5 posting a 6-6-1 record. In 2007-08, UMass was 7-10-1 against ranked opponents including a 5-0-1 stretch against ranked teams through the holiday break. It was UMass best record ever against ranked teams.
• All-time, UMass is 47-177-20 against ranked opponents including a 4-7-2 record at neutral sites and a 5-20-4 record against non-conference teams.
• UMass posted its second ever win over a No. 1-ranked team on Friday, Nov. 14 in the 5-1 win over Boston University. The first came in 1994-95 with a 4-2 win over No. 1 Maine on Jan. 28. In the modern era, UMass is 2-12-1 against team's ranked No. 1.

Fans Se New Attendance Record
• After five home games, UMass is averaging 5,196 fans which ranks 11th nationally.
• With 4,934 fans per home game, UMass ranked 13th nationally in attendance last season.
• UMass averaged a program-best 5,017 fans at home games in 2007-08 which was an all-time best for the program. Against UMass Lowell (10/19/07), UMass set a new record for opening game attendance as 5,862 fans came through the turnstiles. Attendance has increased in each of the last four seasons.
• A Mullins Center record 8,389 fans turned out to see UMass defeat Boston College on Nov. 22 - a mark that also ranks as the ninth-best UMass hockey attendance for all venues. UMass had 7,212 and 8,291 fans pack the Mullins Center for the Boston University games (11/14; 2/27).

Mullins Magic
• UMass is 4-1-0 at home this season and will play 15 home games in 2009-10. Of those, 13 are Hockey East games including 2-of-3 vs. New Hampshire, Merrimack, Boston College, and Vermont.
• UMass was 9-8-1 last season at home in front of the Mullins Center crowd.
• The Minutemen lost just three games at home during the 2007-08 season going 8-3-4 (.667). The loss to New Hampshire on Jan. 11 broke a 13-game home unbeaten streak which dated back to the 2006-07 season.
• Over the last 66 games at the Mullins Center, UMass is 39-19-8 (.651) including a 14-3-4 mark in 2006-07.
• All-time, UMass is 126-116-27 in the Mullins Center including a 74-100-21 record among Hockey East foes. Under Don Cahoon, UMass sports a 82-62-15 record at home.

Hockey's A Family Legacy
• For four Minutemen, hockey is truly a family tradition. Djan Lefebvre, Eddie Olczyk, Shawn Saunders and Brett Watson all grew up around NHL rinks as their fathers played professionally. Lefebvre's father, Sylvain, played 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens, the Toronto Mapel Leafs, the Quebec Nordiques, the Colorado Avalanche and the New York Rangers. Olczyk's father, Ed, played 16 season's in the NHL, was head coach of the Pittsburgh Penquins, and currently serves as an announcer for NBC and NHL on Versus. Saunder's father, Bernie, played for the Quebec Nordiques, while Watson's father Jim and his uncle Joe both played 10 years for the Philadelphia Flyers as part of the franchise's only two Stanley Cup Championship teams.

Big Brothers Making A Difference Off Ice
• Often times, student-athletes gain the bulk of their notoriety through their accomplishments in sport. Five Minutemen, however, are trying to make a difference in young peoples lives off the ice as well. Paul Dainton, Brian Keane, Chase Langeraap, James Marcou and Brett Watson each volunteer with the Amherst Big Brothers/Big Sisters Program. Each Big Brother has a `Little' who they spend time with each week.
• Each player had to go through an extensive background check that included visits to their dorm rooms and an interview process that took several months. They spend 3-4 hours per week with their Little Brother whose age ranges from 6 to 13 years.
• Renee Moss is the Director of the program and says she is thrilled to have the guys involved with the project that really came to life two years ago under Mike Kostka through an independent study project. Kostka put together a successful Big Brother/Big Sister Bowl-A-Thon to raise money from the group last spring.
• Brett Watson is also conducting a systematic evaluation of the local program, which will culminate in a list of recommendations about how to improve the program, and how to recruit more volunteers for his Commonwealth College Capstone Project.

Minutemen Looking Forward To 2009-10 Campaign With Veteran Line-Up
• With 21 letterwinners returning and six of its top 10 scorers coming back, the 2009-10 edition of the UMass hockey team looks poised to make this season one to remember. Included in the returning offensive leaders are All-American James Marcou and Casey Wellman, a pair of the top blue-liners in Hockey East in Justin Braun and Martin Nolet, and two seasonsed goalies in Paul Dainton and Dan Meyers.
• Marcou finished the 2008-09 league regular-season tied with Boston University's Colin Wilson as the Hockey East scoring leader. Wellman led the league in Rookie Scoring. It was the first time in UMass history that the Minutemen had the league scoring leader and the rookie scoring leader.
• With seven of the first nine games at the Mullins Center, a strong beginning to the season could set the tone early for the season. Five of those seven games are against Hockey East rivals including defending national champion Boston University and a pair of home games against New Hampshire.
• This will be head coach Don "Toot" Cahoon's 10th season at UMass. He has guided the Minutemen to three Hockey East Semifinal appearances, a Hockey East Championship appearance and UMass' first-ever NCAA Tournament berth and win. He is the all-time winningest coach in UMass program history with 135 career wins.

Offensive Overview
• Offensively, UMass was led by the top scoring line of Alex Berry-Cory Quirk-James Marcou which has attributed almost 35 percent of UMass point total. Marcou returns as one of the nation's top playmakers and finished the 2008-09 Hockey East regular season tied with Boston University sophomore Colin Wilson for the league lead in points. Quirk finished his career as just the seventh player to eclipse the 100-point barrier at UMass.
• Sophomore Casey Wellman anchored the "speed" line with wingers T.J. Syner and Shawn Saunders/Will Ortiz. Wellman led the league in Rookie Scoring and ranked in the top-5 nationally. Syner returns for his sophomore season as a versatile player who also sees time on the PK units.
• Junior Michael Lecomte anchored Chase Langeraap and Danny Hobbs/Chris Davis, while Brett Watson centered Briane Keane/Marc Conncannon and the graduated Chris Davis/Scott Crowder. These were two of the more physical lines last year, but the Minutemen will have to find players to step up to replace the phsyical play of Davis and Crowder and the size and scoring touch of Berry.

Defensive Overview
• Defensively, UMass is anchored by two NHL draft picks in Justin Braun and Martin Nolet. Braun and Nolet paired together for most of last season. Sophomore Matt Irwin has been a tremendous addition to the blueliners adding size, power, and the ability to join the offensive rush. Doug Kublin and Michael Marcou are two of the more true defensive players, while Kevin Kessler rounds out the group.
• As a group, the D-men average just over 6-foot-1, 200 pounds.
• In goal, UMass has the luxury of two very capable goalies in Paul Dainton and Dan Meyers. Both have fairly similar numbers and have been producing their best career seasons to date. Dainton has played the bulk of the minutes, but Meyers has proven capable of winning big games. Backing them up is the tandom of Kevin Moore who joined the team mid-way through last season and freshman Randy Wolcott who hails from Holyoke, Mass.

Quick-ly Moving Up In The NHL Ranks
• Former UMass All-American Jon Quick enters the 2009-10 NHL season as the top-ranked goalie in the L.A. Kings program. This past summer he was invited to the U.S. Olympic Training Camp as one of three prospective goalies for Team USA. Last season, his first full NHL season, Quick posted a 21-18-2 record, 2.48 goals-against average and .914 save percentage in 44 games.
• This season, Quick is off to another strong start and recently signed a 3-year contract extension with the Kings for $5.4 million.

Sign-Up For The E-Mail List
• If you want to get the latest UMass hockey news straight to your e-mail account, then sign up for our online e-mail list. You will receive previews, game notes, boxscores, recaps and feature stories delivered right to you. To sign up, e-mail John Sinnett (jsinnett@admin.umass.edu) with the subject line "Sign Up For Hockey Newsletter".