University of Massachusetts Amherst: UMass hockey facing Western Michigan in second round of NCAA Tournament

Matt Skillings Daily Collegian (2025) The Massachusetts hockey team is gearing up to face off against No. 4 Western Michigan in the Fargo Regional finals on Saturday. The Minutemen (21-13-5) advanced in the NCAA Tournament with a gritty 5-4 overtime victory against Minnesota on Thursday night. Down 3-1 going into the third period, UMass scored three consecutive goals to take the lead. This is just the second time this season the Minutemen have overcome a two-goal deficit and ended with the win. "We were not very good [the] first half of the game," head coach Greg Carvel said. "[I] challenged the team after the second intermission and they came out and it looked like UMass hockey in the third period. [I'm] extremely proud of the guys. It was a huge win." The sudden-death game-winning goal came from sophomore Aydar Suniev, his second of the night. Suniev's tally marked both UMass' first victory over Minnesota in organization history and its first advancement to the second round of the tournament since its title-clinching run in 2021. "It means a lot," Suniev said about the win. "We lost and [it] definitely was a little emotional last year, couldn't get it done for our seniors. But this year with Alger, Mercuri... we just want to play for those guys, so that was special." Western Michigan (31-7-1) earned a 2-1 win over Minnesota State with a double-overtime effort. Respectively ranked first in the nation for offense and for defense, the two teams battled through a nail-biting 87 minutes of play. Sophomore Grant Slukynsky called game when he put his stick on a rebound that made its way past the MSU netminder. "It's not how we [drew] it up, but both of them ended in wins, and that's what we're going to do...win," Slukynsky said about the team's two consecutive overtime games. "Nice support on the right side of both of those, and [we'll] hopefully take their business on Saturday." Slukynsky's younger brother, Hampton Slukynsky, manned the net, making 28 saves on 29 shots in the contest. Hailing from Warroad, Minnesota, the goaltender's performance was his first return to Scheels Arena since his campaign with the Fargo Force last season. Recording four straight appearances in the tournament, WMU has never made it past the second round. The Broncos' Frozen Four bid this year came from their first conference title in program history. With a lower-caliber lineup of opponents through the season, WMU hasn't been tested this year the way the Minutemen have. Saturday's game will pit the Broncos against a Hockey East team for the first time since their October loss to Boston College. The Eagles were one of three Frozen Four teams that WMU played in the regular season, joined by defending-champion Denver and No. 2 Michigan State, whereas UMass has seen five tournament teams in conference matchups. Although the Minutemen have more consistently faced high-level matchups, both teams have held their own against top-ranked rivals. The confidence each group rallies will be the difference-maker on Saturday night. "We talk often in our locker room about toughness...physical toughness and mental toughness as well," WMU head coach Pat Ferschweiler said. "That's zero frustration, stick with it, believe in what we're trying to do, believe in yourself and believe in each other, and that's all we talked about in between periods." Both teams will have a day to recuperate from their extra-frame exertion before they take to the ice on Saturday night. The winner of the contest will head to St. Louis for the NCAA semifinals and a chance to compete in the National Championship. Puck drop is set for 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 29 at Scheels Arena as WMU and UMass fight to extend its seasons. ESPNU will broadcast the matchup. Caroline Burge can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @Caroline_Burge.