All Hail the #IceBus
The Story: The men’s hockey team has taken some time to get here, but it moved into the top 20 of the USCHO rankings this week and we think it might be there for a while. It is in third place in Hockey East going into Friday’s game against UMass at the XL Center.
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: We have an answer to the question of whether UConn is a hockey school. The Huskies are 16-11 and skating toward their first NCAA Tournament berth since they moved to Hockey East more than 10 years ago. This is the second time the Huskies are ranked in program history and this seems like there’s a chance it might last a little longer.
HOW DID THEY GET HERE? The #IceBus is 12-6 in Hockey East, its most wins ever in the conference, and knocked off Boston College and Merrimack last week. They are one of five ranked Hockey East teams.
• The Huskies have won six straight Hockey East games and catapulted to the top of the standings. UConn is tied with Boston University with 35 points and only two points behind UMass Lowell and defending national champion UMass.
WHO TO WATCH: Forward Ryan Tverberg leads the team with 12 goals while senior Jachym Kondelik has 11. Jonny Evans, who was a second-team all-America last year, has not had the same type of production with five goals and seven assists. Darion Hanson is the goalie and is giving up 2.1 goals per game.
A NOTE ON THE WOMEN: The women’s hockey team is third in Hockey East and receiving votes in the USCHO poll, putting them No. 11 in the country. It is 16-6-3 in Hockey East and 22-7-3 this season. The Hockey Barn can’t come soon enough.
Morning Reads
• Azzi Fudd wasn’t an immediate hit when she came to UConn, surprisingly, but with injuries still decimating the Huskies, Fudd has shown her star talent at just the right time. (Hartford Courant)
• The men’s basketball team survived on Sunday thanks to Tyrese Martin and its defense. If only the offense would come around. (Hartford Courant)
• The men’s basketball team remained No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. (The UConn Blog)
