UConn men’s hockey off to best start since 1975-76; earns highest ranking in program history
The UConn football program isn’t the only one bringing good vibes on campus right now.
Men’s hockey is off to its best start since the 1975-76 season after sweeping a two-game series with Union College over the weekend, including a 4-3 overtime victory on a goal from sophomore forward Chase Bradley.
The Huskies are now 4-0-0, and on Monday they moved up to No. 17 in the nation in the USCHO.com poll, the highest ranking the program has ever achieved.
UConn’s previous height had been No. 19, which is where it ended last season.
One of the reasons for the Huskies’ early success has been graduate transfer forward Ty Amonte, who spent the first four seasons of his college career at Boston University. Amonte is the son of longtime NHL winger Tony Amonte, who came up with the New York Rangers and spent 15 years in the league.
Ty was named an alternate captain ahead of the season despite only having been with the program since the summer.
“That was pretty impressive from someone who’s just come into a program and garnered that much respect this early,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh told reporters last week. “He comes to the rink with a smile on his face every day, he does every drill at 100 percent, to the point where sometimes I have to tell him to dial it back a little bit.”
“I don’t think he takes anything for granted. Every time he steps on the ice, he doesn’t take it for granted, and I think that shows,” Cavanaugh said.
Amonte dealt with injuries while at BU, missing most of the 2020-21 season, but could be an important addition to UConn’s squad if he remains healthy. He said the Huskies’ style was part of what convinced him to come to UConn for his graduate transfer season.
“Playing UConn the past five years you know what they’re gonna bring every night. It’s a team that’s gonna compete, they’re gonna try and run you out of the building,” Amonte said. “They’re gonna score, they’re gonna play hard ‘D’, so I knew what to expect coming in here, and it was something I looked forward to because that’s the way I play the game.”
UConn will look to continue its hot start as it welcomes No. 11 Ohio State to the XL Center in Hartford for a two-game series beginning Friday, Oct. 14.
