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UConn men’s hockey’s 2020-21 schedule is set. The Huskies will lace up for 26 games — all against Hockey East opponents — in a double round-robin format.
UConn will play a home-and-away series with every conference member except Vermont and Maine. The Huskies will start their season with an #Icebus trip to UVM for two games then welcome the Black Bears to Freitas Ice Forum for a two-game series on home ice.
UPDATE — Nov. 15: UConn’s first series against UVM is postponed.
UPDATE — Nov. 18: UConn will now play UMass on Nov. 20 and 21.
In all other matchups, teams will travel on the day of games “to allow for proper and consistent testing protocols throughout the season while adhering to all state guidelines.”
Those series will all count towards the standings to determine a regular season winner and the seeding for the Hockey East Playoffs. In addition, three of the final five weekends will be “flex” weekends. These games will be against Hockey East opponents but won’t count towards the standings. If any conference matchups are disrupted at any point during the season, they will be rescheduled in place of a flex series.
UConn opens on Nov. 20 and 21 at Vermont before returning home the next weekend for two games against Maine. After that, the Huskies will have a bye week then face Boston College on Dec. 11 (away) and 12 (home) before their holiday break begins.
The second half of the season kicks off on New Years’ Day with UConn’s first flex weekend. They’ll travel to UNH for a 4 p.m. showdown then play again in Storrs the next day. The Huskies’ other two flex weekends will come against UMass Lowell (Feb. 19-20) and Northeastern (Feb. 26-27). UConn will wrap up the regular season against Merrimack on March 5 (home) and March 6 (away).
Game times, television/streaming details, and how to watch info will be released “in the coming days.”
UConn will play all its games at the 2,000-seat Freitas Ice Forum on campus in Storrs this season due to the pandemic. In-person attendance will be limited to just families of the players and coaches per guidelines from state health officials. However, that could change if COVID statistics improve during the season.
Despite the lack of fans, every game will be broadcast live. NESN will air 32 men’s and women’s games through Jan. 1 — including the Huskies’ matchup at UNH that day — with more to come. Everything else will be shown on “one of ViacomCBS Digital’s platforms” for free.
This year’s UConn squad is the most talented in head coach Mike Cavanaugh’s tenure to this point and should contend for the Hockey East regular season title. Though the Huskies lost key contributors in Ben Freeman, Ruslan Iskhakov, and Wyatt Newpower, they added a strong freshman class and are counting on a young core to continue developing.
Last season, the Huskies went 15-15-4 (12-10-2 Hockey East) and finished fifth in the conference before the coronavirus forced the playoffs to be canceled.
Check out the full schedule below:
2020-21 UConn Men’s Hockey Schedule
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time/Result | TV/Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Date | Opponent | Location | Time/Result | TV/Record |
| November 20 | No. 7 UMass | Amherst, MA | L 5-1 | 0-1-0 |
| November 21 | No. 7 UMass | Freitas Ice Forum | T 2-2 (UConn won shootout) | 0-1-1 |
| November 28 | Maine | Freitas Ice Forum | Canceled (COVID-19) | 0-1-1 |
| November 29 | Maine | Freitas Ice Forum | Canceled (COVID-19) | 0-1-1 |
| December 5 | Boston University | Freitas Ice Forum | Canceled (COVID-19) | 0-1-1 |
| December 11 | No. 2 Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | L 4-3 (OT) | 0-2-1 |
| December 12 | No. 2 Boston College | Freitas Ice Forum | W 3-1 | 1-2-1 |
| December 21 | No. 17 UMass Lowell | Freitas Ice Forum | L 2-1 | 1-3-1 |
| December 23 | No. 10 UMass | Amherst, MA | L 6-2 | 1-4-1 |
| December 28 | No. 15 Providence | Freitas Ice Forum | W 2-0 | 2-4-1 |
| January 1 | New Hampshire | Durham, NH | W 2-1 | 3-4-1 |
| January 2 | New Hampshire | Freitas Ice Forum | L 2-1 (OT) | 3-5-1 |
| January 7 | No. 14 Northeastern | Freitas Ice Forum | Canceled (COVID-19) | 3-5-1 |
| January 9 | No. 14 Northeastern | Boston, MA | Canceled (COVID-19) | 3-5-2 |
| January 13 | No. 16 Providence | Providence, RI | Canceled (COVID-19) | 3-5-3 |
| January 15 | New Hampshire | Freitas Ice Forum | W 6-5 (OT) | 4-5-1 |
| January 16 | New Hampshire | Durham, NH | W 8-3 | 5-5-1 |
| January 22 | No. 1 Boston College | Chestnut Hill, MA | T 3-3 (UConn won shootout) | 5-5-2 |
| January 23 | No. 1 Boston College | Freitas Ice Forum | L 4-2 | 5-6-2 |
| January 29 | Merrimack | North Andover, MA | W 6-1 | 6-6-2 |
| January 30 | Merrimack | Freitas Ice Forum | W 6-2 | 7-6-2 |
| February 5 | No. 14 Northeastern | Boston, MA | W 4-1 | 8-6-2 |
| February 9 | UMass Lowell | Lowell, MA | L 3-2 (OT) | 8-7-2 |
| February 12 | No. 16 Providence | Providence, RI | L 4-0 | 8-8-2 |
| February 13 | No. 16 Providence | Freitas Ice Forum | Canceled (COVID-19) | 8-8-2 |
| February 20 | No. 11 Boston University | Freitas Ice Forum | L 3-2 (OT) | 8-9-2 |
| February 26 | Maine | Freitas Ice Forum | L 6-4 | 8-10-2 |
| February 27 | Maine | Freitas Ice Forum | W 4-2 | 9-10-2 |
| March 5 | No. 15 Providence | Freitas Ice Forum | W 5-3 | 10-10-2 |
| Hockey East Tournement | ||||
| March 14 | No. 5 Providence | Freitas Ice Forum | L 6-1 | 10-11-2 |