UConn men’s hockey to start Logan Terness in goal for season opener

UConn men’s hockey will start sophomore Logan Terness in its season opener against Vermont on Saturday, head coach Mike Cavanaugh told The UConn Blog. Terness edged out freshman Arsenii Sergeev to take the ice in the opener, though it wouldn’t be a surprise if the two split the weekend.

Terness has made just one start for the Huskies, a 3-1 loss at AIC last January. He saved 28 of 31 shots and played well despite the team’s worst performance of the season in front of him. Terness would’ve seen more action early in the year had he not suffered an ankle injury that kept him out for a couple of weeks and continued to hamper him for much of the first half. By the time the freshman was fully healthy, Darion Hanson was playing so well that the coaching staff didn’t want to put the veteran on the bench.

Now that Hanson has graduated and turned pro, UConn had a wide-open competition in net during the preseason that ultimately came down to Terness and Sergeev. While the two were even in camp, Terness’ experience — his familiarity with his teammates and the systems — gave him the edge to earn the first start of the year.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 185 pounds out of Burnaby, British Columbia, Terness is an excellent skater and compensates for his average height by playing with refined technique. When he’s at his best, he controls the puck to limit second and third chances for opposing teams. Even though Terness went undrafted, UConn believed it landed the best goalie prospect in British Columbia and possibly all of Canada when he committed back in 2020.

As for Sergeev, he may only have to wait until Sunday to see his first action with the Huskies, though the coaching staff won’t decide on who starts the second game of the series until after the opening contest.

Sergeev is a different type of goalie than his teammate. The Yaroslavl, Russia native stands at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds and went in the seventh round of the 2021 NHL Draft to the Calgary Flames. His calling card is his athleticism, though sometimes he relies too much on that athleticism and his technique falters.

UConn’s season opener vs. Vermont is set for Saturday at 7 p.m. at Gutterson Fieldhouse. ESPN+ will broadcast all the action from Burlington.