UMass at Garber
Posted: Wed Apr 08, 2026 5:38 pm
Saturday the Hens face a challenging A10 opponent in an unbelievably big match up for both squads. The winner of this game gets a head-to-head win that might be the difference between making the A10 tourney and staying home. If Umass wins they will only have an easily-winnable Hobart game left with just two losses in conference. With a loss, the Hens would be forced to win the last two games against St. Bonnies and St Joes to finish with three losses. Hens would need that head-to-head win over St. Joe's to give them the fourth and final spot in the playoffs. Another scenario where the Hens win this weekend and lose to St. Joes the final weekend would mean that UMass, St. Joes and Delaware would each have three losses. Not sure what the tie breaker scenario would be (something for another day).
The Minutemen are 9-3 with one-sided losses to High Point (15-7) and Richmond (21-7). The Hens lost to both of these squads as well (17-5 vs Richmond and 12-8 to High Point). UMass is coming off a big home win last week versus St. Joes by a score of 14-12. Important to note that UMass second leading scorer Robbie Granara (19g 10a) was on crutches and wearing a boot for the second half of that game. That would be a big loss for the Minutemen if he were unable to play.
The match-up on paper does not look great for the Hens who struggle to score in double digits. UMass defense is led by goalie Owen Salanger who saves roughly 60% of the shots he faces and gives up just 9.4 goals a game. UMass offense averages 12.9 goals a game, but as noted, only had 7 against both High Point and Richmond. I would think that they Hens will need to get at least 12 goals to win this game. The Hens defense has been improving over the last few weeks with the inclusion of freshmen Brady Wesloski at close defense (replacing injured Pat Gillin) and Greyson Dunn at LSM. I believe this squad with Colton Silverstein in net has the ability to keep Umass between 9-11 goals.
On a positive note, the UMass faceoff unit is the second worst in D1, winning just 32%. Freshman Scott Conte is up to 49% for the Hens. The Hens have to make the most of these offensive possessions. I would like to see them push the pace a little and look for fast break opportunities in order to get to +12 goals. Teams very rarely win rock fights up at Garber field. Close, low-scoring games favor the Minutemen everytime.
The bottom line is the Hens have a couple of opportunities to make the playoffs despite having a horrible season-to-date. A win Saturday would be a great first step to turning around this nightmare season for the Hens. Fingers crossed.
The Minutemen are 9-3 with one-sided losses to High Point (15-7) and Richmond (21-7). The Hens lost to both of these squads as well (17-5 vs Richmond and 12-8 to High Point). UMass is coming off a big home win last week versus St. Joes by a score of 14-12. Important to note that UMass second leading scorer Robbie Granara (19g 10a) was on crutches and wearing a boot for the second half of that game. That would be a big loss for the Minutemen if he were unable to play.
The match-up on paper does not look great for the Hens who struggle to score in double digits. UMass defense is led by goalie Owen Salanger who saves roughly 60% of the shots he faces and gives up just 9.4 goals a game. UMass offense averages 12.9 goals a game, but as noted, only had 7 against both High Point and Richmond. I would think that they Hens will need to get at least 12 goals to win this game. The Hens defense has been improving over the last few weeks with the inclusion of freshmen Brady Wesloski at close defense (replacing injured Pat Gillin) and Greyson Dunn at LSM. I believe this squad with Colton Silverstein in net has the ability to keep Umass between 9-11 goals.
On a positive note, the UMass faceoff unit is the second worst in D1, winning just 32%. Freshman Scott Conte is up to 49% for the Hens. The Hens have to make the most of these offensive possessions. I would like to see them push the pace a little and look for fast break opportunities in order to get to +12 goals. Teams very rarely win rock fights up at Garber field. Close, low-scoring games favor the Minutemen everytime.
The bottom line is the Hens have a couple of opportunities to make the playoffs despite having a horrible season-to-date. A win Saturday would be a great first step to turning around this nightmare season for the Hens. Fingers crossed.
We could also get left out of the playoffs unless we up our goal production...somehow. Need some shooters to get hot.