UMass Minutemen women's ice hockey

UMass Minutemen Women's Ice Hockey
University	University of Massachusetts Amherst
Conference	Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League
Governing Body	ACHA Women's Division 1
Head coach	Bill Wright 6th season, 103–38–11
Assistant coaches	Ryan Wright, Stephen Magner, Meghan Burns (manager)
Captain(s)	Victoria Bortolussi, Micheala Tosone
Alternate captain(s)	Brittani Lanzilli, Ally Perdios
Arena	Mullins Center Community Rink Capacity: 500
Location	Amherst, Massachusetts
Colors	Maroon and White[1]
ACHA Tournament appearances
2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017
Conference Tournament championships
ECWHL: 2013, 2015, 2016, 2017
Conference regular season championships
ECWHL: 2009, 2013, 2015, 2017
Current uniform

The UMass Minutemen women's ice hockey team represents the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) in Women's Division 1 of the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) and in the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League (ECWHL). The Minutemen are one of the ACHA's premier programs, having qualified for 14 of the 17 ACHA National Tournaments held for women's teams (within 15 years of total ACHA membership), a number tied with Michigan State for the all-time lead. Additionally, UMass has won four ECWHL playoff titles (a conference championship total that trails only rival Rhode Island nationally) and has been the home of two Zoë M. Harris Award winners (Maura Grainger in 2008–09 and Brittani Lanzilli in 2015–16), one of four ACHA D1 programs to produce multiple recipients of the honor.

Bill Wright has been the team's head coach since 2012 and has led the Minutemen to their only ACHA championship game appearance (2014).

History

Early seasons (2002–07)

UMass joined the ACHA for the 2002–03 season and almost immediately joined soon-to-be archrival Rhode Island as one of the northeastern United States' two dominant ACHA programs, a status that has continued to the present day with only rare interruption.

Under head coach Bill Finn, and featuring early stars like three-time All-American Aleta Mills, Jacqui Phillips, Samatha Louras and goalie Becky Trudel, the Minutemen finished second in the East Region and received an autobid to the third-ever ACHA National Tournament, in Muskegon, Michigan. UMass performed well at nationals, finishing second in their four-team group after wins over Northern Michigan and St. Cloud State. While that outcome would have meant a trip to the semifinals under subsequent formats, in 2003 it meant that the Minutemen were dumped in the third-place game, where they dropped a decision to West Los Angeles College.^[2] Despite the disappointing finish, the program had announced its arrival in a way few have, before or since.

The 2003–04 season saw UMass contribute to two notable pieces of history. That season, the program helped start the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League, with Rhode Island, Penn State, Buffalo and Boston University as the other founding members. From January 16–19, 2004, UMass hosted an event dubbed the "UMass White Out Tournament," the first mid-season showcase event held within the ACHA's women's divisions. Invited teams included new conference opponents Rhode Island and Buffalo, along with West LA College, Robert Morris (IL) (the eventual champion) and Colorado.^[3] Louras, meanwhile, finished that year with 37 points, good enough to place ninth on the ACHA's top scorers list and become the first documented Minuteman to rank in the top ten.

The Minutemen made it to the ECWHL championship game to close each of the league's first three seasons, but as was the pattern of the time, lost each to URI (the Rams were the circuit's dominant team early on and would not lose an ECWHL playoff game until 2011). The maroon and white did, however, fire off back-to-back ACHA National Tournament bids in 2005 and 2006. The first was the stronger of the two runs, thanks to a 3–1 pool win over Michigan, powered by Emily Slotnick's game-winning goal and two assists, that sent UMass through to the quarterfinals.^[4] The Great Lakes State got the best of the Bay State when given another chance though, as Michigan State upended the Minutemen 2–1 on the way to a second-place finish.

Beginning in the mid-2000s, UMass continued to grow its program by aggressively pursuing scheduling against NCAA varsity opposition, including Castleton State, MIT, Sacred Heart and Holy Cross.^[5]

The team hosted the ACHA National Tournament at the Mullins Center to close 2006–07, a tournament notable as the first in association history to include two women's divisions, as ACHA Women's Division 2 began play that season. St. Scholastica won the inaugural D2 title, while Robert Morris (IL) took the crown in the Minutemen's D1. UMass, meanwhile, was somewhat fortunate to receive an automatic hosting bid to the tourney that year - that final season's ranking of 15th was its lowest ever and one that wouldn't have otherwise earned a spot a nationals. The Minutemen did outperform their seed, thanks to a 4–0 upset of No. 8 Michigan in the pool round that advanced UMass to the quarterfinals, however a 1–0 loss to Rhode Island there ended the run.

A first title push (2007–12)

The 2007–08 and 2008–09 seasons were notable as UMass' first serious foray into the national championship discussion, thanks to a sudden talent infusion led by Maura Grainger and URI transfer Cara Murphy. Grainger, who began her collegiate career with Providence College's NCAA Division I program,^[6] fired home 44 goals and 74 points during her first season in Amherst (the latter number a program record), and would go on to win UMass' first Zoë M. Harris Award the following year. Murphy, for her part, totaled 88 points in just 50 games over her two seasons. The Minutemen entered the 2008 ACHA National Tournament as the number four seed and battered Michigan State and Nichols by identical 5–2 scorelines to win Pool D, then topped Wisconsin (Pool C's second-place team) 4–1 in the quarterfinals. Things went down from there however, as Lindenwood (which was then in the heart of a streak of five consecutive title game appearances with four wins) knocked UMass off of the championship track in the semifinals. Rhode Island, with the stakes much lower than in the previous tournament, then defeated the Minutemen by a 3–1 count in the third place game.

A follow-up effort in 2009's championships in Rochester, New York saw UMass fall one round earlier - in the quarterfinals - yet arguably closer to a title. Thanks to some unfortunate pool placement, largely due to eventual runner-up Robert Morris (IL) underachieving during the regular season and ranking fifth, the fourth-seeded Minutemen drew the Eagles in their pool, where they dropped a 5–2 result. While UMass still advanced to the quarterfinals, it did so as second in its pool as was therefore paired up with a pool winner in the form of Lindenwood, a team on the way to the second of three consecutive national championships. The Bay Staters did push the Lions like few teams of that era could though, in taking an early lead before LU tied things up late, then won in double overtime on an Alexandra Johansson goal.^[7] Still, 2008–09 did see one unprecedented success: UMass finally broke through and finished first in the ECWHL standings to take the regular season league title, the first time since the ECWHL's founding that Rhode Island did not take both the regular season and playoff crowns. URI managed to save face by quadrupling a Caitlin Scannell goal in a 4–1 win for that year's playoff title.^[8]

Grainger's departure for 2009–10, along with the loss of other stars like Murphy, Jill Clark and standout goalie Christen Eulian, signaled a bit of a transition period for the program. Even UMass' customary spot in the top two of ECWHL was no longer safe thanks to Northeastern, which won the ACHA Division 2 national championship in 2009–10, then immediately moved up to Division 1. The Huskies emphatically announced their arrival by winning both ECWHL titles in 2010–11. Even with less conference success than had become customary, the Minutemen did continue to qualify for nationals - albeit narrowly, as the 8th, 7th and 8th seed in the eight-team fields of 2010, 2011 and 2012, with their 2012 inclusion ahead of an ECWHL regular season champion Penn State squad seen as controversial in some corners.^[9] However, the 2010–11 and 2011–12 seasons saw UMass stockpile much of the core that would lead to the team's next substantial ACHA title run, including Sarah Oteri, Chelsea Corell, Amanda Abromson, Sam Gouin, Meghan Crosby, Caleigh Labossiere and Chelsea and Raschelle Bräm. The high ceiling of that group began to show during the 2012 ACHA National Tournament, when UMass silenced doubters with a shocking run to the semifinals thanks to pool round ties against the first and third seeds (Robert Morris (IL) and Rhode Island), then a win over sixth-ranked Michigan to sneak ahead of URI into second place in the group. That set up an unlikely semifinal pairing between the two lowest-seeded teams in the tournament: the Minutemen and No. 7 Northeastern. However, the Huskies took the all-Massachusetts tilt 4–0 and went on to win the title behind tournament MVP goalie Chelsea Dietz, who conceded just three goals in five tournament games.

UMass scored a historic 4–3 victory over three-time defending national champion Lindenwood on January 22, 2011, thanks to Rachel Gantt's late power play winner and 47 saves by Kelsey Magrane.^[10] The Lions lost just 26 times in eight ACHA seasons before moving to NCAA Division I following that 2010–11 season, and although they were missing six players due to the 2011 World University Games tournament, the squad remaining stateside went 4–0 against other opponents during the tournament, including a pair of wins against contender Robert Morris (IL).

Bill Wright era (2012–present)

2012–13

Former North Bay Centennials and University of New Brunswick star Bill Wright replaced Chris Cobb at UMass for the 2012–13 season, and his tenure has been marked by increased success both nationally and within the ECWHL. Wright inherited a strong team that already included the aforementioned stars, then added key freshmen Ally Perdios and Jess Greenwood, along with Penn State transfer Paige Harrington, to the fray. While that roster and 2011–12's surprise run didn't initially inspire confidence among rankings voters - the Minutemen began the year placed 14th, their second lowest position ever to start a season - they quickly converted doubters and, by the end of the regular season, were ranked second only to Liberty, a new program best. That bit of history was made possible by another: UMass' first-ever ECWHL tournament title, thanks to a 2–1 title game win over defending ACHA national champion Northeastern.^[11] An impressive journey at the ACHA National Tournament in Ashburn, Virginia followed, with an opening 3–2 win over 2011 national champ Michigan State, as second-period goals from Oteri, Labossiere and Chelsea Bräm turned around an early 2–0 deficit.^[12] Although Northeastern took an ECWHL final rematch in the day one nightcap (the first day of the tournament involved two pool games played by each team at the time),^[13] two more Oteri goals delivered a vital 2–1 victory over Robert Morris (IL)^[14] that, along with tiebreaker help, sent UMass through to the semifinals for the third time in program history. Once there, however, eventual champ Minnesota jumped on the Minutemen for three goals in the first ten minutes of the contest en route to a 5–1 result.^[15]

2013–14

UMass' 2013–14 season was one of the most significant in program history. The team was coming off of a pair of ACHA semifinal appearances (one a surprise run at nationals, the other beginning with a low early-season ranking), but then followed up with a year-long stretch of dominance. After beginning fifth in the rankings, the Minutemen put together a 20–6–1 regular season to climb into the second seed for ACHAs, just three voting points ahead of Rhode Island in third. The URI side likely felt that they deserved better thanks to their 2–0 shutout of UMass to recapture the ECWHL playoff title, although the Minutemen would be able to point to their sweep of Rhody by identical 4–1 scores just two weeks prior to that in reply.^[16] Away from the ACHA (and the Western Hempishere, for that matter), Abromson, Corell, Harrington, Labossiere and Oteri were selected for the 2013 U.S. National University Team that competed at the 2013 World University Games, eventually winning bronze medals in Trentino, Italy in December 2013.

The pool round at the ACHA National Tournament in Newark, Delaware was a tight-checking, nail-biting two days. An upstart Liberty team (the runners-up from 2013, but only seeded seventh in 2014) gave the Minutemen all the trouble they wanted before a Chelsea Bräm goal with 5:02 remaining squeaked out a 2–1 victory.^[17] That evening, UMass survived another close call, as Labossiere buried Adrian in overtime by a 2–1 count after the Bulldogs tied things late.^[18] After those two wins secured a spot in the semifinals - and results early on the second day of the tournament clinched first place in the pool - Robert Morris (IL) overcame two Harrington goals with five in the second period, as the Eagles picked up what amounted to a consolation win by a 6–4 count.^[19] The contest was notable as a meeting of future Buffalo Beauts teammates Harrington and Hayley Williams (who grabbed an assist), and as a World University Games reunion of sorts - in addition to the five Minutemen and Williams, RMU's Jessica Merritt and Ramey Weaver were also on Team USA, with the latter both its captain and leading scorer.

In the semifinals, UMass and Rhode Island played one of the most significant chapters of the many in their storied rivalry. Corell and URI's Kayla DiLorenzo, two of the ACHA's best goalies, traded big saves with 29 and 23 stops, respectively, but early goals from Labossiere and Raschelle Bräm were just enough for a 2–1 victory.^[20] The Minutemen fell one win short of their intended destination though, as Miami University formally launched a dynasty that would eventually grab three national titles in four years with a 3–1 championship game win. Siobhan Elvin scored a shorthanded goal for UMass to make the score 2–1 early in the second period, but Kaley Mooney answered quickly for the RedHawks and penalty trouble down the stretch doomed a comeback attempt.^[21] Nevertheless, the second-place finish remains the program's high water mark.

2014–15 and 2015–16

Although the next two years didn't produce much success at nationals (UMass failed to win a game at the tournament in both 2015 and 2016), particularly compared to the three straight final four runs of 2012 through 2014, they were marked by gains in other areas. For example, after a lengthy stretch of Rhode Island dominance from 2003–10 and heavily-contested outcomes from 2010–14, 2014–15 more or less kicked off UMass' tenure as the rulers of the ECWHL. A 15–3–0 league record was good enough to edge URI for the regular season title, and the Minutemen followed that up by shelling the Rams 7–2 in the playoff championship game behind two goals each from Mallory O'Brien and Brittani Lanzilli.^[22] That win set off a run of three straight league title game wins for the Minutemen through the 2016–17 season, each over URI, as UMass gained the upper hand in the storied rivalry.

On October 11, 2014, UMass had the opportunity to play in the 8,387-seat main arena of the Mullins Center for the first time during Wright's tenure, a rarity as the team typically practices and plays in the adjacent Community Rink. Although the game was delayed for 45 minutes due to ice conditions (the UMass men's team tore up the ice just prior to the scheduled game time while being bag skated^[23] following their 8–1 defeat to Jack Eichel and Boston University the night before), UMass topped Penn State 1–0 on a second-period Michaela Tosone goal and a Kasey Zegel shutout.^[24]

During the 2015–16 season Lanzilli, then a sophomore, became UMass' second Zoë M. Harris Award winner after topping ACHA Division 1 in scoring with 49 goals and 68 points in just 29 games. Early in the 2016–17 season, the former Medford High School star passed Grainger to become the program's all-time leading scorer. She also became the third Minuteman to earn First or Second Team ACHA All-American status multiple times, following Mills and Angela Rufo.

2016–17

While the 2016–17 campaign was similar to the previous two in some ways (a dual ECWHL championship, an ACHA tournament bid), it was also different in others. Beyond his typically-stout freshman class, Wright picked up three key transfers, including goaltender Amber Greene (via Penn State's NCAA Division I team), swing player Sonja Klumpp (who led the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference in scoring as a freshman at Maryland) and Olivia Knight (another NCAA player, from Division III's Nichols College). Thus bolstered, the Minutemen wasted no time in picking up the key non-conference win that had proven somewhat elusive in recent seasons: a wild 5–4 outcome over then-second-ranked Liberty, an affair that saw UMass go from up 3–0 after the first period to down 4–3 early in the third, before goals from Tatum Schulz and Joanna Olson pulled the tilt back.^[25] Other key non-conference results included a subsequent tie against the Flames, another with No. 1 Miami, still another with No. 5 Grand Valley State and a rout of No. 9 Michigan. Meanwhile, the Minutewomen flexed an unprecedented amount of muscle within the ECWHL, as a late-season tie with Rhode Island was the only blemish on the squad's league record over 14 regular season games and a pair of playoff tilts, including the third straight championship game win over URI.

UMass' quest at the ACHA National Tournament - never in doubt, as the team was not ranked lower than fifth after the Liberty win and finished in fourth - got off to a catastrophic start when the Minutemen had to forfeit the first game of a best-of-three quarterfinal series against fifth-seeded Lindenwood–Belleville (under a new tournament format introduced that season) thanks to Winter Storm Stella and related travel difficulties to Columbus, Ohio.^[26] The squad, however, arrived in time for game two and proceeded to overcome the unfortunate series deficit with consecutive wins over the Lynx to return to the semifinals. Lanzilli (who would go on to an all-tournament selection and once again led the nation in scoring) and linemate Olson led the way through the 7–3 and 4–2 wins with a combined six goals and four assists. Top-seeded Liberty abruptly ended things in the final four by handing the Minutemen a 1–0 defeat, thanks to a second-period Chelsey Greenwood goal.^[27]

Recent season by season results

Won Championship

Lost Championship

Regular Season Conference Champions

Year	Coach	W	L	T	Conference	Conf. W	Conf. L	Conf. T	Finish	Conference Tournament	ACHA Tournament
2016–17	Bill Wright	21	6	4	ECWHL	13	0	1	1st	Won Semifinals vs. Northeastern (9–1) Won Championship vs. Rhode Island (3–0)	Won Quarterfinals vs. Lindenwood-Belleville (0–1 Forfeit, 7–3, 4–2) Lost Semifinals vs. Liberty (0–1)
2015–16	Bill Wright	17	9	3	ECWHL	11	3	2	2nd	Won Semifinals vs. Vermont (2–1) Won Championship vs. Rhode Island (4–3)	Lost Pool Round vs. Adrian (1–3) Lost Pool Round vs. Miami (1–4) Lost Pool Round vs. Rhode Island (2–5)
2014–15	Bill Wright	24	8	1	ECWHL	15	3	0	1st	Won Semifinals vs. Vermont (5–2) Won Championship vs. Rhode Island (7–2)	Lost Pool Round vs. Grand Valley State (0–2) Tied Pool Round vs. Penn State (3–3 OT) Lost Pool Round vs. Liberty (1–2)

ACHA National Tournament results

The Minutemen have appeared in the ACHA National Tournament 14 times (tied for the all-time record), with top-four finishes in 2003, 2008, 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2017. Their combined record in all games is 17–32–3.

Year	Location	Seed	Round	Opponent	Results
2003	Muskegon, Michigan	#2E	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round Third Place Game	#2W Wisconsin #1C Northern Michigan #1WC St. Cloud State #1W West LA College	L 1–6 W 4–0 W 3–2 L 0–3
2005	Amherst, New York	#7	Pool Round Pool Round Quarterfinals	#2 Lindenwood #11 Michigan #3 Michigan State	L 1–2 W 3–1 L 1–2
2006	Wentzville, Missouri	#6	Pool Round Pool Round Consolation Game	#3 Michigan State #10 Colorado #11 North Dakota State	L 1–3 L 3–5 W 5–0
2007	Amherst, Massachusetts	#12	Pool Round Pool Round Quarterfinals	#1 Robert Morris (IL) #8 Michigan #4 Rhode Island	L 0–6 W 4–0 L 0–1
2008	Bensenville, Illinois	#4	Pool Round Pool Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third-Place Game	#5 Michigan State #9 Nichols #8 Wisconsin #1 Lindenwood #2 Rhode Island	W 5–2 W 5–2 W 4–1 L 2–6 L 1–3
2009	Rochester, New York	#4	Pool Round Pool Round Quarterfinals	#5 Robert Morris (IL) #9 Wisconsin #3 Lindenwood	L 2–5 W 6–0 L 1–2 2OT
2010	Blaine, Minnesota	#8	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round	#1 Lindenwood #4 Grand Valley State #6 Michigan State	L 0–5 L 0–5 L 2–6
2011	Kalamazoo, Michigan	#7	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round	#2 Robert Morris (IL) #4 Northeastern #5 Michigan State	L 1–9 L 1–4 L 0–3
2012	Wooster, Ohio	#8	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round Semifinals Third-Place Game	#1 Robert Morris (IL) #3 Rhode Island #6 Michigan #7 Northeastern #1 Robert Morris (IL)	T 4–4 OT T 1-1 OT W 3–2 L 0–4 L 1–5
2013	Ashburn, Virginia	#2	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round Semifinals Third-Place Game	#7 Michigan State #5 Northeastern #4 Robert Morris (IL) #3 Minnesota #4 Robert Morris (IL)	W 3–2 L 2–3 W 2–1 L 1–5 L 2–7
2014	Newark, Delaware	#2	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round Semifinals Championship	#7 Liberty #5 Adrian #4 Robert Morris (IL) #3 Rhode Island #1 Miami	W 2–1 W 2–1 OT L 4–6 W 2–1 L 1–3
2015	York, Pennsylvania	#4	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round	#5 Grand Valley State #7 Penn State #2 Liberty	L 0–2 T 3–3 OT L 1–2
2016	Kalamazoo, Michigan	#5	Pool Round Pool Round Pool Round	#4 Adrian #2 Miami #7 Rhode Island	L 1–3 L 1–4 L 2–5
2017	Columbus, Ohio	#4	Quarterfinals (G1) Quarterfinals (G2) Quarterfinals (G3) Semifinals	#5 Lindenwood-Belleville #5 Lindenwood-Belleville #5 Lindenwood-Belleville #1 Liberty	L 0–1 Forfeit W 7–3 W 4–2 L 0–1

Program records

As of May 9, 2017. ACHA games only, beginning with the 2003-04 season.

Sources:^{[28][29][30][31][32][33][34]}

Career scoring leaders

Name	Years	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Brittani Lanzilli	2014–present	91	108	59	167
Michaela Tosone	2013–17	123	42	99	141
Maura Grainger	2007–09	49	79	43	122
Sarah Oteri	2010–14	114	59	59	118
Ally Perdios	2012–17	118	36	67	103
Amanda Abromson	2011–15	107	47	55	102
Cara Murphy	2007–09	50	39	49	88
Jill Clark	2005–09	104	27	57	84
Emily Slotnick	2003–06^	61	35	45	80
Chelsea Bräm	2010–14	116	33	39	72
Angela Rufo	2006–10	100	26	46	72
Raschelle Bräm	2010–14	115	29	39	68
Meghan Crosby	2011–15	114	28	38	66
Catherine O'Brien	2007–11	102	27	38	65
Paige Harrington	2012–15	79	22	37	59
Caitlin Scannell	2007–10	75	33	26	59
Samantha Louras	2003–05^	48	29	29	58
Joanna Olson	2015–present	60	23	35	58
Caleigh Labossiere	2011–15	102	20	36	56
Anne-Marie Plain	2003–06^	70	30	25	55
Aleta Mills	2003–05^	35	22	30	52
Heather Paonessa	2009–13	109	17	33	50
Courtney Smith	2004–08	71	23	25	48
Brittany Resendes	2009–13	109	20	28	48
Joelle Vautour	2004–06	43	17	31	48

Single season scoring leaders

Name	Year	Games	Goals	Assists	Points
Maura Grainger	2007–08	27	44	30	74
Brittani Lanzilli	2015–16	29	49	19	68
Cara Murphy	2007–08	28	27	30	57
Brittani Lanzilli	2016–17	29	34	19	53
Michaela Tosone	2015–16	29	12	38	50
Maura Grainger	2008–09	22	35	13	48
Brittani Lanzilli	2014–15	30	25	21	46
Emily Slotnick	2005–06	30	24	21	45
Michaela Tosone	2014–15	30	11	32	43
Joanna Olson	2016–17	31	15	27	42
Michaela Tosone	2016–17	31	15	24	39
Samantha Louras	2003–04	25	19	18	37
Amanda Abromson	2014–15	29	15	22	37
Sarah Oteri	2013–14	29	14	23	37
Ally Perdios	2015–16	27	14	22	36
Sarah Oteri	2012–13	27	20	15	35
Jill Clark	2005–06	30	18	17	35
Aleta Mills	2004–05	21	17	18	35
Caitlin Scannell	2007–08	28	19	12	31
Cara Murphy	2008–09	22	12	19	31
Joelle Vautour	2005–06	24	6	25	31
Emily Slotnick	2004–05	19	10	18	28
Anne-Marie Plain	2005–06	30	16	11	27
Meghan Crosby	2014–15	33	15	12	27

Notable goaltenders

Name	Years	Minutes	Saves	Save Pct.	GAA	Shutouts
Chelsea Corell	2010–14	4602.15	2089	0.933	1.97	15
Kasey Zegel	2011–15	3114.87	1120	0.914	2.02	9
Kelsey Magrane	2009–13	1932.56	938	0.913	2.76	3
Amber Greene	2016–present	1698.28	600	0.949	1.13	9
Christen Eulian	2005–09+	1483.13	662	0.909	2.67	1
Samantha Baturin	2014–present	1446.15	421	0.866	2.70	1
Bethany Welch	2013–17	963.23	309	0.893	2.30	4
Becky Trudel	2004–05^	696.28	300	0.857	4.31	0
Krystal Oldread	2004–06+	573.00	257	0.889	3.35	1
Katie Avery	2009–10	473.08	194	0.866	3.80	1
Christine Kemp	2004–06+	434.00	198	0.880	3.73	1
Dolly Beechiner	2004–06+	330.00	90	0.947	0.91	4
Gabrielle Busa	2008–11+	238.24	36	0.923	0.76	0
Samantha Dexter	2003–04^	204.00	88	0.978	0.59	2

^ Career includes games prior to the 2003–04 season.

+ Career includes games in the 2006–07 and/or 2007–08 seasons, during which the ACHA did not accurately track goaltending statistics.

ACHA ranking history

National rankings

The ACHA began compiling a national ranking in 2003–04, issued four times per season, with the top twelve (from 2003–04 through 2008–09) or eight (from 2009–10 on) in the fourth ranking, released in February, receiving a bid to the ACHA National Tournament. A preseason ranking was initiated beginning with 2014–15. Beginning with the 2016–17 season, the ACHA tabulated rankings each week during the season and issued them on Tuesdays following weekends including games.^[35]

Year	Ranking
	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17
2003–04		9	9	10	9
2004–05		10	8	8	7
2005–06		5	6	6	6
2006–07		RV	RV	RV	15
2007–08		6	7	7	5
2008–09		6	3	4	4
2009–10		8	7	7	8
2010–11		9	10	8	7
2011–12		9	6	6	8
2012–13		14	7	5	2
2013–14		5	5	2	2
2014–15	2	3	5	3	4
2015–16	6	4	5	5	5
2016–17	6	6	2	2	3	3	5	3	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4	4

Regional rankings

From 2000–01 through 2002–03, regional rankings were the sole method for determining ACHA National Tournament bids. The inaugural 2000–01 season featured teams divided into East and West Regions, with the top four from each in February's final ranking invited to nationals. For 2001–02 and 2002–03 (the latter being UMass' first ACHA season), the setup was expanded to include East, Central and West Regions. Under that system, the top two from each region were invited to nationals, along with two wild card teams. In 2003–04, the tournament field was expanded to 12 teams, and a national ranking was introduced. The latter development diminished the importance of the regional rankings, as the national rankings were used to determine nationals bids. Regional champions were still awarded an autobid, however, even if ranked outside of the top 12 nationally. In 2004–05, growth in the number of ACHA women's teams resulted in an increase to four regions - Northeast, Southeast, Central and West - although things reverted to East, Central and West in 2007–08. The 2009–10 season was notable both for the fact that the tournament field was reduced back to eight teams and as the final year of the regional system, which had become largely antiquated as regional champions generally had little issue placing highly in the national rankings.

Year	Ranking
	1	2	3	4	5
2000–01	Not an ACHA member
2001–02	Not an ACHA member
2002–03	3E	3E	2E	2E
2003–04	2E	2E	2E	2E
2004–05	3NE	3NE	3NE	2NE
2005–06	2NE	3NE	3NE	3NE
2006–07	-	4NE	5NE	5NE
2007–08	3E	3E	3E	3E
2008–09	2E	1E	2E	2E
2009–10	4E	3E	3E

ACHA national honors

Annual awards

All-Americans and All-Tournament selections including all seasons except 2008–09. Academic All-Americans including all seasons except 2007–08 and 2008–09.

Sources:^{[36][37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57][58][59][60]}

Monthly awards

During the 2014–15 and 2015–16 seasons, the ACHA presented a series of monthly awards for both men's and women's divisions.

World University Games selections

Since 2011, the ACHA has supplied players for the U.S. National University Select Women's Team, which competes at the World University Games women's hockey tournament, held biennially and as part of the multi-sport event for college and university student-athletes. UMass has been among the ACHA's top-contributing programs to the WUG effort, including a total of eight different players (best nationally) selected for Team USA 11 times (tied with Miami University for the national lead).

Minutemen have generally been far more than passengers when selected. Paige Harrington served as an alternate captain both times she was a member of Team USA, including for the 2013 event in Trentino, Italy, which saw Harrington and four other Minutemen win bronze medals. It was a historic finish as a first medal for any American team in the modern era (USA Hockey resumed its participation in the WUG on the men's side in 2001 after a lengthy hiatus) and just the second overall, following the U.S. men in 1972 (who "earned" bronze medals by finishing third in a three-team tournament). Amanda Abromson led the 2013 UMass delegation in scoring with a pair of goals and an assist,^[64] including a go-ahead marker in the semifinals against Russia, while goalie Chelsea Corell appeared in three contests, including a preliminary-round shutout of Spain.^[65]

Three Minutemen from the 2013 team - Harrington, Abromson and Caleigh Labossiere - returned to play at the 2015 World University Games and were joined by newcomer Vicki Bortolussi. Although Team USA dropped out of medal contention quickly, the UMass players combined for 12 points over five tournament games. One of the points, an assist by Labossiere, set up Emily Ford's overtime goal in a come-from-behind victory against Kazakhstan that helped clinch fifth place.^[66]

The 2017 edition of the squad, which included Brittani Lanzilli and Amber Greene, repeated 2013's trip to the podium by again winning the bronze medal. Greene, Team USA's starting goalie, excelled throughout the tournament, finishing third among all netminders in both goals against average (3.00) and save percentage (0.929).^[67] She made 32 saves on 34 Japan shots in a key 3–2 U.S. pool round win that (eventually) allowed the team to advance to the semifinals, and then delivered a 28-save shutout of China in the bronze medal match.

Year	Location	Player	Result
2013[68]	Trentino, Italy	Amanda Abromson	Bronze Medal
		Chelsea Corell
		Paige Harrington
		Caleigh Labossiere
		Sarah Oteri
2015[69]	Granada, Spain	Amanda Abromson	Fifth Place
		Vicki Bortolussi
		Paige Harrington
		Caleigh Labossiere
2017[70]	Almaty, Kazakhstan	Amber Greene	Bronze Medal
		Brittani Lanzilli

2010 ACHA women's select team

As a precursor to World University Games participation, the ACHA assembled a women's select team that toured Geneva, Switzerland, Chamonix, France and Méribel, France during April 2010. The team included Brittany Resendes as UMass' sole player representative,^[71] while Minutemen head coach Chris Cobb was an assistant to Rhode Island's Beth McCann.^[72] Its final record overseas was 2–2–0, including two close losses to the France women's national ice hockey team and two decisive wins over local club teams.^[73]

Professional players

UMass has, by most measures, been the ACHA's most successful program in terms of advancing players to women's professional hockey leagues. The group is headlined by Paige Harrington, who signed a one-year, $10,000 contract with the Buffalo Beauts of the National Women's Hockey League for the team and circuit's inaugural 2015–16 season.^[74] After re-signing for a second season, Harrington helped the Beauts to the 2017 Isobel Cup through a 3–2 title-game upset of the Boston Pride, avenging a championship game loss to the Pride to end the previous year.^[75] That July, Harrington signed with the Pride - the closest NWHL team to her hometown of Mansfield, Massachusetts - for the 2017–18 campaign.^[76]

Chelsea and Raschelle Bräm have played for SC Reinach in Switzerland since their 2014 graduations. They have been teammates with several notable Swiss players during their careers including Florence Schelling and Julia Marty, both of whom won bronze medals at the 2014 Winter Olympics. SC Reinach struggled in 2016–17, but the twins were vital in a relegation series win against SC Weinfelden, combining for four goals and seven points to save their squad's top-flight status. Of particular importance among those points were Raschelle's goal and assist and Chelsea's goal in a 4–0 fourth-game win to force a decisive fifth contest.^[77]

Player	Position	UMass Seasons	Professional Organization(s)	Professional Seasons
Chelsea Bräm[78]	F	2010–2014	SC Reinach (Swiss Women's Hockey League A)	2014–present
Raschelle Bräm[79]	F	2010–2014	SC Reinach (Swiss Women's Hockey League A)	2014–present
Paige Harrington[80]	D	2012–2015	Buffalo Beauts (NWHL), 2015–17 2016–17 Isobel Cup champion[81] Boston Pride (NWHL), 2017–present	2015–present

Rivalries

Rhode Island

Few, if any, rivalries in the ACHA match the history and stakes of UMass' frequent showdowns with Rhode Island. The two teams were founding members of the Eastern Collegiate Women's Hockey League in 2003–04, and are the only two to remain in the league through its entire existence. No fewer than ten times in the 14 ECWHL seasons, the conference playoff title has come down to a UMass-URI contest, with the Rams enjoying a 7–3 advantage in those games (although the Minutemen have won the last three). Among the more memorable ECWHL championship games were two overtime contests, both won by URI, including a 5–4 result in 2005.^[82] Three years later, Rhode Island stormed out to a 3–0 lead after the first period, only to see UMass reply with four unanswered to take the lead in the third period. However, the Rams forced overtime with a late equalizer, allowing URI's Justine Ducie to win the trophy in the sixth minute of the third extra period.^[83] Most recently, Amber Greene's 26-save shutout allowed second-period goals by Brittani Lanzilli, Lanzilli again and Michaela Tosone to produce a 3–0 win on February 26, 2017.^[84] Even when not competing head to head, the league nearly always runs through at least one of the teams, as there have been only three regular season or playoff titles in ECWHL history won by anyone else (Northeastern won the regular season and playoff championships in 2010–11, Penn State took the regular season in 2011–12).

Not surprisingly, the northeast's two dominant programs are also frequent factors in the bigger picture. The programs rank first (UMass, 14) and fourth (URI, 12) nationally in the number of ACHA National Tournament appearances. Since 2002–03, one of the two has been among the ACHA's final four to end 12 of 15 seasons (2008–09, 2014–15 and 2015–16 are the exceptions). Somewhat surprisingly, given all of that, UMass has only run into Rhode Island five times at nationals, and only three times with something other than bragging rights attached (two meetings, both URI wins, were the 2008 third-place game and a 2016 pool round meeting after both teams had already been eliminated). In 2007, the Rams edged UMass 1–0 at the Mullins Center to end the bottom-seeded Minutemen's chances in the quarterfinals. A 2012 pool round game ended in a 1–1 tie as Sarah Oteri and Johanna Leskinen traded goals while Chelsea Corell and Kayla DiLorenzo traded saves,^[85] although the Minutemen ultimately advanced to the tournament semifinals ahead of Rhode Island. In 2014, the biggest game of the group took place, in the national semifinals. Corell and DiLorenzo (both of whom ended the year among the national top five in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts) engaged in another goaltending duel, but first-period markers from Caleigh Labossiere and Raschelle Bräm proved decisive in a 2–1 UMass victory.

That 2013–14 season was a defining one of the rivalry in several ways, even prior to the semifinal tilt, as each team presented one of the most talented rosters in their respective storied histories. They combined to contribute eight players - more than one-third of the roster - to the 2013 World University Games bronze medal effort, including Lauren Hillberg, Alisha Difilippo and Cassie Catlow on the URI side. Back in the U.S., the Rams and Minutemen jockeyed at the top of the ACHA and ECWHL as usual, with neither ranked lower than fifth all year long. Rhode Island won the conference bragging rights with a 2–0 ECWHL championship game win to follow up the regular season title.^[16] However, the Minutemen edged out the Rams to finish second in the rankings thanks to a sweep just before the ECWHL playoffs and, of course, would go on to win the head-to-head matchup in the ACHA semifinals.

Since 2013–14, UMass has won three consecutive ECWHL playoff championship games over URI, along with two of the three regular season titles. The series, beginning with the 2014–15 season, is 9–5–2 in UMass' favor.

One other significant event in the rivalry's history took place in 2007, when Cara Murphy transferred from URI to UMass. Murphy had been a second-team All-American twice with the Rams, while leading the team in scoring during the 2006–07 season. She finished her career in the Bay Staters' colors with another pair of All-American seasons.^[86]

Penn State

While UMass' rivalry with Penn State pales in comparison to the one with URI, it has nevertheless been a consistent presence throughout Minutemen program history as PSU, like UMass and URI, was a founding member of the ECWHL and has been in the league for all but two of its 14 seasons. The teams have met four times at the ECWHL playoffs (a scheduled fifth was nixed by a 2010 snowstorm), with UMass enjoying a 3–1–0 advantage in those games. None were better than the contest that took place on February 28, 2004 at Rhode Island's Brad Boss Arena. The wild affair saw Aleta Mills and Samantha Louras each score four times - yet it wasn't quite enough, as the Lady Icers' Katie King scored four of her own on the way to an 8–8 tie after regulation, where neither team ever led by more than two and with only three stretches of more than 5:00 without a goal being scored. In the second overtime, Mills' fifth tally sent the Minutemen to the first-ever league championship game.^[87]

The Minutemen have faced Penn State once at the ACHA National Tournament. In that game, a pool round meeting on March 5, 2015, PSU ran out to a 3–1 lead after two periods but UMass rallied for a 3–3 tie after Amanda Abromson scored with 1:04 left in regulation.^[88]

Similarly to the Rhode Island rivalry with respect to Cara Murphy, UMass has also poached some of its all-time greats from Penn State. Future NWHL player Paige Harrington began her career at PSU in 2011–12, where she helped the Lady Icers go 2–0–1 against the Minutemen, including a win in the ECWHL semifinals. The Mansfield, Massachusetts native subsequently returned home and would go 3–1–1 against Penn State over the rest of her career. Goaltender and 2017 World University Games hero Amber Greene also began her collegiate career at Penn State, although as a member of the school's separate NCAA Division I team.^[89]

Since the ECWHL's founding, the Minutemen are 25–12–2 against Penn State, through the 2016–17 season.

Players

Current roster

#	S/P/C	Player	Class	Pos	Height	DoB	Hometown	Previous team
1	Massachusetts !	Welch, BethanyBethany Welch	4 !Senior	1.0 !G	62 !5' 2" (1.57 m)	8541 !1994-04-07	Massachusetts !Walpole, Massachusetts !Walpole, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Walpole High School (USHS–MA !Walpole High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
2	New Jersey !	Dolan, KellyKelly Dolan	3 !Junior	3.0 !F	61 !5' 1" (1.55 m)	7921 !1995-12-18	New Jersey !Knowlton, New Jersey !Knowlton, New Jersey	USAH Atlantic !New Jersey Rockets (USAH Atlantic !New Jersey Rockets (USAH Atlantic)
3	Massachusetts !	Nally, SerenaSerena Nally	1 !Freshman	2.0 !D	65 !5' 5" (1.65 m)	7323 !1997-08-07	Massachusetts !Belmont, Massachusetts !Belmont, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Belmont High School (USHS–MA !Belmont High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
4	Massachusetts !	Sullivan, CourtneyCourtney Sullivan	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	66 !5' 6" (1.68 m)	7295 !1997-09-04	Massachusetts !Dedham, Massachusetts !Dedham, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Dedham High School (USHS–MA !Dedham High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
5	Massachusetts !	Von Den Benken, ErikaErika Von Den Benken	3 !Junior	3.0 !F	63 !5' 3" (1.6 m)	8018 !1995-09-12	Massachusetts !West Roxbury, Massachusetts !West Roxbury, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Boston Latin School (USHS–MA !Boston Latin School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
6	Massachusetts !	Gallagher, MeredithMeredith Gallagher	3 !Junior	2.0 !D	68 !5' 8" (1.73 m)	7987 !1995-10-13	Massachusetts !Arlington, Massachusetts !Arlington, Massachusetts	USAH Massachusetts !Assabet Valley (USAH Massachusetts !Assabet Valley (USAH Massachusetts)
7	Massachusetts !	O'Brien, MalloryMallory O'Brien	4 !Senior	3.0 !F	65 !5' 5" (1.65 m)	8263 !1995-01-10	Massachusetts !West Roxbury, Massachusetts !West Roxbury, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Boston Latin School (USHS–MA !Boston Latin School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
8	Massachusetts !	Tosone, MichaelaMichaela Tosone (C)	4 !Senior	3.0 !F	61 !5' 1" (1.55 m)	8204 !1995-03-10	Massachusetts !Walpole, Massachusetts !Walpole, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Walpole High School (USHS–MA !Walpole High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
9	Massachusetts !	Bortolussi, VictoriaVictoria Bortolussi (C)	4 !Senior	2.0 !D	63 !5' 3" (1.6 m)	8541 !1994-04-07	Massachusetts !Agawam, Massachusetts !Agawam, Massachusetts	USAH Massachusetts !New England Jr. Falcons (USAH Massachusetts !New England Jr. Falcons (USAH Massachusetts)
10	Massachusetts !	Dexter, MaddisonMaddison Dexter	1 !Freshman	2.0 !D	64 !5' 4" (1.63 m)	7127 !1998-02-19	Massachusetts !Belchertown, Massachusetts !Belchertown, Massachusetts	USAH Massachusetts !New England Jr. Falcons (USAH Massachusetts !New England Jr. Falcons (USAH Massachusetts)
11	Massachusetts !	Lanzilli, BrittaniBrittani Lanzilli (A)	3 !Junior	3.0 !F	64 !5' 4" (1.63 m)	7973 !1995-10-27	Massachusetts !Medford, Massachusetts !Medford, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Medford High School (USHS–MA !Medford High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
12	Massachusetts !	Nagle, ShannonShannon Nagle	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	64 !5' 4" (1.63 m)	7578 !1996-11-25	Massachusetts !Chelmsford, Massachusetts !Chelmsford, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Chelmsford High School (USHS–MA !Chelmsford High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
13	Massachusetts !	Ayer, PaulinePauline Ayer	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	64 !5' 4" (1.63 m)	7415 !1997-05-07	Massachusetts !Belmont, Massachusetts !Belmont, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Belmont High School (USHS–MA !Belmont High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
14	Massachusetts !	Perdios, AllyAlly Perdios (A)	4 !Senior	3.0 !F	64 !5' 4" (1.63 m)	8770 !1993-08-21	Massachusetts !Braintree, Massachusetts !Braintree, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Braintree High School (USHS–MA !Braintree High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
15	Massachusetts !	Lawler, MeghanMeghan Lawler	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	63 !5' 3" (1.6 m)	7680 !1996-08-15	Massachusetts !West Roxbury, Massachusetts !West Roxbury, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Ursuline Academy (USHS–MA !Ursuline Academy (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
16	Minnesota !	Schulz, TatumTatum Schulz	3 !Junior	2.0 !D	70 !5' 10" (1.78 m)	7718 !1996-07-08	Minnesota !Mankato, Minnesota !Mankato, Minnesota	USHS–MN !Mankato East High School (USHS–MN !Mankato East High School (USHS-MN !USHS–MN)
17	Washington !	Ingalls, BaileyBailey Ingalls	4 !Senior	2.0 !D	65 !5' 5" (1.65 m)	8091 !1995-07-01	Washington !Sultan, Washington !Sultan, Washington	USHS–WA !Glacier High School (USHS–WA !Glacier High School (USHS-WA !USHS–WA)
18	Massachusetts !	Dolan, JulianaJuliana Dolan	1 !Freshman	3.0 !F	66 !5' 6" (1.68 m)	7111 !1998-03-07	Massachusetts !Stoneham, Massachusetts !Stoneham, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Arlington Catholic High School (USHS–MA !Arlington Catholic High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
19	Massachusetts !	Klumpp, SonjaSonja Klumpp	2 !Sophomore	2.0 !D	68 !5' 8" (1.73 m)	7347 !1997-07-14	Massachusetts !Newton, Massachusetts !Newton, Massachusetts	DVCHC !University of Maryland (DVCHC !University of Maryland (DVCHC)
20	Massachusetts !	Morin, AmyAmy Morin	3 !Junior	2.0 !D	67 !5' 7" (1.7 m)	7673 !1996-08-22	Massachusetts !Lynnfield, Massachusetts !Lynnfield, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Phillips Academy (USHS–MA !Phillips Academy (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
21	Massachusetts !	Turner, KatyKaty Turner	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	65 !5' 5" (1.65 m)	7527 !1997-01-15	Massachusetts !Winchester, Massachusetts !Winchester, Massachusetts	USAH Massachusetts !East Coast Wizards (USAH Massachusetts !East Coast Wizards (USAH Massachusetts)
22	Ohio !	Davis, JenniferJennifer Davis	1 !Freshman	3.0 !F	68 !5' 8" (1.73 m)	7038 !1998-05-19	Ohio !Cincinnati, Ohio !Cincinnati, Ohio	USHS–MA !Phillips Academy (USHS–MA !Phillips Academy (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
27	Massachusetts !	Knight, OliviaOlivia Knight	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	62 !5' 2" (1.57 m)	7444 !1997-04-08	Massachusetts !Walpole, Massachusetts !Walpole, Massachusetts	NCAA !Nichols College (NCAA !Nichols College (NCAA)
29	Massachusetts !	Olson, JoannaJoanna Olson	2 !Sophomore	3.0 !F	67 !5' 7" (1.7 m)	7611 !1996-10-23	Massachusetts !Andover, Massachusetts !Andover, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Andover High School (USHS–MA !Andover High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
33	Massachusetts !	Baturin, SamanthaSamantha Baturin	3 !Junior	1.0 !G	63 !5' 3" (1.6 m)	7808 !1996-04-09	Massachusetts !Norwood, Massachusetts !Norwood, Massachusetts	USHS–MA !Norwood High School (USHS–MA !Norwood High School (USHS-MA !USHS–MA)
35	Massachusetts !	Greene, AmberAmber Greene	3 !Junior	1.0 !G	63 !5' 3" (1.6 m)	8319 !1994-11-15	Massachusetts !Feeding Hills, Massachusetts !Feeding Hills, Massachusetts	NCAA !Penn State University (NCAA !Penn State University (NCAA)

Notable alumni

• Sarah Oteri (2010–14) – Head coach of two-time state semifinalist Methuen High School girls hockey
• Bailey Ingalls (2013–17) – Student at Harvard Medical School, graduated in the top ten of UMass' class of 2017

See also

References