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Spring 2004

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Great Sport

Heartbreaker for the History Books

-Ben Barnhart




	Following the crushing loss to Maine, three UMass players signed NHL contracts: Greg Mauldin (Columbus Blue Jackets), Thomas Pöck (New York Rangers) and Nick Kuiper (Chicago Blackhawks). (photo by Ben Barnhart)

IF UMASS HOCKEY FANS FELT the earth move in late March it may have been the balance of power in Hockey East shifting slightly westward. The Minutemen capped another season of firsts and superlatives with a run through the conference tournament that ended in an epic, triple-overtime battle with second-ranked Maine in Boston’s FleetCenter. UMass, making its first appearance in the finals, lost 2-1 to the Black Bears after a breathtaking 110-minute duel between Maine goalie Jimmie Howard, who was named tournament MVP, and UMass’s Gabe Winer ’06. The two netminders stopped more than 120 shots between them and made an entire highlight film’s worth of spectacular acrobatic saves.

The Minutemen advanced to the finals on the back of Winer’s understudy, Tim Warner ’05, who had not started a game all season. Winer suffered a back injury just before the first game of the tournament against UMass Lowell. With just a few hours’ notice, Warner confidently stepped into goal and shut down the River Hawks in back-to-back games at the Mullins Center. He continued his stellar play in a 5-2 win over New Hampshire in the semi-finals. He set the stage for Winer’s comeback in the loss to Maine—doubly heartbreaking because a win for the Minutemen would have earned them a spot in the NCAA tournament for the first time ever.

In addition to the inspired play of the goalies, seniors Thomas Pöck, Greg Mauldin and Mike Warner also shone brightly. The three were named to the six-man all-tournament team. Warner and Mauldin each scored four goals in the tournament and Mauldin’s third-period power play goal sent the final game into extra periods. Pöck, the first-ever Hobey Baker Award finalist and All-Hockey East first team selection for the Minutemen, notched his 100th career point against New Hampshire in the semi-finals. The senior from Klagenfurt, Austria, was the leading defenseman in points, goals and assists in Hockey East this year.

Visit the UMass Amherst hockey teams web site at: http://umassathletics.collegesports.com/sports/m-hockey/umas-m-hockey-body.html

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