After dropping the first six games of the season on the road, there may be no better place than home for the Huskies.
The UConn men's hockey team skates in their first two home games this weekend against conference foe American International College. Games are Friday and Saturday night at Freitas Ice Forum and the puck drops at 7:05 for both contests. UConn enters with an 0-6 record (0-3 AHA) and AIC is 1-3-1 overall, and 1-1-1 in conference play. The Yellow Jackets sit in sixth place while the winless Huskies are in last in the Atlantic Hockey Conference
"I think it's good for us to be home," said senior captain Michael Coppolla. "The home atmosphere and home fans are good to play in front of."
UConn was highly competitive in the first two weekends of regular season play before hitting a roadblock last weekend at RIT. With rookie goalie Jeff Larson in net, the Huskies let in 13 goals over two games. But coach Bruce Marshall is quick to say Larson's progression did not stop because of one bad weekend.
"Larson did very well the first four games and he's done well overall," Marshall said. "Everything is an adjustment and a learning experience for him. Sometimes goals happened because of everyone on the ice, not just the goalie."
The freshman has played in all six games for UConn. Junior goaltender Brad McInnis re-injured his knee in the first game of the season at Ferris State.
"We are getting an MRI on [McInnis] to make sure we are not missing something," Marshall said.
To make matters worse McInnis went down with the flu this week, Marshall said. As a result, Larson was thrust into the spotlight in his first collegiate season.
"I thought I'd be playing a little bit," Larson said. "I was definitely surprised when Brad went down, but I've got to take advantage of the opportunity."
Although Larson currently sports an 0-6 record in net, the goalie understands the unique playing situation he was thrown into as a freshman.
"It's definitely more than I expected," Larson said. "It's difficult to get thrust in the situation I'm in. Hopefully I can put in work and get back on track."
With Larson in net and freshman Sean Ambrosie leading the team in points with four, the young players are getting a chance to get back on track. Ambrosie, a forward from Minnesota is taking advantage of his opportunity, notching three goals and an assist in six games played. He also earned accolades for his opening weekend performance at Ferris State. A goal and assist in his first college games earned him the AHA Rookie of the Week award.
AIC is led by their leading scorer Adam Pleskach who has seven points and five goals on the season. In net, Ben Meisner and Dan Ramirez have split time and both have save percentages above 90. Wins haven't come often this season for either team, so fans at Freitas Ice Forum can expect two eager teams this weekend.
"The road taught us some adversity," Marshall said. "It's always nice to be home. Hopefully it'll elevate the guys' game a notch."
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