Damien Carfagna Hockey East Defender of the Week

Tyler Muszelik Hockey East Rookie of the Week

It is laborious to think about a greater begin to the 2022-23 season for the UNH Males’s Hockey workforce. After a 6-hour bus trip to Potsdam within the “North Nation” of upstate New York, the Wildcats overcame a 3-1 deficit within the third interval of final Friday’s sport towards Clarkson College, to win 4-3 in extra time. A fast journey to close by Canton on Saturday result in extra success with a 4-1 victory over St. Lawrence College.

This season’s workforce is comparatively younger with 8 freshmen and 9 sophomores. The 6 freshmen who noticed motion over the 2 video games will, little question, keep in mind the joy and nerves. Freshmen forwards Cy LeClerc (1 objective, 1 help) and Morgan Winters (1 objective) scored whereas Stiven Sardarian and Jake Dunlap performed common shifts. The excellent play of two different UNH freshmen earned them weekly honors from Hockey East.

Damien Carfagna Named Hockey East Defender of the Week

Final weekend, all 11 Hockey East groups had been in motion for the primary time this season. On Monday, the league introduced the recipients of the weekly awards. 19-year-old UNH freshman Damien Carfagna was named “Defender of the Week”. The 5’11”, 168 lbs., left-shot defenseman from Wooden Ridge, New Jersey, who was primarily paired with sophomore Colton Huard, blocked one shot and registered a +1 ranking towards Clarkson. On Saturday, Carfagna cranked up his offensive sport firing 8 pictures on objective towards St. Lawrence and scoring his first NCAA objective. His total ranking for each video games was +3.

Here is his objective, which put UNH comfortably forward early within the third interval:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFIY-XGe1bA

Interview with Damien Carfagna

I had a possibility to interview Damien Carfagna, by way of e mail, about his NCAA debut and the Hockey East weekly honor:

Mike Lowry: Congratulations on incomes the Hockey East “Defender of the Week” award in your first NCAA video games. Would you describe your experiences main as much as the your first shift, throughout the early phases of the sport, throughout the last moments, and after the sport?

Damien Carfagna: Within the weeks main as much as the sport every little thing was about studying the system right here at UNH and getting snug enjoying with my teammates. Clearly I had some nerves earlier than my first shift, however my teammates and the teaching employees did a terrific job ensuring that I used to be snug with enjoying my sport at this stage. Within the second sport I used to be extra assured. Within the third interval I used to be in a position to rating on a shot from the blue line, so it was good to get my first one out of the best way early.

Mike Lowry: How would you self-evaluate your efficiency?

Damien Carfagna: I really feel like I had a really constructive begin to my school profession this previous weekend. This previous weekend was an excellent place to begin for me that I want to construct off of. Being awarded Hockey East Defender of the Week was one thing particular for me, however I nonetheless really feel like I’ve areas of my sport that I can enhance as I play extra video games and get extra expertise at this stage.

Lowry: How does the general stage of talent and competitors in your first collegiate sport examine to what you encountered within the USHL?

Carfagna: The largest distinction that stood out to me was the power of a few of the gamers. Within the USHL, you’re nonetheless enjoying towards youngsters, however in school you’re typically enjoying towards grown males. Each second of the sport can also be extra aggressive, as a shorter season on the school stage permits for fewer errors to be made.

Lowry: How would you describe the workforce’s fashion of play and it’s strengths?

Carfagna: We now have a really quick workforce, and we used it to our benefit within the opening weekend. We’re laborious on our forecheck, and our conditioning and depth permits us to play a tough, quick sport for a complete 60 minutes.

Tyler Muszelik Named Hockey East Rookie of the Week

UNH had two freshmen earn a Hockey East honor this week. 18-year-old Tyler Muszelik, a 6’3″, 195 lbs. goalie from Lengthy Valley, New Jersey was named “Rookie of the Week”. It’s the first time a UNH freshman goalie has been named Hockey East rookie of the week since Casey DeSmith earned the honour halfway by the 2011-12 season. It might be the primary time a UNH freshman goalie earned the award based mostly on his first NCAA sport.

In his NCAA debut towards St. Lawrence within the second sport of the 2022-23 season, Muszelik confronted 32 pictures on objective and just one received previous him. On a St. Lawrence energy play late within the first interval, a shot ricocheted off a UNH defenseman and Muszelik had no probability to cease the redirection.

With 13 minutes remaining within the sport and UNH main 4-1, junior ahead Nick Cafarelli dedicated a 5-minute main penalty for contact to the pinnacle. The door was open for St. Lawrence to stage a comeback. Luckily, the UNH penalty kill shut the Skating Saints down and Muszelik made 6 key saves.

Here is a couple of of Muszelik’s saves throughout the St. Lawrence 5-minute energy play halfway by the third interval:

Interview with Tyler Muszelik

I had a possibility to interview Tyler Muszelik, by way of e mail, about his NCAA debut and the Hockey East Rookie of the Week honor:

Mike Lowry: Congratulations on incomes the Hockey East “Rookie of the Week” award in your first NCAA sport. Would you describe your experiences main as much as the opening face off, throughout the early phases of the sport, throughout the last moments, and after the sport?

Tyler Muszelik: I used to be wanting to play my first official school sport so when coach Souza mentioned I used to be in versus Saint Lawrence I used to be excited. I felt ready and felt assured pondering again that I had already performed some school opponents final season.

I felt sharp throughout the sport so when it was shut I simply needed to maintain making saves to provide us the chance to attain a couple of extra and take an even bigger lead. When the sport was over I used to be simply comfortable and relieved to have had an excellent first school sport and rejoice with my teammates on a profitable weekend as a workforce.

Mike Lowry: How would you self-evaluate your efficiency?

Tyler Muszelik: The workforce made it simpler for me by clearing guys out of the web entrance and never giving as much as many grade A probabilities. I assumed I used to be regular and because of my teammates saved Saint Lawrence to simply 1 objective.

Lowry: How does the general stage of talent and competitors in your first collegiate sport examine to what you encountered within the USHL and worldwide competitors?

Muszelik: There’s undoubtedly a distinction between school and USHL/worldwide play. The fellows are clearly older and so they’re greater and stronger. It was much more bodily of a sport then I used to be used to. There was much more visitors in entrance of my internet and performs had been made somewhat bit sooner.

Lowry: How would you describe the workforce’s fashion of play and it’s strengths?

Muszelik: I feel our workforce this 12 months is an “in your face” form of workforce who can actually skate and satisfaction ourself on effort and compete. I feel skating is a giant power of ours this 12 months and we are able to actually take benefit offensively due to it.