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The Forecheck: Despite poor start, UConn still in great position for second half

The Huskies have plenty to fix but are still more than capable of making some noise over the next few months.

January 06, 2022

Welcome to the revamped UConn Hockey Hub newsletter, which catches you up on all the stories, trends, and anything else you might have missed, along with some quick takes and leftover notes from the weekend.

Despite their poor start, UConn is still in good shape for the second half

UConn men’s hockey’s loss to No. 19 Harvard on Sunday was nothing new to anyone who’s followed the team all season. The Huskies are a frustrating group featuring a tantalizing amount of talent—and yet they just can’t seem to make all the pieces work.

Special teams continue to be a weak point. The power play has struggled mightily while the usually-strong penalty kill was undermined by seven trips to the box against Harvard. UConn also took bad penalties — another recurring problem — like the pair late in the third quarter that killed any comeback hopes.

Additionally, the Huskies are struggling to get the puck on net despite a bevy of forward talent. They dominated Harvard in the first few minutes with high energy and a strong forecheck but didn’t get a shot on target for almost 15 (!!!) minutes. UConn peppered the Crimson with 23 shots in the second period but failed to record one in the first seven minutes of the third.

To make matters worse, Darion Hanson has suddenly emerged as a potential liability. Though he’s been solid for most of the season, he gave up too many soft goals at Harvard. That’s Hanson’s second poor performance in the last five games, with the other being the loss at Providence.

Despite all this, there is still reason for hope.

UConn is still in a good spot to start the second half. The Huskies are a game above .500, ranked 22nd in the Pairwise rankings, and are sixth in Hockey East on a points-per-game basis.

UConn also has played the fewest conference games of anyone and has yet to face the likes of Merrimack, UNH, or UVM. While the Huskies are 11 points back of UMass Lowell for first place, they actually have two fewer losses. They’ll also have an easier schedule soon.

UConn’s first four games of the second half are all on the road and it’s only played at the XL Center five times this season, but that’s about to change dramatically. Starting a week from Friday, they will play their next four games at home against BU, UNH, and Merrimack — all of which are games the Huskies should be favored in.

The potential for a second-half run is there if (huge “if” there) UConn can start to fix some of its biggest problems. Saturday’s game at BC isn’t a must-win and it might not even be a should-win since the Huskies have never come out on top at Conte Forum. At the very least, it’s an opportunity for UConn to get itself back on the right track. We’ll learn a lot about this team based on how that game unfolds.

Week in review

News

Harvard 6, UConn 3

Three stars

First star: Jachym Kondelik

Kondelik did a bit of everything for UConn on Sunday. He scored the Huskies’ second goal with a pretty move around the goalie capped by a backhanded flick into the net and then assisted on Kevin O’Neil’s goal in the fourth period. Along with the points, Kondelik won 16 of 24 face-offs and took 10 more draws than any of his teammates.

Second star: Kevin O’Neil

Like Kondelik, O’Neil added a goal and an assist in the loss. He recorded the helper on Kondelik’s score and then got UConn back within one early in the third period with a bizarre goal that flipped over the Harvard net-minder. Though O’Neil has been an important player for the Huskies all season long, he got some well-deserved points on Sunday.

Third star: N/A

While Kondelik and O’Neil were deserving despite the loss, nobody else stands out.

Play of the week

Ice-cold capture

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