What's behind UConn men's hockey's disappointing first half? Poor execution

The underlying numbers from UConn men’s hockey’s first half have been good — borderline elite, even.

The Huskies have taken the seventh-most shots in the country and the most among teams in Hockey East. They’ve put 108 more pucks on net than their opponents. Their Corsi rating is tied for fifth in the nation at 55.5 percent. They allow fewer than three goals per game.

Yet while the metrics have been good, UConn’s results haven’t been. At the end of the first half, the Huskies are a disappointing 7-9-1 overall and 4-6-0 in Hockey East. They’ve scored just 2.59 goals per game, 44th out of 64 teams nationally.

UConn got swept by Holy Cross, didn’t record back-to-back wins until December and have been shutout three times — all at home. In a year that started with expectations of reaching the first NCAA Tournament in program history, the Huskies sit 34th in the Pairwise rankings.

Through 17 games, UConn doesn’t have many outright bad performances. The team has generally played well.

But the Huskies haven’t translated that to results often enough.

“We just haven't executed,” head coach Mike Cavanaugh reflected when asked about the first half. “We have to improve our execution.”

One game summed up UConn’s first half perfectly: A 4-1 loss at Union on Oct. 20.

The Huskies committed the first penalty (a common occurrence throughout the season), followed it up by going down 5-on-3 then after killing those, went back to the box for a third time. UConn allowed the first goal (which happened in 11 of 17 games) and struggled to put the puck in the back of the net. The power play floundered, going 0-7 on the night including a failed 5-on-3 that lasted nearly 90 seconds.

When the Huskies finally tied the game in the third period, they almost immediately handed the lead back to the hosts. During an incredible run of play in the offensive zone, UConn committed a penalty and killed the momentum. The normally-reliable penalty kill (which is eighth nationally at the break) faltered and Union went back ahead. The Huskies again dominated possession, only to then give up a breakaway that made it a 3-1 game.

To recap: UConn committed the first penalty and gave up the first goal. Then when it got itself back in the game, it made a cascade of mistakes that resulted in a loss. That script played out far too many times in the first half.

At the midway point in the year, the Huskies’ season has been almost the inverse of last year. In 2022-23, UConn opened the campaign 9-1-1 — the best start in program history — though Cavanaugh later admitted the positive results didn’t always match up with the team’s performance. The Huskies went 11-11-2 the rest of the way, got bounced in the Hockey East Quarterfinals and missed the NCAA Tournament.

This season, UConn sits below .500 but has generally played better than the results would indicate. Instead of faltering in the second half, could the Huskies be poised for a run?

Internally, the team believes so. Despite what’s said publicly, UConn is fully aware of its shortcomings to this point. But the Huskies also know they’re capable of far more than what they’ve showed so far.

There is reason to believe the second half will be different. UConn has played 11 of 17 games away from home, including four overnight road trips. The Huskies will play 11 of their final 28 regular season contests at either Toscano Family Ice Forum or the XL Center with no road game further than UNH.

However, the competition will crank up. All but three league meetings have been against teams that currently sit below UConn in the standings. The Huskies still haven’t played No. 2 Boston University, No. 9 Providence, No. 11 UMass or No. 16 New Hampshire. They could also meet No. 5 Quinnipiac in the CT Ice final.

UConn has a lot of work to do in the second half. While an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament isn’t mathematically impossible, it shouldn’t be a practical goal. Instead, the Huskies’ focus should be on moving up the Hockey East standings and fine-tuning their play to prepare for the conference tournament.

They still have plenty to compete for the rest of the way. But in order to do any of it — whether it be the CT Ice championship, a Hockey East title, or merely pride — UConn will have to improve its execution.