Jake Veilleux remains out with a knee injury

UConn men’s hockey’s Jake Veilleux is unlikely to make his season debut before the second half, according to Mike Cavanaugh. The junior forward has been sidelined since the start of the year due to a knee injury.

“I don't foresee him coming back in the first half,” the coach said on Wednesday. “I think we're looking more likely to probably be the second half of the season.”

Veilleux played in 33 of 35 games last season and has appeared in 48 throughout his collegiate career. While he’s only totaled four goals and four assists for the Huskies, he’s proven himself to be a dependable fourth-liner, highlighted by the fact that he’s taken just two career penalty minutes.

UConn has not gotten much out of the fourth line thus far — it’s yet to score this season.

Injury report

Elsewhere on the team, UConn is dealing with a few illnesses but nothing too concerning.

“We got a few guys battling the typical cold and whatnot,” he said. “But I think we're going to be okay.”

Tristan Fraser is also eligible to return after being suspended for Saturday’s game due to a major penalty and game misconduct for kneeing on Friday night.

Sergeev’s status

Over the last four seasons, Cavanaugh has benched a goaltender mid-game just twice — and both times have come against Merrimack. Logan Terness got the hook after allowing five goals on 17 shots through two periods in Dec. 2022 while Arsenii Sergeev got replaced by Ethan Haider after giving up four goals on 12 shots through two periods on Friday night.

“I usually let the goaltender work his way out of any type of struggles they might have,” Cavanaugh explained. “But I just felt that at that point, Ethan was going to give us the best chance to win that hockey game going forward.”

Despite Sergeev’s struggles, the coach hasn’t definitively said whether he’ll continue to give each goaltender a start or if Haider will get the nod in both games this weekend at Boston College. Still, for Sergeev to reach his lofty potential, he first needs to elevate his floor.

“It’s fundamentals a lot of times,” Cavanaugh said on 97.9 ESPN. “He makes those spectacular saves now and then but the goaltenders that are consistently in the .92 save percentage (range) are the ones that are fundamentally sound.”