UConn men's hockey will never be the same

Before the 2024-25 season began, UConn men’s hockey was picked to finish eighth in Hockey East. The Huskies ended the season as one of the last eight teams still standing, reaching the Allentown Regional Final before falling to Penn State in overtime on Sunday.

It’s a bitter end to what proved to be the program’s own version of a dream season akin to UConn men’s basketball’s 1989-90 campaign or UConn women’s basketball’s breakthrough in 1990-91. The Huskies flew higher and further than ever before, setting a new program record for wins (23), reaching the NCAA Tournament for the first time (and doing so on merit as the No. 6 team in Pairwise, not with an automatic bid) while coming within one goal of the Frozen Four.

From this day forward, UConn men’s hockey will never be the same. The team broke new ground this season and has no plans on turning back.

“This one year. This is for future generations to continue this standard,” fifth-year captain Hudson Schandor said.

The foundation for the Huskies’ season was set in the aftermath of the 2023-24 campaign. As a bevy of talent walked out the door, Schandor and fellow fifth-year John Spetz chose to return. A pair of UConn lifers, they didn’t want their careers to end with underperformance and dysfunction.

So they set about correcting the culture. They created “The Playbook”, a guide for how member of the program should act on and off the ice and prioritized locker room chemistry, forging 29 players into one team.

“They single-handedly changed and set the expectations for this program,” Cavanaugh said. “When everybody was jumping ship, they didn't. Not only did they not jump ship but they mentored a big freshman class — and everybody else that was new to the program — and showed them what it means to be a UConn hockey player.”

“Everybody got to see what the culture was this year,” Muldowney said. “It’s not too often that you really get to play for a team. This was a true team. We all love each other.”

Earlier in their careers, Schandor and Spetz were part of teams that helped the program reach new territory. The Huskies earned their highest finish in Hockey East in 2020-21, made their first trip to TD Garden and the conference championship game in 2021-22 and then recorded back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time ever in 2022-23.

They wanted to continue that trend in their final year and set their sights on the NCAA Tournament. Though the program had never been there in its 64-year history — not even during its days as a Division III team — Schandor and Spetz convinced everyone else in the building that it was attainable.

“The whole staff bought into this crazy idea we had in the summer,” Schandor said. “Maybe at first, John and I were the only believers,” Schandor said.

With the culture set, the talent that remained on the roster flourished. Schandor bounced back from a 21-point season to put up 41 points and set UConn’s Division I Era (1998-present) record for assists with 31. Muldowney exploded with 29 goals and 47 points, also setting new marks in the program’s Division I Era, while Jake Richard also hit the 40-point mark with 43.

Elsewhere, the Huskies got strong play from a defensive corps that turned over half the spots in the lineup while the brand-new goaltending tandem of Tyler Muszelik and Callum Tung excelled.

After showing some promise in the first half, UConn took off following a second-place finish at the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off in Wisconsin. Once the calendar flipped to 2025, the Huskies went 12-2-3 down the stretch of the regular season and made a run to the Hockey East championship game.

They entered the NCAA Tournament sixth in the Pairwise and then breezed past in-state rival Quinnipiac to earn its first win in the event. The Huskies took Penn State to overtime in the regional final and were a shot off the post away from going to St. Louis for the Frozen Four.

In the end, UConn proved that talent doesn’t mean much without a proper culture.

“Nobody really expected us to be sitting here playing for the Frozen Four and [Schandor and Spetz] were the reason why we were,” Cavanaugh said.

While the loss may be the end for Schandor, Spetz and this year’s version of the Huskies, it’s only the beginning for the program. The two fifth-years have helped set them up for continued success.

“We'll get back here someday and it'll be because of those two,” Cavanaugh said. “I'll forever be indebted for their loyalty and their commitment to our program.”

When Cavanaugh arrived in Storrs in 2013, he set three goals for the program: Graduate players, create better men and win trophies. He often talks about how national championships should be the standard at UConn.

This season, for the first time ever, that felt like a realistic possibility.

“When this program gets the first national championship, it's going to be special — and they will. There’s not a doubt my mind,” Spetz said.