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The No. 13 Massachusetts hockey team’s backup goaltender, Jackson Irving, got his first start of the season against No. 6 Maine in a deflating 6-2 loss. Despite the lopsided scoreline, Irving stood out for the Minutemen (6-2-1, 0-2 Hockey East), making 48 saves.
Irving started the game hot, earning saves on all 16 of the shots that came his way through almost 19 minutes of play. At one point, he faced three shots in rapid succession, dropping to a spread-eagle position and smothering the puck until one of his teammates attempted to clear it. The move to send the puck out of the defensive zone put the puck directly on the stick of a Black Bear (6-4-0, 3-0 HEA), who took a shot that Irving easily gloved down.
“I feel bad, Jackson Irving gets a chance to play, and we didn’t play very well in front of him,” head coach Greg Carvel said. “ He was about the only guy that came tonight ready to play, and he kept us in it for a little while. But we left him out to dry too often.”
Irving was forced to deal with an onslaught of shots that very few other UMass goalies have had to deal with, in just his seventh career collegiate hockey game. The last time the Minutemen allowed 50 or more shots on goal was in 2017, against Quinnipiac. Despite the inundation of shots against him, Irving made big saves even when the game started to get out of hand.
Down three goals with seven minutes left in the third period, the 6-foot goalie made an initial save on a Frank Djurasevic shot from the right dot. The rebound popped out directly to the stick of freshman Jeremy Langlois, who shot the puck with no hesitation. Irving planted his left skate into the ice and pushed off, raising his other leg at the last moment to kick the puck away to temporary safety in the corner.
After Maine worked the puck around the zone for a few seconds, Djurasevic found himself in the same spot on the right dot with space to drive at Irving. The Massachusetts native moved himself forward in his crease to cut off the angle, pinning his pads and glove to the ice to prevent the low shot from Djurasevic and cover the puck.
“I felt good, felt confident, I thought I was seeing the puck pretty well,” Irving said. “I wish I had a few more saves to help out the guys, but I felt good.”
Another huge save came halfway through the game when Josh Nadeau, alone right in front of Irving, received a pass and tried to move the puck to his backhand while cutting in front of the crease. With no hesitation, Irving dove forward with his full body weight, swiping the puck away.
Despite the massive number of shots on goal that UMass allowed, it continued to block shots at a high rate. It totaled 18 blocked shots through the matchup, the second-highest tally of the season, just two fewer than in the game against Stonehill. Defenseman Larry Keenan led the team with six, catapulting himself to the team lead for that stat on the season.
“Yeah, it’s awesome. You know, we have a pretty committed group, and they’re always laying out blocking shots for me, which I appreciate,” Irving said. “You know, we’re gonna figure it out here, and, you know, focus on tomorrow.”
The Minutemen will hope to sort things out tomorrow for the second game against the Black Bears. The Mullins Center will open its doors for a 7 p.m. puck drop, and the game can be streamed on ESPN+.
Myles Donato can be reached at [email protected] and followed on X @myles_donato.
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