UMass received some good news on Wednesday afternoon. Leading scorer Bobby Trivigno will return for his senior season in hopes of leading the Minutemen to back-to-back Hockey East and national titles.
Trivigno, from Setauket, N.Y., continually has exceeded expectations since getting to UMass. The 5-foot-8 left wing had a good freshman season, scoring 13 goals and 15 assists in 39 games. He took a slight step back as a sophomore, registering nine goals and 11 assists.
Trivigno had a monster year in 2020-21, scoring 11 goals and 23 assists in 29 games, while wearing an ‘A’ on his sweater. Trivigno leads by example. He’s one of the smaller players on the ice, but he goes to the dirty areas, fights for every inch and loose puck, and doesn’t back down from any opposing player.
As a result, the individual hardware came in. He was named the Walter Brown Award winner, given annually to the top American-born college hockey player in New England. In addition, he was a first-team All-American and first-team Hockey East All-Star, and he took home MVP honors at the Frozen Four.
The news was much needed considering the Minutemen have lost some key pieces in recent days. Star defensemen Zac Jones and Marc Del Gaizo turned pro early to sign with the New York Rangers and Nashville Predators, respectively.
Jones inked a three-year, entry-level deal with the Rangers, the organization that drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NHL draft. The Glen Allen, Va., native enjoyed two successful seasons at UMass. In 61 career games, Jones tallied 12 goals and 35 assists. His mobility, puck-moving and offensive capabilities played a large role in the Minutemen winning the NCAA championship. He was drafted out of Tri-City in the USHL but also spent three seasons of Midget hockey at South Kent Selects Academy.
Del Gaizo, a fourth-round pick in the 2019 draft, followed suit. He signed a three-year, entry-level contract with the Predators earlier this week. He had his most productive season at UMass as a freshman in 2018-19, scoring 13 goals and adding 16 assists. He added seven more goals and 22 assists over his sophomore and junior seasons. Del Gaizo played for the New Jersey Rockets and Muskegon Lumberjacks leading up to his time in Amherst.
Also in recent days, UMass has lost senior and second-leading scorer Oliver Chau, who transferred to Quinnipiac, and center Phil Lagunov, who will head to Hockey East foe Vermont.
Vomacka forgoes senior year at UConn
Del Gaizo is the third Hockey East star to sign with the Nashville Predators this offseason. He joined Boston University defenseman David Farrance and UConn junior goaltender Tomas Vomacka.
Vomacka’s decision this week puts a wrinkle in UConn’s plans for 2021-22. The Trutnov, Czech Republic, native went 10-11-2 with a .909 save percentage this past season. Over his three seasons at UConn, he went 32-33-5 with a .906 save percentage.
New England NCAA players turning pro early this offseason
Boston College
Matt Boldy, so., LW, Millis, Mass.
Mike Hardman, so., LW, Hanover, Mass.
Spencer Knight, so., G, Darien, Conn.
Alex Newhook, so., C, St. John’s, Newfoundland
UConn
Yan Kuznetsov, so., D, Murmansk, Russia
Tomas Vomacka, jr., G, Trutnov, Czech Republic
New Hampshire
Angus Crookshank, jr., LW, North Vancouver, British Columbia
Northeastern
Michael Kesselring, so., D, New Hampton, N.H.
Providence
Tyce Thompson, jr., C, Milford, Conn.
Quinnipiac
Peter Diliberatore, jr., D, Halifax, Nova Scotia
UMass Lowell
Seth Barton, jr., D, Kelowna, British Columbia
