UMass Boston’s men’s hockey team entered the Little East Conference playoffs. They won the quarterfinals 3-2 against the Southern Maine Huskies Wednesday, Feb. 25, before losing 6-0 to Norwich Saturday, Feb. 28. This loss brought the Beacons 2025-26 season to a halt.
Wednesday, the Beacons were offensively fired up as they outshot the Huskies by 20-8. The team opened the game as senior Captain Jude Kurtas netted one for the team late in the first period, concluding the first period at 1-0 Beacon lead.
The Huskies retaliated in the second period with two consecutive shots, snatching the lead from the team. Kurtas stepped in for the Beacons and netted his second goal of the game, and the equalizer for the team, assisted by junior Chris Repmann, bridging the gap to 2-2 with just five minutes remaining on the clock.
The third period saw both the teams step up as they struggled to score the winning goal. Repmann assisted by senior Captain Jazz Krivtsov came in with just five minutes remaining and scored the winning goal for the Beacons, helping them secure their 3-2 LEC quarterfinal win.
Sophomore goalkeeper Connor McDonough was at the center of the Beacons successful defense as he held the Huskies down, stopping 38 shots. He clocked 20 saves in the first period itself.
Saturday, the Beacons were fired up entering the ice for their semifinal against Norwich University. Norwich opened the game as they snuck a shot past the Beacons defense, concluding the first period with a 1-0 Norwich lead.
The second period saw Norwich double down on their lead, going from 1-0 to 3-0. The Beacons were rendered scoreless throughout the game. The cracks in their offensive play were visible much through the second period.
In the third period, the opponent scored three more goals, doubling their lead. That was the final nail in the Beacons’ coffin. Norwich was offensively and defensively balanced while the Beacons’ lack of offense was visible.
Norwich was in possession of the puck almost throughout the night. They dominated UMass Boston in faceoffs and shots on goal as well.
The game was scoreless for the Beacons as they lost 0-6 to Norwich University.
This was an extremely historic moment for the Beacons as this was their first year playing in the LEC. The quarterfinal win was a statement win for the Beacons and a testament to all the work they put into this season.
Even though the season did not yield results in the team’s favor, this season was still full of firsts.
The team came back a lot stronger after their losses last season. This season saw a lot more wins than losses. The positive changes in the team spirit, techniques, skills and their overall chemistry were very visible through this entire season. Head Coach Peter Belisle was at the apex of all these changes as he was the backbone of the team. His guidance is the reason why the Beacons are where they are in the season.
If the team can improve so much in an year, they will definitely come back stronger next year.
