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ALLENTOWN, Pa. — As training for this season began, UConn men’s hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh was describing his two new goaltenders to captain Hudson Schandor. Callum Tung was highly touted, but a freshman, the coach was saying, and Tyler Muszelik was transferring from New Hampshire, where he’d been injured much of his time.
“We did not have an established college goaltender,” Cavanaugh. “I said to Hudson, ‘As long as we get good goaltending, I think we’ll be pretty good,’ and he said, ‘Is Vince coming back? If he is, then I’m not worried about our goaltending.'”
The players’ confidence in Vince Stalletti, 32, who joined the staff in 2020 and became a full-time assistant in 2023, has proven to be well-placed. Tung, who came up big to win UConn’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game Friday, and Muszelik, who could get the call for the Allentown Regional Final on Sunday against Penn State at 4:30 p.m., have been alternating and performing all season, Tung with a 1.98 goals-against average, Muszelik at 2.23.
UConn hockey faces Penn State for spot in NCAA Frozen Four: Time, TV, how to watch
“I’ve had a lot of goalie coaches over the years, and Vince is special,” Muszelik said. “His relationship with me off the ice is just as strong as on the ice, so I’m comfortable and I think the other goalies would say the same, they’re comfortable with him. You really trust the guy. He’s just there for us all the time.”
Goalies on both sides figure to hold the key when UConn and Penn State play for the chance to go to the Frozen Four, which would be a first for either school. Ironically, if Penn State wins, the Nittany Lions could offer Stalletti some of the credit, too. Their goalie, Arsenii Sergeev, played two seasons at UConn before transferring to “Hockey Valley.” Penn State is 18-8-4 with Sergeev (2.6 goals-against) in net, including the 5-1 win over top-seeded Maine on Friday.
“He’s such an athletic, competitive goalie,” Stalletti said. “He does a nice job of tracking pucks. He’s a bigger goalie, like our guys, who moves really well and I think he has found a level of consistency. Obviously their group seems to feed off that; have confidence in him.”
Sergeev, from Yaroslavl, Russia, was 16-16 with a 2.70 goals-against as a sophomore for the Huskies last season before entering the portal. Penn State, citing the emotions involved, did not make him available to reporters on Saturday. “He’s just another goaltender we have to play against,” Cavanaugh said. “I’m just concerned about the guys in our locker room.
Stalletti played for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, and also served as a coaching intern at age 17 in 2010. After his career ended at Division III Johnson & Wales, he started coaching one of his former teammates, and later hooked on with the staff at UMass-Dartmouth, coming to UConn originally as a volunteer assistant. He’s been expanding his role, participating in all aspects of game-planning, but he specializes as a goalie-whisper.
“The best part is just seeing guys have success and just helping them along their journey,” Stalletti said.
Usually, a team identifies its best goalie and goes with him, especially in the postseason. One exception, UMass, which stuck with a pattern of alternating all the way to the national championship in 2021. So far this season, Cavanaugh and his staff have followed a similar approach, alternating Muszelik and Tung as long as both were healthy. With Tung recovering from an illness, Muszelik played both games in CT Ice and was the tournament’s MVP.
In the Hockey East Tournament, Muszelik was solid in the quarterfinals against Providence, Tung in the semis against Boston University. Third goalie, freshman Thomas Heaney, held his own in three close loses to high-caliber opponents: BC, BU and Wisconsin.
“I can’t think of many, if any games where they didn’t give us a chance to win,” Cavanaugh said. “That includes Tommy Heaney, too. Anytime you have two goaltenders roughly around 92 percent (on saves), that’s pretty good.”
Muszelik drew the final against Maine, a 5-2 loss in which Cavanaugh thought the Huskies were “shell-shocked” by the huge Maine crowd in Boston. They’ll have to be ready for a similar environment Sunday night, with Penn State hosting. The next game’s starter usually learns his assignment after the last practice before the game, but the coaches decided to hold off for a discussion on Saturday. Tung or Muszelik were to find out at the team dinner.
“Those three, they’re very close,” Stellatti said. “They’re all very different, personality wise, and the way they play is different, but they get along, do a really nice job off the ice of working well with each other. When one’s not playing, and the other is seeing something, communicating it with me, or each other. It’s rare in that position to have a group that genuinely pulls for each other, and those guys have been phenomenal.”
Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: In today’s world, best to just let UConn’s Dan Hurley be Dan Hurley
Tung and Muszelik both said they’ll prepare the same way regardless of who starts the biggest hockey game UConn has ever played, at least until the next game, should they win. And for both, and all the goalies in the game, Vince Stellatti’s influence has been a common thread.
“Vince has been unbelievable for my development,” said Tung, who made the Hockey East all-rookie team. “In this past year, working with Vince, my game has improved drastically. Coming in, one of the big things why I came in was to work with Vince. He puts together a great development plan for goalies. Every day, being on the tice with him, he’s been huge.”
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“We did not have an established college goaltender,” Cavanaugh. “I said to Hudson, ‘As long as we get good goaltending, I think we’ll be pretty good,’ and he said, ‘Is Vince coming back? If he is, then I’m not worried about our goaltending.'”
The players’ confidence in Vince Stalletti, 32, who joined the staff in 2020 and became a full-time assistant in 2023, has proven to be well-placed. Tung, who came up big to win UConn’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game Friday, and Muszelik, who could get the call for the Allentown Regional Final on Sunday against Penn State at 4:30 p.m., have been alternating and performing all season, Tung with a 1.98 goals-against average, Muszelik at 2.23.
UConn hockey faces Penn State for spot in NCAA Frozen Four: Time, TV, how to watch
“I’ve had a lot of goalie coaches over the years, and Vince is special,” Muszelik said. “His relationship with me off the ice is just as strong as on the ice, so I’m comfortable and I think the other goalies would say the same, they’re comfortable with him. You really trust the guy. He’s just there for us all the time.”
Goalies on both sides figure to hold the key when UConn and Penn State play for the chance to go to the Frozen Four, which would be a first for either school. Ironically, if Penn State wins, the Nittany Lions could offer Stalletti some of the credit, too. Their goalie, Arsenii Sergeev, played two seasons at UConn before transferring to “Hockey Valley.” Penn State is 18-8-4 with Sergeev (2.6 goals-against) in net, including the 5-1 win over top-seeded Maine on Friday.
“He’s such an athletic, competitive goalie,” Stalletti said. “He does a nice job of tracking pucks. He’s a bigger goalie, like our guys, who moves really well and I think he has found a level of consistency. Obviously their group seems to feed off that; have confidence in him.”
Sergeev, from Yaroslavl, Russia, was 16-16 with a 2.70 goals-against as a sophomore for the Huskies last season before entering the portal. Penn State, citing the emotions involved, did not make him available to reporters on Saturday. “He’s just another goaltender we have to play against,” Cavanaugh said. “I’m just concerned about the guys in our locker room.
Stalletti played for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers, and also served as a coaching intern at age 17 in 2010. After his career ended at Division III Johnson & Wales, he started coaching one of his former teammates, and later hooked on with the staff at UMass-Dartmouth, coming to UConn originally as a volunteer assistant. He’s been expanding his role, participating in all aspects of game-planning, but he specializes as a goalie-whisper.
“The best part is just seeing guys have success and just helping them along their journey,” Stalletti said.
Usually, a team identifies its best goalie and goes with him, especially in the postseason. One exception, UMass, which stuck with a pattern of alternating all the way to the national championship in 2021. So far this season, Cavanaugh and his staff have followed a similar approach, alternating Muszelik and Tung as long as both were healthy. With Tung recovering from an illness, Muszelik played both games in CT Ice and was the tournament’s MVP.
In the Hockey East Tournament, Muszelik was solid in the quarterfinals against Providence, Tung in the semis against Boston University. Third goalie, freshman Thomas Heaney, held his own in three close loses to high-caliber opponents: BC, BU and Wisconsin.
“I can’t think of many, if any games where they didn’t give us a chance to win,” Cavanaugh said. “That includes Tommy Heaney, too. Anytime you have two goaltenders roughly around 92 percent (on saves), that’s pretty good.”
Muszelik drew the final against Maine, a 5-2 loss in which Cavanaugh thought the Huskies were “shell-shocked” by the huge Maine crowd in Boston. They’ll have to be ready for a similar environment Sunday night, with Penn State hosting. The next game’s starter usually learns his assignment after the last practice before the game, but the coaches decided to hold off for a discussion on Saturday. Tung or Muszelik were to find out at the team dinner.
“Those three, they’re very close,” Stellatti said. “They’re all very different, personality wise, and the way they play is different, but they get along, do a really nice job off the ice of working well with each other. When one’s not playing, and the other is seeing something, communicating it with me, or each other. It’s rare in that position to have a group that genuinely pulls for each other, and those guys have been phenomenal.”
Dom Amore’s Sunday Read: In today’s world, best to just let UConn’s Dan Hurley be Dan Hurley
Tung and Muszelik both said they’ll prepare the same way regardless of who starts the biggest hockey game UConn has ever played, at least until the next game, should they win. And for both, and all the goalies in the game, Vince Stellatti’s influence has been a common thread.
“Vince has been unbelievable for my development,” said Tung, who made the Hockey East all-rookie team. “In this past year, working with Vince, my game has improved drastically. Coming in, one of the big things why I came in was to work with Vince. He puts together a great development plan for goalies. Every day, being on the tice with him, he’s been huge.”
Continue reading...
