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 ...
