UMass hockey: Minutemen unveil 2025-26 schedule; open at home against Northern Michigan

The UMass hockey team unveiled its 2025-26 schedule on Wednesday and a unique slate awaits the Minutemen next season.

Starting with a two-game set on Oct. 4-5, UMass will welcome Northern Michigan to the Mullins Center to kick off head coach Greg Carvel’s 10th season in Amherst. The Wildcats will be making their first ever trip to Western Massachusetts in the season-opening series. UMass last faced Northern Michigan in 1999.

The Minutemen’s non-conference portion continues the following week with an away game at Stonehill, one of the newest Division I programs in the country, on Oct. 10. The Skyhawks joined the top ranks during the 2022-23 season and are one of five independent teams nationwide.

UMass will then play its first of four games against Northeastern throughout the season the week after, on Oct. 17. Carvel confirmed during the offseason that due to American International College dropping its Division I program midseason last year, the Minutemen and Huskies decided to play an additional game against each other as a non-conference matchup. On Oct. 18, UMass will play Bentley for the second time in two years after beating the Falcons during its season-opener in 2024-25 in Waltham. Both games are set to be played at Mullins.

The Minutemen will make their longest journey of the regular season the following week when they head to Omaha, Nebraska for two games against the Mavericks. UMass will be making its first trip to the Cornhusker State since 2003. The Minutemen played Nebraska-Omaha during last season’s Ice Breaker Tournament in Las Vegas and lost, 3-2, in overtime.

Continuing the theme of former in-season tournament opponents, Cornell will square off with UMass twice at Mullins over Halloween weekend. The Big Red beat the Minutemen during last season’s Desert Hockey Classic in Tempe, Arizona, 4-2.

The month of November will be grueling for UMass as seven of its eight games will come against teams that made the NCAA Tournament in 2025. It starts with the second game against Cornell on Nov. 1, then two versus Maine — the reigning Hockey East champions – at home on Nov. 6-7. Next, the Minutemen will have their first home-and-home against Boston College on Nov. 14-15, before a Thursday-Saturday home-and-home with Providence starting on Nov. 20.

UMass will finish out its non-conference docket with a Black Friday showdown against Army in West Point, N.Y. on Nov. 28.

From then on it’s Hockey East play the rest of the way and the Minutemen will play games two and three against Northeastern in Boston to close out 2025 on Dec. 6-7.

Boston University will serve as UMass’ first opponent of 2026 on Jan. 9-10, before two against Merrimack on Jan. 16-17. Both will be home-and-home series for the Minutemen.

UMass then will make the drive up to Burlington, Vt. for the second year in a row for two against the Catamounts on Jan. 23-24.

The fourth and final contest with Northeastern is the week after on Jan. 30 at Mullins, then the Minutemen will have three consecutive games against in-state rival UMass Lowell starting on Feb. 1 before that stretches to another home-and-home on Feb. 6-7.

UMass will get a week off following its three against the River Hawks, then will have a pair of home-and-home series to close out the month of February. New Hampshire (Feb. 20-21) and UConn (Feb. 27-28) serve as the Minutemen’s two opponents in that stretch.

The Minutemen will close out their home schedule in early March with a bout against BC on March 5, then will head to Durham, N.H. for their regular-season finale against the Wildcats on March 7.

UMass’ 24-game Hockey East slate features three games against BC, UMass Lowell and UNH.