Under four weeks until fans get their first look at the Massachusetts hockey team in their exhibition game against Dalhousie.  So with 27 days until then, we look at #27 for the Minutemen, sophomore Riley McDougall.  The Calgary native played in 29 games during his first year and, given how he finished the season, will likely appear in many games this coming season as well.

McDougall gave the Minutemen solid minutes in the first half of the season, but it was the second half where he really shined as a player.  He picked up his first goal in a win over New Hampshire on January 16th.  He would score the next night as well.  In fact, after going pointless in the season up to that point he would end up scoring four goals in a five game span.  He didn’t score again for the remainder of the regular season but did score a shorthanded goal in the Hockey East playoffs against Notre Dame.

The scoring streak in the middle of the season wasn’t a fluke as McDougall scored 30 goals in 58 games during his last year in the AJHL.  For a team that is losing it’s top goal scorer, UMass would greatly benefit from McDougall becoming a more consistent part of the offense as a sophomore.

photo by Thom Kendall/UMass Athletics