Kenai River Brown Bears goalie Luke Pavicich, 18, committed to Division I University of Massachusetts-Amherst in Hockey East on Thursday.
Pavicich is in his first season with the Bears. He was acquired by the team in the dispersal draft before the season. Pavicich was originally slated to play for the Kansas City (Kansas) Scouts this season, but the Scouts are inactive this season due to the new coronavirus pandemic.
The 6-foot-3, 175-pound native of Clarence Center, New York, has been a find for the Bears, going 11-8-1 with a 2.73 goals-against average and a .925 save percentage.
“We are extremely excited for Luke to have earned this opportunity,” Kenai River head coach Kevin Murdock said in a prepared statement. “Luke has worked very hard this season both on and off the ice, he comes ready to battle every day in both games and practice.
“We’ve been very fortunate to receive a number of stellar performances from him so far this season. The sky is the limit moving forward in his hockey career. We are really looking forward to following his success as he takes the step to college hockey.”
The Minutemen are currently 13-5-4 and ranked No. 6 as they head to the postseason. Greg Carvel, an NHL coaching veteran, is in his fifth season with the Minutemen. He has three of the top 10 winningest seasons in the 91-season history at UMass. Carvel also has produced a Hockey East title, Hobey Baker winner and the program’s first national championship game appearance.
The Bears were off this weekend, but jump back into action Tuesday with a 4:05 p.m. AKST game against the Fairbanks Ice Dogs at the Breezy Point Hockey Center in Minnesota.
