Former Vipers Defenceman Hetnik Plays In Longest Game In College Hockey History:

Former Vernon Vipers defenceman Marc Hetnik & the UMass Minutemen were involved in the longest game in college hockey history after a 4-3 fifth overtime win over Notre Dame.

Hetnik is in his second season with the Minutemen played two seasons in Vernon (2011-2013) In 112 regular season games with the Vipers Hetnik collected (6-goals-22-assists-28-points).  In 32 games this season at Umass Hetnik has (2-goals-7-assists-9-points).

Marc Hetnik's Player Profile:

http://www.eliteprospects.com/player.php?player=128531

This is posted on the College Hockey News website:

UMass Wins in 5th OT, Longest Game Ever

Minutemen Grab 1-0 Series Lead at Notre Dame

CHN Staff Report

March 7, 2015

Game highlights from the longest game in college hockey history, well into a 5th overtime.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7wCf5CflXH0

Shane Walsh ended the longest game in college hockey history, scoring at 11:42 of the 5th overtime, giving Massachusetts a Game 1 win in its Hockey East First Round best-of-three series with Notre Dame.

It was just the third NCAA Division I men's hockey game to reach a 5th OT, and had just surpassed the previous record holder — a game between Quinnipiac and Union in the 2010 ECAC playoffs — when Walsh put it in. Officially, it surpassed the previous record by 80 seconds.

"I'm awfully proud and happy for our guys," UMass coach John Micheletto said.

"Not only to get the win as the road team in the series, but, to get it the way that we did, obviously, it's not only a big hockey win. It's an emotional win. That's going to hopefully play in our favor. ... Right now, just so proud of our guys. Thinking about how we're going to alter how day schedule tomorrow."

The game didn't get to five OTs for lack of scoring chances. Each team had dozens of good opportunities to score. In a sequence emblematic of how the night went, just moments before the winning goal, Notre Dame's Mario Lucia was open on the doorstep and in the middle of receiving a pass, when his stick broke in half.

After a faceoff, UMass came down and a shot by freshman winger Dennis Kravchenko deflected off the leg of Notre Dame defenseman Robbie Russo, and came right to Walsh in the slot. Notre Dame goalie Cal Petersen had no chance on the play as Walsh buried it.

Petersen, a Buffalo Sabres draft pick, made an NCAA-record 87 saves during the course of the game. He also made 55 saves, in regulation, in his last outing, the last game of the regular season.

Meanwhile, though finishing with a mere 75 saves, UMass goalie Steve Mastalerz was just as brilliant, if not moreso in the OT.

For Walsh, it was the 11th goal in the last 15 games for the junior from West Roxbury, Mass., after having scored just six in 79 previous career games at UMass.

Overlooked was the hat trick scored by UMass' Steve Iacobellis, all coming in a 7:16 span during regulation time.

"You don't hat tricks that often, especially the natural," Micheletto said. "Obviously that line was going. Iacobellis, (Ray) Pigozzi and Shane Walsh. Up and down the lineup, we had some guys doing great things."

UMass also became the first No. 12 seed to win a Hockey East playoff game, this being the first season of a 12-team tournament.

UMass lost a pair of regular-season meetings to the Irish this season by a combined score of 11-5.

The teams are set for Game 2 at 7:05 p.m. later today.