SETTING THE SCENE: The Yellow Jackets make the short trip to Amherst for a midweek showdown with the Minutemen of the University of Massachusetts.

ABOUT AIC: The Yellow Jackets (5-14-0, 5-8-0 AHA) split their second weekend series in-a-row, winning the opener 6-2, before a 5-0 blanking at the hands of Niagara in the finale.

Senior Jon Puskar (Canton, Mich.) scored four goals in Friday's game, the first Yellow Jacket to accomplish this feat since Andy Walbert did so on March 6, 2004 against Sacred Heart.

American International is averaging 2.4 goals-per-game while allowing double that amount on average (4.7). AIC has scored 13 goals in 61 chances, also allowing 13 power-play goals in 59 opportunities.

Junior Alexander MacMillan (Calgary, Alb.) and Puskar lead the team with 17 points apiece, each netting nine goals and assisting eight others.

Freshman David Norris (Calgary, Alb.) added two more assists over the weekend, increasing his team-lead to 13 and 16 points overall.

Freshman goalie Hunter Leisner (Garland, Texas) (3-6-0) has made the last four starts for AIC after sharing duties with classmate Ty Reichenbach (Billings, Mont.) earlier in the season.

Leisner has a .892 save percentage while allowing a 3.92 goals-against-average.

LAST TIME OUT: The Yellow Jackets split a weekend series on the road at Niagara, winning 6-2 and dropping a 5-0 decision the following night.

In the opener, AIC lit the lamp four times in the opening period. After a junior Jason Popek strike just 38 seconds into the game, Puskar rattled off three straight goals to end the period, two of them unassisted.

Niagara's Hugo Turcotte cut into the lead 16 seconds into the second, but Puskar added his fourth within 43 seconds. Popek net a shorthanded goal late in the game for his second.

The Purple Eagles outshot AIC 29-21, but Leisner made 27 saves to keep Niagara from rallying.

A three-goal second helped power Niagara past American International Saturday. The Purple Eagles jumped all over the Yellow Jackets, outshooting them 32-12.

Leisner made 17 saves in two periods before the big 6-foot, 6-inch senior Ryan Kerpan took over in relief after the second intermission.

ABOUT UMASS: The Minutemen (6-14-3, 2-7-2 HE) are 0-3-1 in its last four games, not including a 5-2 win over the U.S. Under-18 team over the weekend.

UMass dropped a tight 4-3 decision against 17th ranked Northeastern last Saturday, as the Huskies rallied for two goals in the third period. Their last regular season game was cancelled against No. 12 Cornell.

Senior Conor Sheary leads the team with 17 points, (4 goals, 13 asists). Branden Gracel and Steven Iacobellis have team-high nine goals apiece.

In goal, junior Steve Mastalerz of North Andover, Mass., boasts a 2.65 goals-against-average and a saves percentage of .915. Mastalerz is 6-11-2 between the pipes in the 2013-14 campaign.

Freshman forward Frank Vatrano is the younger brother of Greg Vatrano, who played at AIC from 2007 until he graduated in 2011.

ABOUT THE SERIES: The Yellow Jackets lead the all-time series 23-9-1, dating back to the 1949-50 season.

LAST TIME THEY MET: AIC dropped a 4-0 decision at the Mullins Center on Dec. 12, 2008, marking the first meeting between them since 1994.

Matt Irwin punched one in just 26 ticks after the puck dropped. AIC kept it a 1-0 game until late in the second when Justin Braun net a shorthanded goal, extending the Minutemen lead to two goals before adding two more in the final period.

UMass outshot AIC 16-3 in the final frame. Dan Ramirez made 32 saves in the loss for the Yellow Jackets.

NEXT UP: AIC ends its second five-game road trip of the season with a weekend at Robert Morris, Friday and Saturday, Jan. 18-19. Puck drops at 7:05 p.m. on Friday and 4:05 p.m. the following day in Pittsburgh, Pa.