STORRS — There is one annual question UConn men’s hockey coach Mike Cavanaugh does not want to reach to answer.
“There’s an old saying, ‘at some point, winter is going to ask, what were you doing all summer?,’” Cavanaugh said. “With Moe Butler, I never have to worry about the answer to that question.”
Butler came to UConn as a student-athlete in 1999 and has been a fixture on campus ever since. An All-American field hockey player for coach Nancy Stevens, Butler became interested in the strength and conditioning field and switched majors, earning her BS and master’s degrees in kinesiology in Storrs. She started as a grad assistant and has been on the strength and conditioning staff since 2004, working with various sports. She is now associate AD for sports performance, and works hands-on with the men’s hockey and women’s tennis teams.
Dom Amore: ‘He has no fear to go after the hitter;’ This ex-UConn star establishing himself in MLB
“UConn has continually provided me with opportunities for growth and development,” Butler said. “The people you get to work with — I’ve looked at other jobs, but the thought of leaving some of the people here is what’s made it very hard. Not everybody gets to do what they love at their alma mater. I bleed blue, and it’s hard to see other colors and want to work there.”
Maureen “Moe” Butler’s loyalty and commitment came into play during the summer of 2024, after the hockey program, coming off a disappointing season, was hit with a wave of transfers. She met with the remaining players, about eight, and gave them a fiery talk about wanting to be at UConn, then brought the fire out of them. “She basically set the tone,” Cavanaugh said.
“We’re in the start of a new year,” Butler said. “My message always is, ‘we’re laying the foundation now and when we welcome our new players in, you’ll have already established our expectations which are non-negotiable. The weight of that was a little more significant last year. They were disappointed with the season, we were disappointed. At some point, you have to step up and start driving the bus if you want change.”
The Huskies had their best season ever, reaching the NCAA’s Elite Eight, an overtime goal by Penn State all that kept them out of the Frozen Four.
“This summer presents a different challenge,” Butler said. “We had less time together in the spring, which is what we want. They came back in July and I feel like we’re in a really great spot. Guys have been communicating a little more. You see a different level of investment. They want to be here … in the trenches together.”
Another summer of intense workouts, from July 4 weekend to mid-August, concluded with all but some overseas players on campus working, Cavanaugh said, so Old Man Winter will not have to ask that dreaded question in 2026.
Moe Butler directs the UConn hockey team in an outdoor workout this summer. (UConn Athletics)
“She’s been one of the more integral parts of our success, where we are today,” said forward Jake Percival, senior from Avon. “She’s one of the people who probably goes unnoticed outside of our program. Behind the scenes, we all know what Moe does for us is so huge. We know exactly what we need to do to get our body right to get back to high performance.”
Percival’s favorite Moe Moment: “The football team was doing their morning training drills, and we were all on the soccer field and we were walking by them. They were all these big guys, we were these kind of small guys, and she led us out single file and she goes, ‘let’s show these guys how to work.’”
Among the sports performance challenges specific to hockey, the players aren’t on the ice a lot in the offseason. “They compete on a different surface and from a physiological standpoint work in a different energy system,” Butler said. “They’re running in that intense zone all the time, and there’s the contact. Back to back nights, other sports are not doing that much any more, that’s a grind and we have to train them differently to prepare for that.”
The UConn men’s hockey team, after teir first-ever NCAA Tournament victory, had a lot to celebrate in 2025. Moe Butler “set the tone,” coach Mike Cavanaugh said.
(UConn Athletics)
Strength and conditioning work done outdoors or in the weight room takes center stage on the offseason. Cavanaugh leaves those areas in Butler’s charge, popping in only here or there, so players know. Butler’s “non-negotiables” are also his.
“My non-negotiables are, one, show up with positive attitude,” Butler said. “Give me 100 percent effort, whatever you have I need it that day, and I expect them to have attention to detail. Championships are won in the details.”
Former Huskies, including some who’ve played in the NHL, are apt to come back to campus to work with Butler.
When Cavanaugh took over in 2013, at the dawn of UConn’s Hockey East era, Butler was nine month pregnant with her daughter, Calynn.
“And she was back to work a few weeks of having her baby, I couldn’t believe it,” Cavanaugh said. “I was new to the program and didn’t know much about Connecticut, but one thing I knew immediately was, she commanded and demanded the respect of the players. ‘This woman knows what she’s doing, she’s going to make me better and I’m going to listen to her.’ I’m so fortunate that she’s our strength coach.”
During the course of season, Butler may urge Cavanaugh to get the team on the ice, or back off at certain times.
“The respect is 100 percent there right when you walk in the weight room as a freshman,” Percival said. “It’s how much credibility she’s rightfully earned with her knowledge, and how much she cares about us. This is someone who is as important as a coach to us. She’s working with heart rates, she’s planning practices with the coaches … she’s rolling us out on the morning before games, making sure we’re taking the right supplements, she’s doing as much as anybody to put us in the best position to win games and make sure our bodies are right. How she comes in every day with energy and motivation, the energy and the love to be with this program, that’s contagious. Even if you’re having a tough day, a long class, your body’s sore and you have Moe yelling at you, it gets you going. … She’s awesome.”
More for your Sunday Read:
New voice for netminders
Cavanaugh was sad to see another key figure in UConn’s success, Vince Stalletti, go, but happy to see him leave to pursue his aspirations of working in the NHL. Stalletti, who coached UConn goalies for year as a volunteer before joining the staff full time, has been hired by the Kraken and will start with their AHL affiliate.
UConn’s Frozen Four hopes may rest in the net and Huskies’ goalie whisperer a big reason why
“Vince is fabulous. It’s part of my job to make sure I’m getting you where you want to go,” Cavanaugh said, “and not just players – assistants. I was an assistant (at BC) 20 years, so I know what that’s like. They have aspirations.”
Meanwhile, UConn has hired Alex Westlund, former goalie at Yale and longtime coach, who was with the Red Wings the last three years, to coach the Huskies’ goaltenders, a great get that says something about the stature of the program after last year’s Elite Eight appearance.
“We were really lucky to get him,” Cavanaugh said. “Vince suggested I reach out to him. He’s got a great pedigree and a wealth of experience. I think it’s going to be a seamless transition to our goaltenders.”
Updating CT players in NFL
UConn’s Chase Lundt survived last cuts this week and made the Bills’ 53-man roster. Lundt, a sixth-round pick, joins former Husky teammate Ryan Van Demark in Buffalo’s O-line room. Receiver/return TJ Sheffield was among the final cuts by the Titans. Don’t be surprised if he latches onto a practice squad. DL Eric Watts signed with the Jets for their practice squad. OL Valentin Senn impressed the Cardinals, but will spend the season on injured reserve.
Stew Milne/AP
UConn’s Chase Lundt, sixth-round pick, made the Bills’ 53-man roster (UConn Athletics)
Veterans from UConn, including DL Travis Jones (Ravens), OL Matt Peart (Broncos) and DL Folorunso Fatukasi (Texans) are all active as the season begins. OL Christian Haynes (Seahawks) will be on IR for four weeks with a strained pec.
Justin Barron (Rocky Hill/Syracuse) was hampered by a leg in jury and waived by Dallas this week; he, too, could resurface on a practice squad. A pure football player.
Sunday short takes
*Geno Auriemma, Bill Raftery and Donny Marshall are headliners at SCSU’s Hoop Talk, a special event Sept. 23 at Aria’s in Prospect to benefit the men’s and women’s basketball programs at Southern Connecticut. Go to southernct.edu/hoops-talk for more information, or email Ray Reid at reidr12@southernct.edu.
*Tom Woodcock, who was an athletic trainer in the NHL for many years, seven years (1983-90) with the Whalers, was inducted posthumously into the Rhode Island Hockey Hall of Fame. He has been in the trainers wing of the Hockey Hall of Fame since 2003.
*Reminder: Red Sox 1975 World Series stars Bernie Carbo and Bill Lee will be at the World Series Club of Hartford County dinner on Sept. 3 at New Britain VFW Hall. Info on the organization’s website.
*Do you not get the feeling, Connecticut Sun fans, that this season might have been far different if rookie Leila Lacan was there from the beginning?
*Former UConn outfielder Sam Biller, who hit .296 with 13 homers and 60 RBI in 58 games last spring, signed with the Mets Aug. 26 and has reported for duty to Port St. Lucie.
*Wayne Norman, a long-time voice of UConn sports on the radio, recently celebrated 55 years hosting his morning show on WILI-AM in Willimantic, which I must remember the next time “The Mayor” tells me he is 39.
*Unless something crazy happens in September, Cal Raleigh is your AL MVP.
*Former Yard Goats manager Warren Shaeffer took over the Rockies when they were headed for an historically bad season. The vibe changed and It looks like they will at least avoid making that history. He deserves a chance in 2026.
Last word
A couple of lingering thoughts on Fairfield National’s run in the Little League World Series. One had to be impressed with manager Brian Palazzolo and the kids. Their comportment was pitch perfect. They worked hard and took it seriously, to be sure, but had fun with it and were always respectful and sportsmanlike.
One nitpick with the tournament format. If it’s “double elimination,” then the team in the loser’s bracket, Nevada in this case, should have to beat the winner’s bracket team, Fairfield, twice to win the U.S. championship. There are considerations with kids playing, pitching, too many games or, naturally, the TV schedule, but it seems only fair. Seems the only advantage earned by winning the first four games is an extra day off.