As Cole Oravitz prepared for the Madison Capitols in their United States Hockey League weekend series against Green Bay, part of his focus was tuned to Buffalo, N.Y, and the NCAA Frozen Four.

The Plum junior committed to UMass last month, and the Minutemen were taking part in Thursday’s national semifinals.

It’s been a busy time for Oravitz.

“It’s exciting to know I could be a part of something like that,” Oravitz said.

“(UMass) was just a perfect fit for me. It felt like home. I feel I can play my game up there, and they’ll help me go far.”

Buffalo Sabres winger and ex-Pittsburgh Penguin Conor Sheary, Stanley Cup-winning goaltender Jonathan Quick and San Jose Sharks defensemen Justin Braun are some of the more notable UMass alumni to make their mark in the NHL.

“The fans up there are crazy and really into the team,” Oravitz said. “It’s just an all-around great situation.”

Oravitz, however, will not head to UMass right away.

He will play at least one season in Madison (Wisc.) starting in September. After the season ends next spring, his progress will be assessed to determine the best course of action moving forward.

“They say two years is the time usually spent in the USHL,” Oravitz said. “If I have a really good year with Madison, (UMass) could take me the year after.”

Madison selected Oravitz in last spring’s USHL draft. The league is the top junior hockey league sanctioned by USA Hockey and consists of players 20 years and younger.

Oravitz suited up for Madison in the USHL season-opening tournament in Pittsburgh at the end of September. He was on the top defensive line pairing and ran the power play and penalty kill.

“It was good getting used to the coaches’ style, the playing style of my teammates and the overall pace and competitiveness of the league,” Oravitz said.

His Pittsburgh Pens Elite U16 schedule this past season didn’t afford him enough time to play any other games with Madison, but he said he’s excited to play two games with the Capitols this weekend.

Madison will play in Green Bay on Friday at 7:05 p.m. and then host the Gamblers at the same time Saturday.

“This is another step in my career, and I’m really happy to have this opportunity,” Oravitz said.

Oravitz said he’s uncertain how he will complete his high school requirements. An option is cyber school. Another is attending a high school in Madison.

“I’m going to wait and see what most of my teammates who are still in high school decide to do,” he said.

No matter the gameplan, the USHL season could end as early as mid-April, and it would allow Oravitz to return to Plum for the final few weeks of school and graduate with his classmates.

Oravitz heads to Madison as a national champion after Pens Elite, which includes friend and fellow Plum resident Brandon Parente, recently won a USA Hockey Tier 1 AAA Elite title.

The Pens were ranked No. 4 out of more than 100 AAA teams heading into the national tournament and went 5-1 between pool play and the bracket playoffs. They defeated the Yale Bulldogs, 2-1, in the finals.

The Pens finished their season with a 51-12 record.

“I loved the time with my team, and all the time we put in this season, it showed how the hard work paid off,” said Parente, a junior at Plum who will remain with Pens Elite next season and join the 18U team.

Parente said eight or nine players from the 16U team will make the move to the 18U squad.

“I’m pretty confident (the 18U team) can make a run to nationals next year,” Parente said.

Parente and Oravitz have played hockey together since age 7, including the past seven seasons in the Pens Elite program.

While Parente will stay with the program, Oravitz’s time with the organization has concluded.

“That was probably the closest group of teammates I’ve had in a while,” Oravitz said of this year’s Pens Elite 16U group. “I’ve played with some of these kids for seven years, and others I just met this past season. We grew close in such a short amount of time. It hasn’t hit me yet that it’s over. I’m sure I will see a number of them down the road, whether its playing with them or against them.”

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