The first half of the season is in the books, and it’s a perfect time to check in with UMass coach Greg Carvel, whose Minutemen have made a bigger impact than any team in the nation. UMass was picked to finish sixth in Hockey East but enters the holiday break ranked No. 2 in the country with an impressive 14-2-0 record, 7-0-0 in the league.
“Going into the season, with (defenseman Cale) Makar coming back and the freshmen that we had coming in, I thought that we were going to be better. The question mark was goaltending, and we’ve had great goaltending with Matt Murray (11-0-0, 1.90 goals-against average, .931 save percentage). Part of getting good goaltending, I believe, is the play of the team in front of them, which has been pretty good. So overall, I think that we’re trending in the right direction.”
“Makar and (Mario) Ferraro have accelerated us in the right direction. I think that has helped propel us forward. (Jacob) Pritchard, our transfer from St. Lawrence, has been playing pretty well. But even if Makar didn’t come back and we didn’t get Pritchard, I still think we’re progressing in the right direction. We were picked sixth but I thought we’d be better than that. I actually thought we had a chance to be an NCAA (tournament) team and I think that our first half has set us up well for that. So, we’ll see.”
Makar (six goals, 13 assists), the No. 4 overall pick in the 2017 NHL draft, is the catalyst, but the clever defenseman Ferraro (six assists) isn’t far behind. Sophomore forward Mitchell Chaffee (11 goals, 10 assists), Pritchard (seven goals, 12 assists), and hometown hero John Leonard (five goals, 13 assists) of Amherst have been solid. Freshman forward Bobby Trivigno (five goals, six assists) has chipped in with timely goals. Sophomore Jake Gaudet had a pair of goals in Tuesday’s win against Yale.
“You make your schedule a couple of years in advance. If you look at who we’ve played, Ohio State was No. 1. Providence was a top-five team. Quinnipiac was top 10. Yale was top 20. So we’ve had a challenging schedule,” Carvel said. “Hopefully, we’ll be able to carry that play into the league.”
UMass returns to action Jan. 4 at home against UMass-Lowell.
QUIZ OF THE WEEK
Which current Hockey East coach scored to force overtime in the 1999 national championship game? Answer below.
TIP O’ THE HAT
Salem State received a big effort from its Charlestown duo of junior Rose Sullivan (two goals, assist) and senior Danielle Kelley (goal, two assists) in 6-1 win against Anna Maria. Sullivan is a Matignon product while Kelley skated at Arlington Catholic. …
Worcester State sophomore Matt Manning had a goal and an assist in a 4-3 win against Stonehill, which received two tallies from senior Chris Page of Winthrop.
CURRY A SPARK PLUG
Hockey fans have to appreciate the sheer hustle of unsung Boston University skater Patrick Curry, whose relentless style is reminiscent of former Providence standout Noel Acciari. Curry rarely shows up on the scoresheet but is every bit as important to the team’s success. In a recent 4-1 win against Dartmouth, Curry had one assist, three shots on net and a plus-2 rating.
“He’s a glue guy to our team, a good guy in the locker room, a good guy on the ice,” Terriers coach Albie O’Connell said. “He does a lot of the little things well and he has better skill than you’d think. He plays on the edge. He’s a high-energy guy, and the guys really gravitate to him. It’s nice to see his effort rewarded. He’s a real important part of our team.” …
Holy Cross announced athletic director Nathan Pine will step down in January to take the same position at Air Force, succeeding Jim Knowlton, who recently took over as AD at California. Knowlton, a Burlington native, played hockey at Austin Prep and Army and served on the NCAA Div. 1 hockey selection committee while in his previous post as AD at RPI. …
QUIZ ANSWER
First-year New Hampshire coach Mike Souza scored in a 3-2 loss to Maine.
Drop the puck!