The 8-1 record that UMass has put up and the No. 4 national ranking to which it has risen may be a surprise to some in the college hockey world.
Well, as I wrote last year, it shouldn’t be. Those closely following Hockey East know what third-year head coach Greg Carvel has been building in Amherst, and we've seen flashes of brilliance this season.
It’s all come together in a big way. The Minutemen have won five consecutive league games after last week’s sweep of a pair of 3-2 games at Providence. UMass earned a top-10 ranking for the first time since 2009 prior to its last series, but this week’s No. 4 status is the highest in program history.
Those around Hockey East have seen it building over the last few years, and Carvel saw something special out of this edition of the team right off the bat.
