D1 men’s notebook: UMass is No. 1 for the first time in program history

UMass goaltender Matt Murray has lifted the Minutemen to the No. 1 ranking in the country. (Richard T. Gagnon)

“There’s a first time for everything” might be the best way to summarize this week’s events around Division 1 college hockey.

Less than halfway through Greg Carvel’s third season as head coach, UMass completed its rise to the No. 1 spot in the national rankings for the first time in program history on Monday. The Minutemen became the fifth team to sit atop the USCHO poll this season after defeating UConn for its program-record ninth consecutive victory, 7-4.

UMass improved to 12-1 on the season with seven wins in as many November games. The Minutemen had not gone undefeated in a month since December of 1970, achieving that mark Friday with the team’s first seven-goal output since 2014 and sophomore goaltender Matt Murray’s ninth win of the season on Friday.

Sophomore Mitchell Chaffee had four points, on two goals and two assists, for the first time in his career. He and second-year defenseman Cale Makar are tied for the Hockey East lead with 18 points each. Also against the Huskies, freshman Bobby Trivigno recorded his first two-goal game in Hockey East.