There’s not one player or one coach who is wholly responsible for bringing the University of Massachusetts and Providence College to next week’s NCAA Frozen Four in Buffalo.
As the old saying goes, it takes an entire army to get to where you want to be. While UMass’ Greg Carvel and Providence’s Nate Leaman are up for the prestigious Spencer Penrose Award as the top head coach in Division I, the assistants are playing just as pivotal of a role behind the scenes.
That fact couldn’t be more prevalent than when looking at the assistant coaches who have helped build and sustain success at UMass and Providence. Ben Barr and Jared DeMichiel at UMass and Kris Mayotte and Ron Rolston at Providence are as big of a part of the success as some of the players they’ve recruited and helped develop.“
People inside college hockey know how important the assistant coaches are. They’re ultimately responsible for bringing in the players,” said Carvel, who is in his third season as head coach at UMass after guiding St. Lawrence, his alma mater, for four seasons prior.
