The University of Massachusetts hockey team is headed to a second consecutive Frozen Four. The Minutemen defeated Lake Superior, 5-1, and Bemidji State, 4-0, over the weekend to advance out of the East Regional in Bridgeport, Conn.
Head coach Greg Carvel and his staff have implemented a sustainable model for success that other staffs in Hockey East could benefit from, if they can replicate it. Much of this weekend’s success came as a direct result of the coaching philosophy that Carvel has not veered from during his time in Amherst.
When Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Makar, now starring for the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, guided UMass to the program’s first Frozen Four in 2019, many pundits assumed the Minutemen were a flash in the pan. While players such as Makar are once-in-a-generation talents, the UMass coaching staff has found a way to maintain a program capable of making consistent trips to the NCAA tournament and having success once there.
Besides the obvious of recruiting good players and having game plans that set those players up for success, the UMass blueprint is in direct contrast to how Hockey East powers such as Boston College and Boston University have found success over the years. Carvel’s roster includes just three players from New England and has a balance of skill, grit and experience.
Building from the net out
Having a strong goaltender in college hockey has never been more important. Junior Filip Lindberg recorded his third shutout in an NCAA tournament game in Saturday’s 4-0 triumph over Bemidji. In half of his career NCAA tournament starts, he’s held the opponent scoreless.
Obviously, it’s a team game and the team’s defensive effort is a big part of Lindberg’s success. However, there is no denying that Lindberg is an elite college goaltender. The Espoo, Finland, native, has a .946 save percentage this season and is at .935 for his career.
After not playing in 13 of the team’s first 15 games, Lindberg recaptured the starting gig on Jan. 22 and ran with it. UMass is 9-0-3 since his third start of the season against Providence. Lindberg’s save percentage during that stretch is .959.
A seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Wild in the 2019 NHL draft, Lindberg could sign after this season. Whether he signs after this season or next, UMass appears poised to bring in capable goaltenders as his replacement. 2002 birth-year goalies Colin Purcell and Luke Pavicich both have impressive résumés. Purcell was more highly regarded among NHL scouts, but Pavicich is having a good year in the NAHL with Kenai River.
Emphasizing a strong defense
Makar and current San Jose Sharks blueliner Mario Ferraro were headliners for the defensive corp. While none of the current defensemen are as elite as the duo that led UMass to its first Frozen Four, the Minutemen continue to be led from the back end.
Zac Jones and Matt Kessel both rank inside of the top five on the team scoring chart. Overall, five of the team’s defensemen have hit double digits in scoring. Even Colin Felix, long regarded as a physical, defensive defenseman, has 10 points. The lone regular on the UMass blue line who hasn’t hit double digits is Ty Farmer, a steady and reliable defenseman who skates well and makes smart decisions with the puck.
Points aren't everything when it comes to defensemen. Kessel and Felix provide size and can provide a physical element, especially the latter. In the modern era with skating at such a premium, UMass has done a terrific job in recruiting when it comes to finding swift-footed defensemen. Jones is the ultimate example of that on the current team. His skating and footwork allow him to impact the offense, but he also defends with his feet and a good stick.
Wins come in the greasy areas
The Minutemen bring a blue-collar mentality to the rink and that starts with Carvel, who is noted for holding his team accountable.
Leading scorer Bobby Trivigno is as hard-nosed a player as there is in Hockey East this season. The 2020-21 Walter Brown Award winner, given to the best American-born college hockey player in New England, is undersized but fights for every loose puck and is willing to go to all the greasy areas. One of his assists this weekend was a prime example. He won a battle for a loose puck, spun around in traffic, drove the net and then dished it off.
While Trivigno leads the way in being a gritty player on this year’s UMass team, the mindset has helped the team forge an identity. Being heavy on pucks and cashing in on garbage goals on the goal mouth are common occurrences when watching the Minutemen.
Experience is key
Grad transfer Carson Gicewicz scored four goals in the NCAA East Regional, including a hat trick in the final against Bemidji. Under Carvel, UMass has done a good job of bringing in grad transfers. The relatively new loophole is just one of several ways the coaching staff has ensured UMass has an older and experienced lineup.
UMass has the fourth oldest team in Hockey East, but experience is more than just age when it comes to college hockey. While no level of junior hockey compares to the pace, size and competition of college hockey, there are ways to mitigate the transition and adjustment time.
While a few Hockey East schools continue to mistakenly bring in players right out of prep school or into school as true freshmen, UMass has held off the urge and benefited from older, more experienced players.
UMass had 26 different players appear in a game this season. Those players averaged 131.85 games played in junior hockey. Twenty of the 26 played in the USHL. Not one player on the UMass roster came to campus without playing at least a year of junior hockey.
The top five leading scorers plus Lindberg played just one season of junior hockey. The other 20 players, minus Jerry Harding, played two or more years of junior hockey. This is telling in the fact that depth players can be more effective if they have more experience. No player should be going to Hockey East before playing junior hockey. The success UMass is having is proof of this.
Another takeaway is all three local players didn’t start playing full time in the USHL or NAHL until after they turned 18. There is no rush to leave prep school, split season or full-season 18-U. Taking time with development helped all three local players get to this point in their hockey careers.
Lastly, getting back to age as a factor of experience, UMass has just nine players on its roster born in 2000 or after. Only Lopina, one of the top rookies in the league, was born in 2001. UMass is the only team of the top six teams in the 2020-21 Hockey East standings to not have an ’02 or late ’01 on its roster.
Finding a recruiting niche
UMass has just three players on its roster from New England, tied for Maine for least in Hockey East. The trio of locals — forward Harding and defensemen Linden Alger and Kolby Vegara — all hail from Massachusetts.
A lack of New Englanders isn’t necessarily a reason for success. But UMass has avoided the pitfalls of some other Hockey East programs in over-recruiting the region. While there are many great players in New England, some programs have made mistakes by trying to find recruits in the region even if it means compromising talent.
A large majority of local kids grow up dreaming of playing for one of the four Beanpot schools. When Maine and New Hampshire were enjoying success in the 1990s and early 2000s, the Black Bears and Wildcats found some gems locally. Merrimack found a couple of key pieces from the area when the Warriors had their run in the early part of the last decade. Providence has found some solid local players during its recent stretch of good fortune. Even UMass had a star from its hometown in John Leonard. However, the majority of the good players for all of those programs came from outside of New England. It’s hard for non-Beanpot schools to get top local talent.
The Minutemen have looked elsewhere for players who will help put them over the top. Trivigno hails from Setauket, N.Y. The Del Gaizo brothers, Marc and Anthony, are from Basking Ridge, N.J. Gicewicz comes from Orchard Park, N.Y. The New York and New Jersey region is just one that UMass has found success in on the recruiting trail.
Perhaps the most unique geographical location where UMass has found some hidden gems is Michigan. The 2020-21 Minutemen have five players from that state, and several past and future UMass skaters are Michigan natives.
I believe it’s key for schools outside of the four Beanpot programs to find a niche, whether it be western Canada, Europe or other parts of the United States. The Minutemen have done a terrific job of honing in on Michigan while finding a couple of key players from non-traditional college hockey markets, such as Lindberg being from Finland.
It might not be a popular sentiment, but local programs need to come to the realization that while there are capable players from New England, having success on the recruiting trail outside of the region is a key component to success.
