Massachusetts Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel has shown what patience can bring in sports, leading his team from a five-win season in 2017-18 to NCAA runners-up in 2018-19.

Carvel has built a winning culture in Amherst, one that is ready to face the arguable first expectations in the program’s 25-year history. 

UMass is coming off of 31 wins, a conference championship, and a Hobey Baker winner; name a program record and the odds are the 2018-19 team set it.

Sporting a Hobey Baker winner—which has become synonymous as a representation of the best player in NCAA hockey—goes a long way, but the numbers say the 2018-19 season won’t be an outlier in Amherst.

7 KEY RETURNERS

Forwards Mitchell Chaffee, John Leonard, and Bobby Trivigno, make up the scoring punch destined for repeated offensive numbers. That says a lot for Chaffee and Leonard, who posted 18 and 16 goals and 42 and 40 points, respectively. Consider Trivigno’s 13 goals and 28 points and it’s easy to see where the scoring will come from this season.

Then add in sophomore defensemen Ty Farmer and Marc Del Gaizo, who played the overtime hero against Denver in the Frozen Four, and it’s clear the Minutemen have a large core in place.

Farmer’s numbers don’t jump off of the page, but he was more than formidable for the role he played and the ice time he earned under Carvel given the blue-liners around him. He’s in for an expanded role in 2019-20 and will build on his 18 points.

Del Gaizo’s 29 points (10 G, 19 A) tied him for fourth among all freshmen last season, while his plus-31 rating led the group. His two-way presence played a significant role in the Minutemen’s huge season, and, like Farmer, his role will only grow this season.

Also joining the aforementioned returning players are netminders Filip Lindberg and Matt Murray, a lights-out tandem for the Minutemen in 2018-29, more on them soon.

6 DEPARTURES

Even with a handful of players ready to jump into the new season, several faces will be missed in the locker room. Jacob Pritchard, Brett Boeing, Kurt Keats, and Ivan Chukarov make up the graduating class of 2019.

Pritchard exploded for 47 points (16 G, 31 A) in 41 games after transferring from St. Lawrence, where he posted 63 points (27 G, 36 A) in 96 games over three seasons. Boeing also played in all 41 games and was a steady defensive presence, quietly posting 10 goals and 19 points. Keats and Chukarov got into 34 and 25 games, respectively, posting a combined two goals and 10 points.

Early departures include Mario Ferraro and Cale Makar, a pair of defenseman who leave more ice time up for grabs for the aforementioned Farmer and Del Gaizo. Ferraro’s steady defensive play gave the Minutemen the depth needed for their ride to the championship. 

Anyone who says UMass won’t miss Cale Makar will be speaking from their own world of crazy. Similarly, Makar was otherworldly for the Minutemen this past season. The sophomore captain posted 16 goals and 33 assists for 49 points in 41 games alongside a plus-32 rating and an oozing confidence that would earn him the Hobey Baker Award.

But a strong defensive system built on chemistry, trust, and forward thinking has been put in place by Carvel, who has shown he’s only growing as a coach.

4 SEASONS OF GREG CARVEL

Carvel has grown the Minutemen season-by-season, taking them from five wins to 17 to 31. While he’s not likely to build on that most recent number, simply sustaining it, or nearly doing so, is enough to show that the program has a bright future.

And displaying a bright future is key in luring top talent entering the NCAA from teams such as the USNDT.

Carvel will certainly have his work cut out for him to fill the void left by Makar and his other five departed players. But sticking to his systems, defensive stop gate, and goaltending duo will be step one of team sustenance in his fourth season.

1 TREMENDOUS TANDEM

Filip Lindberg’s freshman season has placed him in the mix of early contenders in the race for the Mike Richter Trophy. However, when a coach finds a recipe for success, they typically don’t diverge from it very often.

For Carvel, that recipe was the tandem of Lindberg and Matt Murray, and Murray carried the bulk of the starts and the stronger win percentage.

Perhaps one begins to break away from the other in the numbers department, but last season indicates the on-again, off-again approach is Carvel’s recipe for another NCAA berth.

Have a question or a comment for Jacob Messing? You can find him on Twitter @Jacob_Messing.