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.
And while the end goal is winning the ultimate prize, the NCAA Championship trophy, it’s the different mindsets that help drive a staff to the mission.
“There’s no such thing as a perfect coach, but there are perfect coaching staffs. Every coach has strengths and weaknesses. It’s about getting a good blend where you complement each other and bring something a little different to make it the best staff as possible,” said Leaman, who has led the Friars to six consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.
The two coaching staffs of the Frozen Four bound Hockey East teams have more similarities than the casual observer might imagine. UMass associate head coach Ben Barr was an assistant under Leaman at Union and Providence, while Providence associate head coach Kris Mayotte was an assistant under Carvel at St. Lawrence.
UMass assistant coach Jared DeMichiel was the starting goaltender on the 2010 RIT team that became the first ever from Atlantic Hockey to advance to the Frozen Four. Providence associate head coach Ron Rolston is believed to be the first former NHL head coach to be an assistant at the collegiate level.
Despite all the similarities and coincidences, the two staffs have plenty of unique traits that have helped set them apart in their own way.
Leaman already knows what it takes to build a winning formula. He guided the Friars to the school’s first ever NCAA Hockey Championship in 2015. Mayotte was quick to answer why Providence has maintained a certain level of excellence under Leaman.
“His attention to detail and his ability to get right back to holding the program to the standards and expectations we set,” Mayotte began. “He never allows himself to feel like we’ve accomplished something until the final job is done. He always is ready to get right back to it. When it goes poorly, there’s no fake confidence given. We don’t pretend things are good. We get right back to the standards and expectations that we set.”
"He does it harder and longer than most players are used to. He stays on it. I’m not saying he’s Bill Belichick, but it’s similar in that regard. You have a job as a coach and it’s to make sure the players, staff, and support staff are executing what’s required of them,” Mayotte continued.
Any good manager, or head coach in the instance of a college hockey program, will take into consideration the advice of his employees in order to make the finished product better.
“Behind closed doors, we’re always trying to be better. One of Nate’s strengths is he listens to anything you have to say. If you have something you think could make us better, he’s listening. He has no ego in terms of that,” said Mayotte, who played for Leaman at Union.
While individual input is important, the ability to be one voice to the players is integral in getting the entire team to continue to strive towards the ultimate goal.
“As an assistant, you know you always have a voice. We have arguments behind closed doors. There are parts of the games where we see things different ways. But, as soon as we leave the office, it’s a united front,” Mayotte explained. "At the end of the day, it’s about getting the players to buy in. He’s incredible in that regard. He has a great ability to take information, process it, and have his base core values.”
Over the years, many outsiders have criticized Leaman for playing what they deem a defensive or boring style. However, at the end of the day, all Leaman has done at Providence is win hockey games and bring unprecedented success to the school’s flagship program.
“He has a lot of conviction in what we do here. He doesn’t let the outside dictate him or what we’re trying to accomplish. I don’t think there’s anyone better in allowing the staff to have input in what goes on. He gives us responsibility and listens to our opinions, but at the end of the day, it’s his job to make the final decision,” Mayotte said.
Mayotte, who should be one of the top candidates considered to replace Mark Morris at St. Lawrence, has earned the praise of his boss who has known him since his playing days.
“I’ve been impressed with two things. First of all, he’s really bright. Goalies see the game different ways sometimes,” Leaman began.
“He’s a worker. There’s no questioning his work ethic. He’s patient. The thing that makes Kris special is he’s not in a hurry to go anywhere or do anything. He knows he has to be ready when he’s going to become a head coach. He’s made good development,” Leaman continued.
While Mayotte has a bright future as a head coach in the game, his fellow associate head coach, Ron Rolston, has already had the limelight on the biggest stage. The Michigan Tech alum was a head coach of the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres and was an assistant on national championship teams at Lake Superior in 1992 and 1994. Despite the impressive resume, Rolston still has an immense passion for being part of a winning brand.
“He’s not going to be an assistant in college for the rest of his life. He’s too good. There’s no ego. He wants to be part of a successful team. Every college stop he’s been at, they’ve won, whether it’s Clarkson, Boston College, Harvard or Lake State,” said Leaman.
“He works. He’s detailed. He comes to work and gives it everything and more to whoever he coaches with,” said Leaman.
One of the more underrated parts of coaching, at least in the view of some casual fans, is relationships. With Rolston, there’s no doubting the support he gives to his players and the feeling of admiration is mutual.
“The players love him. He cares just as much about Vimal Sukumaran as any NHL player he ever coached. That’s just who he is. He has a passion and work ethic that is very high. That makes him pretty special,” Leaman complimented.
Every member of Providence’s full-time staff knows what it takes to win a national championship whether it be Leaman and Mayotte with Providence in 2015 or Rolston at Lake Superior in 1992 and 1994.
“The biggest thing you learn is it’s a bigger stage in the amount of people around. Each program is going to have a following of different people that it didn’t have in the regular season,” said Mayotte.
“It’s about making sure the guys are all on the same page in terms of what our goals are. We have a week before we put the jersey on again, and our job is to make sure we keep working to get better so when we put it on, we’re putting forth the best version of ourselves,” Mayotte continued.
While Providence’s staff is familiar with the championship way, UMass’ staff is hoping to continue the magical season in Amherst that has already provided many program firsts. The trio of Carvel, Barr and DeMichiel have been together for the last three seasons as they’ve looked to turn around a sleeping giant.
“It’s usually three years to get to where you want to be. You just learn new things everywhere you go. Union and Providence were similar because I was with Nate at those places. You try to take a little bit from everywhere you go,” said Barr, who played college hockey at RPI.
Another important message Barr drives home is that there is no magic formula to being a good coach. There’s different ways of going about accomplishing the end goal.
“Carv and Nate are totally different. They’re both outstanding coaches, but they’re different people. (Carv) lets us do our thing. We work on the penalty kill and we do a lot of the pre-scouting,” Barr commented.
“As long as we’re prepared when practice comes around and recruiting is good, it’s good. Nate is a little more hands on,” he added.
DeMichiel, who followed Carvel from St. Lawrence to UMass, has learned a lot about the coaching profession from his mentor.
“He’s good about building relationships with players, scouts, fans, media, and other coaches. He does a really good job of being personable. He’s very respectful and understands the outside,” said DeMichiel.
“I’ve learned how to prepare and pre-scout from him. He’s very good at implementing his pre-scouts into practice, but he keeps it flowing and up-tempo. He coaches a pro style with puck possession. It’s not just dump and chase and grip it and rip it,” added DeMichiel.
Carvel, Barr, and DeMichiel all emphasized the importance of the staff’s chemistry and willingness to work with each other toward the mission.
“We have that trust with each other and the honesty we have, we all appreciate and respect. The guys know what I’m looking for in players and what style of play I want to play. I trust them completely. Ben has a little more experience, but Jared is right on that same track. They both have unbelievable work ethics. They’re both extremely passionate and driven but they’re also guys you want to be around. We have a lot of fun,” said Carvel.
“It starts with Carv and the culture he creates. He wants Ben and I to be honest with him on pre-scout, recruiting and line changes. We try to leave the office and be on the same page. It means a lot that he lets us give our two cents. Ben and I share an office and we spend a lot of time together. Our relationship has really grown,” DeMichiel concurred.
“I’ve never worked with another assistant who was younger than me so it’s different with Jared. We really get along. We’re similar. It helps us get along in recruiting and building a team. Carv is a very smart hockey mind and he just lets us do our thing,” Barr added.
While Providence has enjoyed a higher level of success than it ever had before, winning wasn’t that out of the ordinary. It was at UMass where the program had only enjoyed one previous NCAA Tournament appearance — in 2007.
It can be challenging to find players who buy into the program and want to come to a school that is looking to rebuild.
“When you’re a program that hasn’t done things before, we just brought in as many kids in as we could. You know which kids are interested and which kids aren’t. You hardly ever get a kid to show up who doesn’t want to show up,” said Barr.
“We have a phenomenal facility and it’s a great school. We have everything except a winning tradition. There’s enough good players whether it’s in Alberta, Michigan, Finland or Toronto. There’s no reason we shouldn’t have a good team here. It’s just a matter of getting the right mix of guys and guys with good character,” Barr continued.
“I think our staff focuses on the character of the kids as well as the skill. A kid like (sophomore forward) Jake Gaudet who was an overage kid in the CCHL,” Carvel started. "Jared finds him and maintained that relationship so when the kid got better, Jared had built that foundation and it was an easy decision for Jake.”
When the buzzer sounded at the conclusion of the team’s 4-0 win over Notre Dame in the Northeast Regional final, the three coaches shared in an embrace that has made the rounds through social media and other websites.
“I just felt the emotion of the embrace. It was really rewarding. We know how hard we had to work. When we got to UMass, we had to change the view of the program. We had to fight for support on the inside. We made it our goal to be a respectable Division I program and we wanted to be the program at UMass that all others wanted to look up to,” said Carvel.
Another aspect of coaching that is lost on many fans is the challenges the families of the coaches have to endure. It’s part of the reason this Frozen Four trip is so rewarding for Carvel.
“It was emotional. People don’t know our individual stories and the sacrifices you, your wife, and kids make. The road isn’t always smooth, but when you get to that point, you realize the sacrifices are worth it,” Carvel explained.
Of the three coaches on the UMass staff, DeMichiel has the most experience when it comes to going to the Frozen Four. He was a senior goaltender on RIT’s team that made it to the 2010 Frozen Four at Ford Field in Detroit.
“The biggest thing is off the ice and the mental side of it. We want the guys to have fun, soak it up, and realize they’re super lucky to be one of the final four teams playing college hockey,” said DeMichiel.
He acknowledged the extra media attention was something he and his teammates noticed, but harped on the importance of keeping concentration on the mission.
“When I was there with RIT, The New York Times called. It’s very easy to lose focus, but at the end of the day, we’re only focused on playing Denver. We are going to have to bring our best game if we’re going to beat them,” he said.
Ironically, DeMichiel said one of the moments he will always remember from RIT’s trip to the Frozen Four was following the loss against Wisconsin in the semifinal.
“It wasn’t the best time, but stepping off the ice when everything was done, I kind of soaked it in. I tried to keep focused on it, but when the game was done, looking around and seeing your teammates and all the fans, it’s an awesome experience,” he said.
“We have a group that we still talk to weekly. It’s a super tight-knit group. I think we have something similar at UMass. I think our guys are going to be friends for life and go to each other’s weddings. I think that’s the culture we’re building,” he continued.
While there was always talk of UMass potentially being a successful program, many outsiders laughed at the notion. However, Carvel says he was confident when he left his alma mater to take over the monumental task in Amherst, that the Minutemen could have success.
“I came to UMass because I believed it had the resources and facilities to build and attract kids. You want to become a team in Hockey East that can be top half of the league and be a NCAA team on a regular basis. You can’t get there unless your administration is behind you,” he said.
“We’ve gotten a lot. It’s not a school where the resources are overflowing, but I appreciate the restraints we have. (Athletic Director Ryan Bamford) appreciates our vision. We want to make this a first-class program in every way. It’s a really good working relationship.”
Providence faces Minnesota Duluth in the first national semifinal next Thursday at 5 p.m. before UMass battles Denver in the nightcap at 8:30 p.m. The two winners will play Saturday. All three games are at the Key Bank Center, the home of the Buffalo Sabres.
