BOSTON – Remember when some pundits and rival fans said UMass was a one-hit wonder that would slide back into abyss once Hobey Baker Award winner Cale Makar turned pro after two seasons in Amherst?
Since then the Minutemen have won the 2021 NCAA Championship and are now back-to-back Hockey East champions after Saturday’s 2-1 overtime victory over Connecticut. Greg Carvel and his staff have proven they’re far more than a one-player program.
Hockey East Tournament MVP Bobby Trivigno had the game-tying goal in regulation then had the primary assist on Aaron Bohlinger’s overtime tally. The Setauket, N.Y., native had a goal in all three playoff games for the Minutemen. Trivigno, the Hockey East Player of the Year and a Hobey Baker Award Finalist, is a fun player to watch. He’s around the puck each shift and plays the game right on the edge. Trivigno enters the NCAA Tournament with 20 goals and 28 assists in 35 games played.
There were a multitude of reasons UMass won the Hockey East Tournament after being swept by Boston College in the final weekend of the regular season. Chief among them was the goaltending of graduate student Matt Murray, who posted a .956 save percentage while allowing just four goals in three games. UMass might not have even made the TD Garden had it not been for Murray’s 45-save performance against Providence in the quarterfinals.
Since Carvel has gotten to UMass, his coaching staff has done a terrific job of roster building. There has always been a star, whether it be Makar, Zac Jones or Trivigno. However, up and down the lineup, there are experienced players who know how to compete and be heavy on pucks. The staples of UMass’ success have been a strong defense, being good down the middle, and solid goaltending.
Speaking of the defense, both UMass goals on Saturday night involved the team’s blueliners. Obviously Bohlinger’s overtime tally will be remembered for a while. The Trivigno goal in regulation sticks out to me for two things UMass defensemen do well. All night I noticed UMass’ defensemen had great gaps. They played up and challenged UConn’s rush, as Bohlinger did before the change of possession on Trivigno goal. After Bohlinger forced the turnover, Colin Felix swooped in and quickly pushed a pass off the boards and up ice for an awaiting Trivigno.
Freshman Scott Morrow, a second-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes, occasionally plays the role of a riverboat gambler, forcing some plays that aren’t always there. The rest of the defense does a good job of consistently making smart puck decisions and transitioning to offense quickly.
The other area that gave UMass a lot of positive plays over the weekend was on the forecheck. Credit goes to Anthony Del Gaizo for being heavy on pucks and forcing a turnover below the UConn goal line. He poked the puck loose and Trivigno backhanded the puck out to the high slot for Bohlinger’s shot that deflected off a UConn player and into the net.
All but one of the UMass players who saw the ice Saturday night skated in the USHL before coming to Amherst. Only three players were under 21. All three of those younger players are NHL draft picks. Two of them were full-time USHL players and the other played a handful of games in that league. Other teams across Hockey East could benefit from taking a page out of the UMass recruiting book and stop recruiting players who want to rush into college hockey.
Huskies' breakthrough postseason ends in OT loss
UConn was on the losing end of a great championship tilt, but it was still a postseason run to remember. It was the first trip to the TD Garden in school history. The Huskies advanced to Saturday’s final by defeating Northeastern 4-1 in the semifinals. Before this year UConn had never won a Hockey East playoff game. Mike Cavanaugh’s program overcame that hurdle by downing Boston University in the quarterfinals and then getting another win Friday.
Cavanaugh’s team was older and heavier than it had been in the past. UConn benefited from that in the postseason, especially when it came to its veteran goaltender. Graduate student Darion Hanson stopped 93 of 97 shots he faced in the three tournament games for a .959 save percentage.
Two other graduate students who played well this weekend were right wing Kevin O’Neill and defenseman Jarrod Gourley, who came from Yale and Arizona State, respectively. Seniors Marc Gatcomb, Jachym Kondelik and Jonny Evans all played key roles up front.
UConn fans were outnumbered at the TD Garden, but the Huskies partisans seemed to grow from Friday to Saturday. Hopefully a run like this will help the UConn administration realize that hockey could be a big sport on campus and help the staff with more support.
Hockey East hit it out of the park
I haven’t shied away from criticizing Hockey East in the past when I felt the league was deserving of criticism. This weekend, the league did everything right as the postseason tournament returned to TD Garden after a two-year hiatus.
The crowd of 12,049 for Saturday’s final highlighted a great weekend of attendance at the league’s showcase event. Friday’s semifinals saw 13,106 come through the turnstiles at the home of the Boston Bruins.
All three games were entertaining and well officiated. There were just two penalties called by Geno Binda and Jeremy Tufts in Saturday’s final. Six penalty minutes total in the second semifinal and a high of 10 penalties in the first semifinal were more evidence that the referees let the boys play and allowed the teams on the ice to determine the outcome.
The positive review of the officials in the postseason continued a year-long trend in the league. With a few exceptions, Hockey East referees and linesmen improved greatly this season. The old guard was pushed out and some fresh, newer faces emerged. Kudos to Hockey East Supervisor of Officials Brian Murphy, hired in 2020, for improving this area of the league.
Three league teams make NCAA Tournament
The 2022 NCAA Tournament Selection Show isn’t until 6:30 p.m. Sunday evening. However, due to the selection committee’s strict adherence to the Pairwise Rankings, we know that three Hockey East teams will make the field of 16.
Joining UMass in the NCAA Tournament are UMass Lowell and Northeastern, the two losers of Friday night’s semifinal contests. The Minutemen will be a third seed while the River Hawks and Huskies will be four seeds.
It has to be considered a down year for Hockey East when no league team lands a first or second seed in the NCAA Tournament. Can one of the three league teams exceed expectations at the national tournament?
