SPRINGFIELD — Greg Carvel had his house to himself last Saturday, the day of the University of Denver's NCHC title game against Omaha. If Denver wins, the Massachusetts State University ice hockey head coach and his team will return to the NCAA Tournament. A loss would end the Minutemen's season.
He was too anxious and nervous to watch.
“I was just waiting for the message that it was going to come one way or the other,” Carvel said. “[Director of Hockey Operations] Steve Trachtenberg texted me, “Let's go.'' I said, “Denver won?” And he said no.So I said, “What are you texting me for?'' So I was sitting and watching the Toronto-Edmonton game…Denver is a hell of a team, so… I thought they would find a way [to win]”
And Denver beat Omaha 4-1, giving UMass a boost. The Minutemen lost 8-1 to Boston University in the Hockey East semifinals the previous day, forcing them to rely on other teams to qualify for the tournament.
“It's hard to miss out when you have your destiny in your hands,” University of Massachusetts senior captain Aaron Bollinger said. “I got the second chance I wanted, but it was definitely a pretty stressful day. It ended on a good note, but it was tough getting there.”
On Thursday at 2 p.m., the Minutemen will face the same Pioneers team that helped them advance to the tournament in Springfield. Denver, the nation's No. 1 scoring team and the No. 1 seed in the Springfield area, enters MassMutual Center on a five-game winning streak with a 27-9-3 record.
The University of Massachusetts defeated Denver 4-3 in overtime in the 2019 Frozen Four semifinals and beat the Pioneers twice early in last year's regular season. Carvel did some research on those games. If his team can reach its full potential, he wants the Minutemen a chance to advance.
“I went back and looked at some of the games we played in the past, and I don’t think much has changed,” Carvel said. “They're playing a very similar game and we're playing a very similar game. I think that's a positive. Both teams are doing what they're supposed to do. We've had great success. I don't think changing the game will help us. We have to be the best at what we do, and if we're the best, We’re going to put ourselves in a really good position to win.”
UMass is the No. 4 seed out of the four teams competing at MassMutual Center, but it also has the geographic advantage of staying in Western Massachusetts as it is a regional host school.
That should mean a healthy portion of the stands littered with Minutemen maroons.
“[The fans] Our home games have been great for us this year, so to be here just 30 minutes away is definitely special and definitely something we're excited about.” Massachusetts State junior defenseman Mann's Ryan Ufko said.
Denver, a nine-time national champion, isn't too worried about the crowd advantage the University of Massachusetts might have. In fact, players say the deafening crowd only makes the Pioneers even more energized. Either way, the Pioneers are more focused on playing their own style of hockey than external factors.
“I don't really care where I have to go or who I have to play,” Denver senior forward Connor Caponi said. “Anytime, anywhere, anyone”
Both programs have won national titles since the last time these teams met in an NCAA Tournament game (UMass in 2021 and Denver in 2022). Pioneers head coach David Karl expects Thursday's game to have a similar atmosphere to the 2019 game, with two successful teams battling to advance to the biggest stage. .
“We’ve both won national championships since then, so I think we’ve come a pretty good way,” Karl said. “I wouldn't be surprised to see them again in the tournament. They're well-coached, well-recruited, have great players and great people in the locker room, and they give us a chance to compete as well. So we're looking forward to [Thursday] afternoon. “
A year ago, the University of Massachusetts missed out on the NCAA Tournament with a disappointing record of 13 wins, 17 losses, and 5 draws. The Minutemen made a remarkable comeback this season, returning to the tournament for the fourth time in five tries.
Bollinger used last year's failure as an example to the younger players on the roster. He said there's no guarantee you'll get there and everyone needs to take advantage of the opportunities in front of them, knowing there may not be another one in their career.
UMass' rebuilding phase didn't last long, as Carvel brought in some players who changed the program. He wanted to return to the culture he had instilled, so he brought in veterans like Samli Ninisaly, young and talented skaters like Aidar Sniev, and great goaltenders like Michael Hrabal. .
“To have a strong culture, you have to have a strong identity,” Carvel said. “That identity is what got us to the NCAA Tournament, and we felt like we broke away from that identity.” [last year]. Culture is ultimately about its people and its composition. We got out of there and with the help of the portal we were able to make changes very quickly and identified what we needed to do to change. You can see I'm back here pretty quickly. I like the composition of this team. I like that when we play within our identity, we become a really good, really good team. ”
The Minutemen's most recent game was an 8-1 loss to the aforementioned Boston College. Carvell watched the film with the team and learned from it, skating it from the team during practice this week.
Carvel, like the rest of the team, knew they were the better team for nearly half the game. UMass knows he can reach his full potential when it comes to hockey if he can play 60 minutes.
“I practiced for two days and also did some video sessions to work it out,” Carvel said. “But a lot of it is messaging, and the message is, ‘I believe.’ I tell them, 25 minutes into the game, the score is 1-1, and we’re 5-for-13 on shots. I said we outplayed them… It was there. It's there for us. Every game is for us.”
It's pretty easy to predict how Thursday will go, at least in Carvel's eyes. Whether or not the University of Massachusetts wins is another matter, but at this point in the year, there's a lot at stake and there's no excuse for the Minutemen not to play their best hockey of the season.
It's a very different feeling when you play in the tournament as one of the 16 remaining teams. Bring your A-game or go home.
“This is a lot of fun,” Carvel said. “Winter is gone and spring is here. You can smell it in the air. If you're still playing, you should be so excited and grateful. I don't see how you can't show your best game.” It's not a busy mid-January. If we lose, that's it. I'm very happy to be here again. We've had success in the tournament, so I hope that continues.”
