Greg Carvel wants more.
The UMass hockey coach’s team has more already. More wins (9), Hockey East wins (3) and wins over ranked teams (three) than it did in either of the last two seasons.
The Minutemen certainly have more confidence.
At 9-7-0 (3-4-0 Hockey East) with a win over Providence and sweeps of Union and Quinnipiac in Carvel’s second year, the Minutemen have taken a sizable step forward toward where he wants to take the program. They have 10 points in the most recent USCHO.com Top 20 poll, making them the de facto No. 29 team in the country.
Carvel wants more.
“Our record is 9-7, but we’ll be greedy and selfish. I think we should be better,” Carvel said Tuesday. “We’re 9-7 and 22nd in the PairWise (the formula use to fill the NCAA tournament) which is pretty impressive considering we finished 58th last year. But there’s no complacency. There’s no satisfaction at this point.”
The Minutemen closed the first half of the season with a 2-1 win over No. 19 Union Sunday. The victory was a notable bounce back after falling to UConn, 8-2 on Dec. 5. Carvel was almost sorry to see the break arrive.
“At this time last year we still had two more games to play and we needed a break. It’s the exact opposite this year,” Carvel said. “Our practices last week headed into Union were as energized as we’ve had all year. It’s a real positive sign that we’re managing our young group well.
“They never hit the wall as a group. That was a big concern playing so many freshmen,” he added. “We were worried we were asking a lot of them and mentally and physically they wouldn’t be able to handle it. That hasn’t been the case.”
Not only have the young players handled the rigors of college hockey, but they’ve jelled well together on and off the ice, a cohesion rooted in their summer work.
“Thank you to (athletic director) Ryan Bamford. We were able to bring all the freshman to campus this summer. If you want a successful program you have to invest,” Carvel said. “Ryan did that for us. He allowed us to bring all those kids to campus this summer. The bonds they built this summer were crucial. This is a really tight-knit group.”
Among the freshmen, defensemen Cale Makar and Mario Ferraro came in with big reputations enhanced by being a first- and second-round draft choice, respectively. Both have lived up to Carvel’s expectations.
“I can’t say enough about Makar and Ferraro, how much they do for our team. These kids are playing 25-27 minutes every night and they get better and better,” Carvel said. “Mario was superb at Union. They’re superior players and it’s impressive what they’re doing.”
But they aren’t the only standout first-year players.
Oliver Chau leads Hockey East freshmen in total points (15) and points per game (0.94). He’s sixth in the nation in points among rookies. Mitchell Chaffee isn’t far behind with six goals and seven assists.
“Mitchell Chaffee, what he’s done consistently through the semester has been remarkable,” Carvel said. “When I went to see him in the USHL last year, he was playing on the fourth line, eight minutes a game. A year later, he’s on the first power play in Hockey East.”
UMass opens the second half with its last nonconference game, at Yale on Jan. 5. The next night at UMass-Lowell starts a two-month push of all Hockey East games, including contests against some of the best programs in the league and country. There’s no way to simulate playing those games, especially on the road, until they happen.
“I’ve noticed a difference with our team when they don’t know what to expect. They go to these barns when we’ve traveled the day of the game and it’s a lot coming at them real fast. It’s like drinking from a fire hose,” Carvel said. “That’s a little bit of a concern going into the second half when we go to BU and BC and Northeastern and Lowell. Until we play those games it’s tough to have the experience.”
The tests get harder, but Carvel said the Minutemen are capable of getting better.
“We had a big discussion about how we need to handle this break to make sure we come back at the same energy level that we had,” Carvel said. “This group is in a real good state. They’re confident that we win games, but very aware we have a long way to go. We need to be a lot better.”
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage