The No. 19 UMass hockey team has seen nearly every facet of its game come together during its current seven-game win streak.
First, it was junior goalie Michael Hrabal’s January excellence that included nearly 200 minutes of game action without allowing a goal. Then, some unlikely sources of offense from senior defenseman Lucas Olvestad and sophomore Cam Dunn, to name a couple, helped shoulder the load for the Minutemen. Finally, UMass’ 6-4 victory at UMass Lowell on Feb. 1 saw its best skaters step up in junior Jack Musa (four points) and sophomore Larry Keenan (23:56 TOI, plus-2) following an injury to talented freshman Vaclav Nestrasil early in the matinee against the Riverhawks.
What has Minutemen head coach Greg Carvel the most encouraged though is his team’s ability to execute the “details” of the game.
“Our players hear a lot about details,” Carvel said. “The devil is in the details, winning is in the details, everything is about the details.
“I tell them, ‘these are things that, everybody sitting in the stands, they don’t see this, but this is the difference in the game, right here,'” Carvel said. “That, to me, is what we’re supposed to do. We’re supposed to enlighten the players and show them how you win, give them a path to success and it’s always in the details.”
Dunn, who scored the game-winning goal for UMass at UML on a seeing-eye shot from the top of the right faceoff circle late in the third periods, expanded on certain details he’s seen the team improve on.
“Staying above your check in the defensive zone, having good detail with your stick, having stick-on-puck and sticking to our systems,” Dunn said. “We have a specific system, our forecheck, our control. Once everyone is on the same page and in the right spots, everyone knows where each other is and it all works better that way.”
The Holland, Mich. native has exemplified the importance of perfecting individual details as well as Dunn has earned an extended look on the Minutemen’s bottom-six forward group because of that dedication to improvement.
Dunn first cracked the lineup on Nov. 20 against Providence, after only appearing in seven games as a freshman in 2024-25. Twelve games of runway this year has yielded three points (two goals) from the former Odessa Jackalope (NAHL).
The right-shot forward’s ice time has steadily risen since the contest against the Friars too, topping out at 17:23 versus the Riverhawks on Sunday.
“One of our mottos this year is one link,” Dunn said. “We’re all a part of the chain so once every single guy is clicking on those small details, the whole system works well.”
On the backend, Keenan scored a brilliant, individual-effort goal in UMass’ 3-2 overtime win against Northeastern last Friday.
Two days later, the sturdy blueliner was a maestro at moving the puck out of the Minutemen’s defensive zone, igniting their transition game at UML. Keenan even took it upon himself multiple times to carry the puck out of the zone, weaving around puck-hungry Riverhawks in the process.
“I’m able to see the play in front of me [and that] has also been something that I feel that has come easier to me this year,” Keenan said.
While hockey is ultimately a goal-scoring contest, teams need defensemen that can transport the puck up the ice and Keenan has emerged as UMass’ top option in that department.
“He’s gained a lot of confidence,” Carvel said. “He skates so well, he’s got great hands, he’s got great sense and now he’s got the confidence to be a one-man breakout.
“All throughout the game, and you’re seeing it more and more, that [when] the puck is on his stick, really good things happen for our team on a really consistent basis,” Carvel said.
UMass returns to Lowell this Friday to open its weekend home-and-home against the Riverhawks in search of its eighth consecutive win.
Puck drop at the Tsongas Center is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.