2024-2025 Season

[LS71]

^ Yesterday the reverse was true!

[bunkerhill87]

Hoping for a good weekend in Vermont. Espn+ rocks. Hoops hockey and umass women's soccer in A10 cham

[bleedmaroon]

Hoping for a good weekend in Vermont. Espn+ rocks. Hoops hockey and umass women's soccer in A10 cham

Couldn't agree with you more on ESPN+. What a value.

[bunkerhill87]

Um this is not what I hoped for a Umass Friday

[bleedmaroon]

It's only a handful of league games in, but they're exactly where they should be having watched a month of them. They're just not that good. Lost a lot on the blueline and it's not there this season. And offensively, unless a Pritchard or Gicewicz are out there hiding, we continue to not get high end offensive players that want to play here (see Leonard). There are a lot more '22-'23's ahead for this team unless the philosophy changes here, which it won't. But having vented, let's wait and see some more.

[TruBluMaroon]

It's only a handful of league games in, but they're exactly where they should be having watched a month of them. They're just not that good. Lost a lot on the blueline and it's not there this season. And offensively, unless a Pritchard or Gicewicz are out there hiding, we continue to not get high end offensive players that want to play here (see Leonard). There are a lot more '22-'23's ahead for this team unless the philosophy changes here, which it won't. But having vented, let's wait and see some more.

UM has seven (7) Forwards who are NHL draftees .
Freshman Duerr is not and he had two (2) goals and one
(1) assist last night. Lautenbach is not and he is a Senior Assistant Captain, Sophomore Musa is not and he was one of the leading scorers from last year (12–17-29) and his brother Joey is not and he is a senior transfer. Some pretty respectable pedigree for the forwards!

[LS71]

…we continue to not get high end offensive players that want to play here (see Leonard). There are a lot more '22-'23's ahead for this team unless the philosophy changes here…

Why do you think the high end offensive players choose to go elsewhere?
What is the philosophy and why don’t think it will change?

[LS71]

Those offense guys were needed tonight.

I didn’t get to watch it, but UMass got shut out 4-0.

[bleedmaroon]

…we continue to not get high end offensive players that want to play here (see Leonard). There are a lot more '22-'23's ahead for this team unless the philosophy changes here…

Why do you think the high end offensive players choose to go elsewhere?
What is the philosophy and why don’t think it will change?

I think based on what Coach Carvel inherited from John Micheletto to the present (Makar to the recently departed Ufko and Morrow) and what Carvel has stated to the media once a year minimum (but less now), he's interested in building a team from the blue line out and has stated as much by saying in his early days "I want to model a team after Lowell and Providence." He's done that successfully for the most part in his tenure, but after 2021, we're starting to see cracks in the foundation. They'll get fixed as recruited D-men mature and then rinse and repeat, and this team will bounce between 3rd or 4th in the good years to 8 or 9th in the rebuild years (see two seasons ago and so far this year). One of the wildcards is goaltending and I'd grade it in the B's now whereas during the "run" it was A- (Murray) and A (Lindberg).

To answer the offensive question, so you're an advisor to an up and coming forward. You have to know this program's current reputation and you want your player to go to a program that has an emphasis on offense or at least a better balance to showcase your players talents. Do you want it to get muted here or accentuated at locations like on Commonwealth Ave? Celebrini and Nesterenko come to mind as recent players but you can even mention Ryan Leonard. Some will argue that was a personality conflict back to his older brother, but I don't think there is any question where he shines better.

Two of the best forwards to come to Amherst were Jacob Pritchard and Carson Gicewicz. Based on Carvel's connections, I put asterisks by them. Bobby Trivigno was certainly prolific. But the list is short.

I've followed the program since the 90's and this has always been the case here. We've been blessed with better than average goaltending and we've had a good run with defensemen pre Carvel and certainly during Carvel. But it's quality defensemen that are beings sent to the NHL from this program, not forwards.

One forward that comes to mind that was a key part of this program was Anthony Del Gaizo. He left the USHL in '16-'17, where he was named USHL player of the year, to come to UMass. I'm aware junior proficiency doesn't translate to NCAA success, but how do you go from 72 points in 60 USHL games to 40 points in 132 games over seasons, with 17 of the 40 points coming in his senior season? Based on what I saw, he would be no leading scorer, but I just wonder out loud if the defensive system ate him up. He was a key 4th line player and that may in fact been a better for him, but I still wonder.

As a footnote, Del Gaizo would play for the South Carolina Sting Rays of the ECHL after his senior season where he would be the teams 4th leading scorer with 48 points in 64 games despite being in the penalty box more than any other forward and third overall on the team in penalty minutes.

[TruBluMaroon]

Those offense guys were needed tonight.

I didn’t get to watch it, but UMass got shut out 4-0.

Two (2) empty net goals , so it played more like 2-0 (both in the 1st period)....but you can’t win with 0 !

[LS71]

^^ Thanks for the info. I’ve definitely been more of a hoops guy over the years. I did go to games at Orr rink back when I was a student. A couple of guys from my fraternity were on the ECAC championship team in 72. I’ve only followed the team peripherally over the years. Your post gave me context.

My 11 year old grandson who will be riding on the Zamboni Thursday, has gotten me into it.

[Billybuck]

Leonard and makar with a few others were micheletto class. Greg walked into a solid class. One could argue makar had more to do with building umass hockey rather than Greg. Slowly sinking back down.

[LS71]

I hope not. Carvel seems like a quality guy.

I’ve spoken to several people including parents of players who say they want their sons to play for him

[jjmc85]

Leonard and makar with a few others were micheletto class. Greg walked into a solid class. One could argue makar had more to do with building umass hockey rather than Greg. Slowly sinking back down.

Who else from that class was Michelleto? Who else from the 2018-2019 roster was? I thought it was only those two. That class won a national title without those two. I’m under the impression- which might be wrong- that 100% of the 2021 team was recruited by Carvel and his staff. Same for the 2022 and 2024 teams.

Slowly sinking back down? This is a program that made exactly 1 division 1 NCAA tournament appearance in its history with 0 Hockey East titles before Carvel. Now it has a regular season title, two consecutive conference tournament titles, two frozen fours, a national championship, four more NCAA tournament appearances and very well could have more if the pandemic hadn’t cancelled the 2020 postseason. All of that was done with players and coaches brought here by Carvel- who though he didn’t initially recruit those two did in fact keep them from flipping somewhere else and also kept Makar one extra year in spite of Colorado wanting him to go pro after his freshman year.

Did we forget that UMass used to hang a banner stating the number of times it had played in the Garden in the Hockey East tournament? And more embarrassingly that the number was not very high? As in less than the number of skaters you’re allowed on the ice.

Hockey East is a good league. Teams fluctuate. UML finished in last place last season. Providence has had some down years. BC and BU have both had to play in the first round of the conference playoffs in recent memory- I’m pretty sure there was a period of time where BC went over an entire season without winning an out of conference game. Valleys happen everywhere in the conference. I’m confident that the program is in the best of hands

[Billybuck]

There was the goalie he signed and 1 other kid. My only point was that class was very good John signed. With a great class and winning always makes it easier to recruit. Actually it was probably gasps that signed that class. Greg is a good coach. That class though helped Greg recruit better kids.