Massed Opportunity

Carvel’s Team Stumbles Against 13-Win BC in Hockey East Semifinal

by Christopher Boulay/CHN Writer (@chrismboulay)

BOSTON  All year, Massachusetts led the way as the most talented and best team in Hockey East. The Minutemen were the culmination of “NewMass,” a school slogan to ring in a different and better era under coach Greg Carvel.

The team that stormed to a Hockey East regular-season championship and solidified itself in the elite tier of teams in the country, locking up the league title back in February, looked pedestrian Friday night, losing 3-0 to an inferior rival in Boston College.

This missed opportunity is a gut check for the Minutemen, who were in a position to rewrite their history this year. Boston College is the best matchup they could have hoped for in the semifinal, and looking at the schedule, seemed like a foregone conclusion that Massachusetts would be playing Saturday night.

They botched it.

Massachusetts was out-attempted by Boston College 60-56, keeping in mind the score effects that led to a flurry of attempts late in the third period when the game was probably already lost. This is a team that has an even-strength shots-for percentage of 58 percent and an even-strength Corsi for of 57 percent this season. They’re much better than how they stumbled through the biggest game of the year.

“Full credit to Boston College. They looked like a team playing with a purpose tonight, with desperation and the appropriate enthusiasm for a game of this magnitude, and my team just wasn’t,” a sullen Carvel said. “It was very discouraging and a big opportunity for our program, and honestly one of the poorer games we played this year.”

Boston College made UMass nervous early, with David Cotton scoring for the Eagles with just 12.7 seconds left in the first period. The Eagles didn’t score again until a little more than halfway through the third, when Chris Grando received a J.D. Dudek pass to effectively ice the game. Julius Mattila put the game beyond all doubt with a long-range empty netter with 38 seconds remaining.

“Our mindset was so far off tonight,” Carvel said. “Again, we’re a young team. We’re 19 freshmen and sophomores. We have never played in this building. (It’s) a big stage. I thought we were ready, but it took us too long to ease into the game, and Boston (College) played well. It’s a tough combination for us.”

Carvel chose to play backup goaltender Filip Lindberg over mainstay Matt Murray for the semifinal, due to Lindberg posting an 18-save shutout against New Hampshire during Game 2 of the Hockey East quarterfinals. The freshman allowed two goals on 29 shots, but can’t be blamed for either of the tallies.

“They’re very close, and there’s not much difference between the two,” Carvel said. “And I think it was the right call. I thought he played extremely well tonight.”

Star sophomore defenseman Cale Makar, the team’s big impact player, showed why he’s a difference maker tonight, but wasn’t able to take the game over like he is known to do. He logged nearly 25 minutes tonight, approximately 10 of those minutes during the third period. When on the ice, UMass’ Corsi-for percentage was nearly 68 percent. When he was off the ice, it was 34 percent. There’s no question that Makar is what makes UMass tick, but someone else — or multiple players — need to step up when he isn’t having a moment of invincibility.

“The kids are upset about (the result),” Carvel said. “Some kids stepped up in the locker room and said that it was unacceptable that some guys weren’t ready to play. We’ll learn from it. Maybe in the long run this year, it will be a good thing.”

The Minutemen did have a bit of bad luck, but considering how the rest of it went, it’s up for debate if would have swung momentum. Just before the Grando goal, a UMass shot off an attacking zone faceoff went through BC goalie Joseph Woll’s legs and sat in the crease untouched. The official near the goal immediately blew the whistle, despite the puck being visible in the crease. It was a bad break.

The Mullins Center, UMass’ home rink, is an Olympic-sized sheet. Since the beginning of December, UMass is just 5-6 away from home at standard rinks. That’s a concerning trend for a team that will only be playing in smaller rinks the rest of the year.

“We’re a very good home team. We play on a bigger sheet,” Carvel said. “We can’t play our usual style on smaller sheets. Early during the second semester, we thought we worked through that, and realized how we needed to play on a smaller sheet.”

“I think it’s bigger than that,” Carvel said. “I think it’s just an unusual situation for our team and some guys weren’t ready for it.”

While this isn’t the scenario UMass fans hoped, especially against the opponent, there’s still more hockey to be played. On Sunday night, the Minutemen will be named a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, the location and opponent for their first game to be determined. But for Carvel, his players and the fans, a better effort will need to come forth next week, whether it be in Allentown, Manchester or Providence.

“I don’t think I have to anything (to get the team to refocus) now. We all feel pretty bad that we let a great opportunity slide by,” Carvel said. “Can’t imagine that we’ll let that happen twice in a row. I would hope we learn a lot from tonight.”

UMass won’t have another opponent like Boston College in the NCAA Tournament. If it plays like that again, this great year and Cale Makar’s spectacular career in Amherst will have been wasted.