From The Bottom Of The Hockey East To National Champions In Just 5 Years; The UMass Minutemen Have Won The National Championship
The UMass Minutemen are National Champions! The team took town St. Cloud State 5-0 in the National Championship game tonight, getting goals from Aaron Bohlinger, Reed Lebster, Matthew Kessel, Bobby Trivigno and this absoulte beauty from Philip Lagunov.
The big win comes just two years after getting shut out in the National Championship against Minnesta Duluth and just five years after the team hired St. Lawrence's former Head Coach to be their new bench boss and lead out of the bottom of the Hockey East. And now five years later Greg Carvel and the UMass Minutemen are National Champions.
What a road to the Natty too. The fact they lost their goalie for the National Semifinal and had to ride the back of senior back up goalie Matt Murray while having THEIR EQUIPMENT MANAGER as their backup goalie just makes the story so much sweeter. I think I speak for everyone when I say it would have been awesome to see that kid get a minute or two at the end of tonight's game, unfortunately he didn't dress.
When you think of college hockey in the northeast, BC and BU are the schools that come to mind. For so long, UMass was a party school (definitely still is) but never a hockey school. Greg Carvel has changed all of that. Getting guys like Cale Makar, getting guys like the De Gaizo brothers and Bobby Trivigno and building a culture that is based on winning.
I imagine UMass is BUZZZZING tonight. Hobart hoedown, blarney blowout, the tailgates, those should be a tea party compared to a National Championship celebration. I can't wait to see the videos from SouthWest start to flow in. What a night. UMass deserves this.
