Greg Carvel has come a long way since he left the Hotchkiss School and moved on to play D-1 at St. Lawrence in the fall of 1989.
After calling an end to his playing career and moving behind the bench in ’94, the Canton, N.Y., native who’s now the head coach of the University of Massachusetts has enjoyed all kinds of success in the coaching realm, most recently turning the previously basement-dwelling UMass team into title contenders.
Add to that two Frozen Fours, a national runner-up finish and a pair of Hockey East titles — one regular-season title and one postseason crown, which UMass won back in late March — the 2019 Spencer Penrose Coach of the Year’s résumé speaks for itself.
Now, five years since his hiring and four years since his inaugural five-win season, you can add a national championship to that list, as the Minutemen knocked off St. Cloud State, 5-0, on Saturday to complete their tournament run and win the first NCAA title in program history.