For Carvel, ’80 memories are pure gold
A trip on the bucket list for most hockey fans is Lake Placid, N.Y. — site of the 1980 Winter Olympics. Visitors can see the rink, now known as 1980 Herb Brooks Arena, where Team USA stunned the Soviet Union, 4-3, en route to capturing the gold medal.
The UMass men’s hockey team will get that opportunity this weekend when it participates in the Adirondack Winter Invitational, but it will hardly be coach Greg Carvel’s first time in Lake Placid.
While many wish they were there to witness history, Carvel actually was in attendance on Feb. 22, 1980. A native of Canton, N.Y., Carvel was just 9 years old when he and his father made the 90-minute drive to Saranac Lake, then caught a shuttle bus to Lake Placid. They had tickets to the consolation game between Canada and Czechoslovakia, which drew a small crowd earlier in the day.
“Growing up in that area, we knew enough people that they just kind of kept us in the building,” Carvel recounted. “When they opened the gates and let the standing-room-only people in, we were flushed in with them, and we had front-row standing room.
“I wasn’t aware before the game of how big an event it could possibly be, but once the game started, you realized, even as a 9-year-old, this is something unique and special. I still specifically remember the energy in the building, and the vibe was electric. It was like, ‘I never felt anything like this,’ and I don’t know if I have since.”
Carvel has been back since, as a player and more recently as a coach with St. Lawrence. But almost 44 years later, heading to Lake Placid is still special.
“To me, it’s probably the greatest sporting moment of all time,” said Carvel. “You felt a nation coming together in this one little hockey rink in the mountains of northern New York. It was unbelievable.
“It makes me emotional because it was so unique. You don’t remember much as a little kid, but I remember a lot from that day. It was awesome. I could talk about it all day.”
This weekend won’t be just a trip down memory lane, though, as the Minutemen will face a pair of quality opponents — Cornell on Friday, then either Clarkson or Arizona State on Saturday. UMass (11-4-1) will be without forward Dans Locmelis (Latvia) and goalie Michael Hrabal (Czechia), who are competing at the World Junior Championship in Sweden.
Senior Cole Brady (4-1, 2.97 goals against average) figures to get the start in net for the Minutemen, who are ninth in the Pairwise.
Junior achievers
Speaking of the World Juniors, Macklin Celebrini appears to be cementing his status as the presumptive No. 1 pick in the 2024 NHL draft. The Boston University freshman had a goal and four assists and was named player of the game as Canada improved to 2-0 by routing Latvia, 10-0, Wednesday.
Celebrini’s 5 points were two short of the Team Canada record for a game at the World Juniors, a mark held by six players, including 2023 No. 1 pick Connor Bedard at last year’s tournament. UConn sophomore Matthew Wood helped set up Celebrini’s goal, firing a nice pass up ice that Celebrini finished by flipping a backhander into the net.
Team USA will look to improve to 3-0 Friday when it takes on Czechia. Boston College freshmen Will Smith and Ryan Leonard each tallied a goal as the US rolled to an 11-3 win over Switzerland on Thursday. BC goalie Jacob Fowler got his first start of the tournament and recorded the win. Cutter Gauthier has a wellearned reputation as a goalscorer, but it’s been his passing on display in the first two games. In the opening 4-1 win over Norway Tuesday, the BC sophomore assisted on the fourth goal, blasting a pass to Isaac Howard, who managed to redirect the puck into the net, then immediately saluted Gauthier for the nice dish.
Gauthier followed that up with three assists in the win over Switzerland.
Tuning in
Harvard returns from four weeks off when it travels to Princeton on Saturday, then UConn on Sunday. The game in Storrs is at 3 p.m. on ESPN. The network wanted to move the game up to 1 p.m., but with the Crimson playing in New Jersey at 4 p.m. the previous day, UConn coach Mike Cavanaugh wanted to be fair to Harvard coach Ted Donato and his squad. “He was amenable to 3 o’clock, which I’m really appreciative of Teddy,” said Cavanaugh. “I think it’s great for both programs to be on ESPN.”