Saints fans got a bit of a surprise a few weeks ago when Greg Carvel decided to take the job at UMass-Amherst. While his name being thrown around wasn't exactly a surprise, the fact that he took it was more unexpected, given his recently signed extension and his public admittance for his love of the job. However, it seems like Ryan Bamford made Carvel an offer he couldn't refuse. Carvel wanted to emphasize that this was not an easy decision.
I spoke with Carvel on the phone a few days ago, and he told me his thoughts on the move, long after his original interviews. Still, his answers seemed much the same.
"The biggest factor was how aggressively the came after me. I hope its very clear that I wasn't searching to leave. It hadn't been in the works at all."
So, while people were quick to react negatively to the hire, as if he had leveraged his contract extension into a job offer or had been lying when saying SLU was his dream job, before someone told him during the ECAC championship game just a day after SLU was eliminated by Harvard, Carvel never had intentions of leaving St. Lawrence. Even when he initially agreed to meet with UMass AD Ryan Bamford, he didn't think it would turn into a job offer. But it did.
Ultimately, Carvel made the decision to take the job at UMass, but not without much prior deliberation. He said advice from a friend helped make the decision a little easier.
"I was told by somebody, you need to be careful, because you don't when the opportunity will come. I didn't want to leave SLU but I also didn't know when another opportunity like this would come along," he said. He went on to say, "There weren't many places that I would leave SLU for"
Carvel may now be the head coach at UMass, but he's still perfectly aware of what the St. Lawrence program has accomplished under him, and what the group of players in the locker room will continue to do with him gone.
"They're the ones who play the game, they just need someone to give them the right direction," said Carvel. "They know where they're going. You've got a good team here, that doesn't need to change much."
Carvel is correct in his assessment of the team, especially given the returning players on defense and in goal, as well as some strong forwards. More so than any fan, those players are the ones most affected by Carvel's departure, but confidence in the locker room was never an issue. The players requested that their quotes remain anonymous, even more important now with the hiring of Mark Morris. Keep in mind that all these were said in the aftermath of the departure, far before Morris was hired.
"We aren't worried. We are obviously surprised, and it hurts right now, but we're still a good team, regardless of who is behind the bench."
"We still have a strong core of guys in this locker room. There is absolutely no reason why we won't still be at the top of the league next season."
"We've got Kyle Hayton in net and one of the best D-corps in the league. Carvel was a great coach, but we are a great group of players as well."
"Carv was a great coach, but who knows, this may be what pushes us over the edge and to a championship. Sometimes all it takes is a little shake up."
"At the end of the day, the players score the goals and make the saves. Coaches are important, but we'll hire the best person for the job, and we'll get right back to winning."
There were more individual quotes, but these capture the basic mood in the locker room, even seconds after the news came out, and that signifies a bright future for St. Lawrence, especially with the arrival of Mark Morris. You simply don't win 300+ games at the college level and at the professional level without knowing what you are doing, and that's exactly what the players said.
Morris emphasized after his press conference on Tuesday that he had always wanted to return to college hockey. Now he's back, and behind the bench of one of the most talent loaded teams in the ECAC. He wants to continue Carvel's trend of "playing the right way" and continue the winning tradition of St. Lawrence hockey.
If you're looking for a longer Morris introduction, check out the pieces on USCHO. One went up right after, and I have a feature style introduction that should go out tomorrow. This is likely the last post for a while. Thanks for following along, we'll be back midsummer with some previews and there will be more content next year with the addition of Thomas Jones, who will be helping out. For now, here we go Saints.
I spoke with Carvel on the phone a few days ago, and he told me his thoughts on the move, long after his original interviews. Still, his answers seemed much the same.
"The biggest factor was how aggressively the came after me. I hope its very clear that I wasn't searching to leave. It hadn't been in the works at all."
So, while people were quick to react negatively to the hire, as if he had leveraged his contract extension into a job offer or had been lying when saying SLU was his dream job, before someone told him during the ECAC championship game just a day after SLU was eliminated by Harvard, Carvel never had intentions of leaving St. Lawrence. Even when he initially agreed to meet with UMass AD Ryan Bamford, he didn't think it would turn into a job offer. But it did.
Ultimately, Carvel made the decision to take the job at UMass, but not without much prior deliberation. He said advice from a friend helped make the decision a little easier.
"I was told by somebody, you need to be careful, because you don't when the opportunity will come. I didn't want to leave SLU but I also didn't know when another opportunity like this would come along," he said. He went on to say, "There weren't many places that I would leave SLU for"
Carvel may now be the head coach at UMass, but he's still perfectly aware of what the St. Lawrence program has accomplished under him, and what the group of players in the locker room will continue to do with him gone.
"They're the ones who play the game, they just need someone to give them the right direction," said Carvel. "They know where they're going. You've got a good team here, that doesn't need to change much."
"We aren't worried. We are obviously surprised, and it hurts right now, but we're still a good team, regardless of who is behind the bench."
"We still have a strong core of guys in this locker room. There is absolutely no reason why we won't still be at the top of the league next season."
"We've got Kyle Hayton in net and one of the best D-corps in the league. Carvel was a great coach, but we are a great group of players as well."
"Carv was a great coach, but who knows, this may be what pushes us over the edge and to a championship. Sometimes all it takes is a little shake up."
"At the end of the day, the players score the goals and make the saves. Coaches are important, but we'll hire the best person for the job, and we'll get right back to winning."
There were more individual quotes, but these capture the basic mood in the locker room, even seconds after the news came out, and that signifies a bright future for St. Lawrence, especially with the arrival of Mark Morris. You simply don't win 300+ games at the college level and at the professional level without knowing what you are doing, and that's exactly what the players said.
Morris emphasized after his press conference on Tuesday that he had always wanted to return to college hockey. Now he's back, and behind the bench of one of the most talent loaded teams in the ECAC. He wants to continue Carvel's trend of "playing the right way" and continue the winning tradition of St. Lawrence hockey.
If you're looking for a longer Morris introduction, check out the pieces on USCHO. One went up right after, and I have a feature style introduction that should go out tomorrow. This is likely the last post for a while. Thanks for following along, we'll be back midsummer with some previews and there will be more content next year with the addition of Thomas Jones, who will be helping out. For now, here we go Saints.
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