Good morning!
Recent UMass coaching hires Don Brown and Frank Martin have something in common. Both were high priced goods whose shelf life had expired in the Power 5 and SEC, respectively.
According to USA Today, Brown was the eighth-highest paid assistant grid coach in the country at Michigan two years ago ($1.7 million), and Martin was the country’s 28th-highest paid hoops coach at South Carolina ($3.3 million).
That’s a lotta cabbage.
If Brown and Martin think they’ve gone from cooking at Ruth’s Chris to Denny’s, hockey coach Greg Carvel must feel like the head waiter. Carvel’s making $600,000 according to the state payroll database. He’s won a national title, was runner-up in 2019 and has made three consecutive NCAA tourneys. His three predecessors combined made one NCAA tourney in 23 seasons.
In four months he’s seen two men be hailed as conquering heroes without even winning a game, yet they’ll earn a combined $2.5 million per year.
Yet Carvel’s taking the high road. “If I wanted more money I should’ve coached basketball,” he said in an email.
We forgot to add that Carvel’s team won this year’s Hockey East championship and is beginning to look like a successor to Boston College as the conference’s dominant power.
The Hockey News ranks UMass as the top developmental program in college hockey ahead of Minnesota-Duluth, North Dakota and Michigan.
Going into the 2022-23 season, Carvel’s biggest task will be to find a competent replacement for Matt Murray between the pipes.
Last season’s backup Luke Pavicich of Greater Buffalo started one game and parts of three others and garnered a solid .933 save percentage and 1.62 goals against average.
Colin Purcell of Shaker Heights, Ohio, committed to UMass in 2019 but hasn’t played a game since November and is struggling with health issues. “He will not be coming to campus next year,” said Carvel.
That leaves Arizona State transfer Cole Brady, a 6-foot-5, 175-pound native of Pickering, Ont., which is former Rangers goalie Glenn Healy’s hometown. A 21-year-old fifth round pick of the New Jersey Devils, Brady played 26 games for the Sun Devils and stopped 731 of 808 shots for a below-average .905 save percentage.
Two freshmen who Carvel expects will be taken in the NHL draft on July 7 are forwards Cole O’Hara of Toronto and Kenny Connors of Glen Mills, a Philadelphia suburb. “I expect them both to have impacts next year,” said Carvel. “Both had solid years in the USHL.”
O’Hara had 89 points in 101 games in two seasons for the Tri-City Storm and Connors had 52 points in 55 games this season for the Dubuque Fighting Saints.
Defenseman Elliott McDermott is transferring from Colgate and joins blueliners Scott Morrow and Ryan Ufko who were first team and honorable mention Hockey East All-Stars in 2020-21.
“McDermott’s my kind of player,” said Carvel, who added, “Both transfers have multiple years of eligibility left and (left wing) Garrett Wait is coming back to use his fifth year of eligibility.”
Congrats to coaches Gary Mullins and Jay Liimatainen for keeping the TFHS boys basketball program alive. It wasn’t easy considering their lone win came against the Hampden Charter School of Science. “I thought this year’s team had a chance to break our 1966-67 record,” said the Powertown’s Mike Cadran. “We were 0-18 that year.”
The team, said Cadran, was captained by Bob Bray and included John Hastings, Joe Martin, Tom Potosek, Dave Duncan, Jeff Heath, Dave Murley, Art Burke and Cadran. “We made history such as it was. Mercy.”
“Once a team folds it’s never coming back,” said Pioneer coach Scott Thayer, who patched together a Panthers squad composed of six freshmen and six seniors. The Panthers got to the Round of 16 in the state tournament this year before they lost to Baystate, 81-63.
The Toronto Blue Jays’ powerful young batting lineup is augmented by a starting rotation that was 56-36 last season. Kevin Gausman (14-6) is in the first year of a $100 million contract, Hyun Jin Ryu was 14-10, Jose Berrios was 12-9, Alek Manoah was 9-2 and Yusei Kikuchi was 7-9.
The Yankees, despite reports to the contrary, have a strong starting staff composed of Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Luis Severino, Nestor Cortes and Jameson Taillon who were a combined 51-32.
Tampa Bay doesn’t have starters, it has openers, hurlers who seldom last beyond five innings. This year’s front five are Shane McClanahan, Corey Kluber, Drew Rasmussen, Luis Patino, and Ryan Yarbrough who were a combined 33-19 in 2021.
Baltimore’s John Means, Jordan Lyles and a trio of milk carton guys named Tyler Wells, Bruce Zimmerman and Dean Kremer were a combined 22-37.
And Boston? With Chris Sale and James Paxton both on the 60-day IL, starters Nathan Eovaldi, Nick Pivetta, Tanner Houck, Michael Wacha and Rich “Over The” Hill were a combined 31-35.
SQUIBBERS: Mike Florio ruffled feathers in Foxborough this week when he said on Pro Football Talk: “Nepotism is given to the children of white coaches. Those are opportunities that could go to a more diverse coaching staff.” … Greenfield’s Jack Mason just missed a foul ball at a Mets game in Port St. Lucie this week. Next time he’ll sacrifice the beer for the ball. … Bet you didn’t know UMass booster John Kennedy was an assistant golf coach at UMass-Lowell. “Each of the four years I was there we made the Division 2 NCAA regional tournament,” said Kennedy. … According to the 2020 Census, Monroe residents have the longest work commutes in the state, but the 47-minute drive is what makes living in Monroe worthwhile. …. Despite committing the second-most errors in the majors last year with 107, the Red Sox managed to win 92 games. This year the sportsbook’s over/under is 84. … Now that former UMass winger Frank Vatrano is playing for the Rangers, his Springfield relatives must be worried he’ll sell his $1.5 million home near the beach in Fort Lauderdale. … After Notre Dame beat the UMass women’s team by 11 points in the NCAA tourney they blew out Oklahoma and lost by three points to N.C. State. … Still plenty of tickets left for Saturday’s Frozen Four championship at TD Garden, not surprising since prices start at $91 for seats in the nosebleeds. … Nice writeup about Bobby Trivigno by Mollie Walker in the March 25 edition of the NY Post. A journalism major at UMass, Walker started as an intern at the Post in 2018. Trivigno, by the way, notched a pair of assists in his first game as a pro for the Hartford Wolf Pack. … The last remaining original from WFAN has retired. Ed Coleman was a Mets reporter and “a pro’s pro,” said colleague Richard Neer. Coleman got his start doing afternoon drive on WBZ in Boston. … Rays reliever JP Feyereisen, who bartended during the baseball lockout, revealed his golden rule to Sirius-XM’s CJ Nitkowski: “One thing I never do is point up on popups, I’ve seen pitchers do it and the ball goes out of the park.”
Chip Ainsworth is an award-winning columnist who has penned his observations about sports for four decades in the Pioneer Valley. He can be reached at chipjet715@icloud.com
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