Massachusetts coach Greg Carvel, who guided the Minutemen to the 2021 national championship, the school’s first in hockey, will be the commencement speaker at the university’s undergraduate ceremonies on Friday, May 14 at McGuirk Alumni Stadium.
Carvel is in his fifth season as UMass’ coach and is also a UMass graduate, earning a master’s degree in sport management in 1998.
Due to pandemic restrictions, commencement will take the form of four smaller and short ceremonies. Carvel will speak in person at all four ceremonies over the course of the day.
Each ceremony will run approximately 40 minutes and will also feature UMass Amherst chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy, who will confer degrees, and a student speaker. The ceremonies will also be livestreamed on the commencement website.
“It has been such a pleasure to watch Greg Carvel lead his team of young men from the bottom of Hockey East to the top of college hockey,” said Subbaswamy in a news release. “He is the best college hockey coach in the country. He coaches character as hard as he coaches skill. And he brings a work ethic, a savviness and an intellect that you would expect from a UMass Amherst alum.”
UMass defeated St. Cloud State 5-0 on April 10. Carvel was the 2019 Spencer Penrose winner and 2021 Spencer Penrose runner-up, awarded annually to the top NCAA Division I men’s hockey coach by the American Hockey Coaches Association. He also garnered recognition from USCHO.com as the national coach of the year in 2021.
