High Character - A UMass Hockey Podcast · Cameron Guzzo

2026 Hockey East Semifinals Recap (The Season is Over)

April 8, 2026·1 hr 2 min·5 clips

Evin reveals he didn't cry after UMass's season-ending loss, signaling a surprising maturity shift.

1. High Character (episode 180) recaps the 2025-26 UMass hockey season following a 2-0 loss to Merrimack in the Hockey East semifinals at TD Garden. 2. Hosts Cameron and Evan are the regular co-hosts; no guests appear in this episode. 3. The episode's core question is whether this UMass team — which had a remarkable second-half run despite limited offensive talent — deserved an NCAA tournament spot under the new NPI system. 4. Merrimack goalie Max Lundgren made what the hosts call 'absolutely monumental saves,' and Cameron compares him to Tim Thomas during the Bruins' 2011 Cup run. 5. UMass had multiple open-net chances in the first two periods, and the hosts identify finishing goals as the team's recurring problem all season, reflected in a gap between expected-goal metrics and actual output. 6. Goalie Michael Hrabel signed with Utah, and Cameron says he had 'probably' signed early academically as well; both hosts describe him as 'the best goalie in the country' and say retaining him for a fourth year was never realistic. 7. The new NPI tournament-selection metric placed UMass 17th, whereas the old pairwise system would have placed them 13th — a four-position drop that, per a BU Hockey Stats analysis, was uniquely large compared to every other qualifying team. 8. Cameron argues that while NPI frustration is legitimate, winning any one of the nine first-half losses would still have put UMass in the tournament, so the system alone is not the full explanation. 9. Merrimack beat the 1, 2, and 3 seeds to win the Hockey East championship — described as the lowest seed ever to win it — which the hosts frame as further evidence that a hot goalie can change everything in a small-sample playoff. 10. Evan assesses the team's talent frankly: some players were operating at second and third line minutes who he believes most Hockey East teams would play in the fourth line role. 11. Cameron argues that UMass is structurally the 'inverse of BC' — BC starts hot and fades, UMass starts slow and peaks — and that without a top-end 'alpha' scorer the team will keep running into the same ceiling. 12. Jack Musa's decision to return for a senior season is described as the most significant roster news in Hockey East at that point; both hosts say they were 95-100% convinced he would leave. 13. Forward Nestor Still is also confirmed returning; Cameron says if Still puts up 40-plus points and UMass makes tournament noise next year, he will 'solidify himself as a UMass legend.' 14. Cameron highlights incoming recruit Maxime Massey, who put up over 100 points in the Q (QMJHL), calling him 'the new Nestor Still' and predicting immediate impact. 15. The European recruiting pipeline is credited as a 'saving grace,' with Carvey publicly admitting it is harder to recruit North American kids; the hosts credit that pivot as a 'masterclass' that is now attracting higher-end talent. 16. Assistant coach Tommy Upton took the head coaching position at Brown in what both hosts confirm was his last game on UMass's staff; Cameron says Upton was 'the reason why a lot of guys wanted to play for UMass.' 17. Carvey is said to have two additional staff positions to fill; Evan speculates on candidates James Marku (Harvard), Jacob Pritchard (Bowling Green), and Brett Boeing (ECHL). 18. The episode's tone is a mix of genuine disappointment, analytical bluntness, and forward-looking optimism; both hosts shift from post-mortem to recruiting excitement within the same conversation. 19. Hardcore UMass hockey fans and college hockey analytics followers will find the NPI breakdown and candid talent assessment particularly useful. 20. Casual sports fans or those not following Hockey East will find the roster-detail depth and insider source references hard to follow without context.

As heard by us

A season-ending recap that is blunt, sad, and a little more hopeful than it first seems.

The episode closes UMass hockey's season with a blunt, emotional look at the Hockey East semifinal loss to Merrimack and the missed NCAA bid. Cameron and Evan treat the ending with the weight it deserves, then turn to the offseason questions that actually matter.

Read the full review in PlayNext →

Why you'd press play

You want a season-wrap that faces the Merrimack semifinal loss head-on.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

Listen to the show on

Apple Podcasts Spotify

Play clips from this episode More from High Character - A UMass Hockey Podcast