Steve Morrow knew his way around the defensive zone when he played for the University of New Hampshire from 1988 to 1991. He didn’t have as much of an impact at the other end of the ice.
So when his son, Scott, was coming along as a young defenseman, Morrow gave him some sage advice based on his own experience.
“My dad, the thing about his game that kind of wasn’t there for him was the offensive side. He was really solid defensively. He’s always, my whole life, encouraged me to skate with the puck, be offensive, make plays with the puck, have some poise,’’ said Scott Morrow, an emerging star as a UMass freshman.
“That’s the biggest thing he learned from his playing career. You’ve got to be two-way in today’s game as a defenseman, you can’t just play defense or just play offense.’’
Scott listened to his dad, who was a Philadelphia Flyers 10th round draft pick in 1987, and UMass is reaping the benefits. A few years from now, there’s a good chance the Carolina Hurricanes will, too. They picked Scott in the second round (No. 40) of the 2021 NHL Draft.
Just over a month into his college career, Morrow is taking Hockey East by storm.
He scored a power-play goal and added an assist in UMass’ 5-1 victory at Providence College on Saturday night. One night earlier, he scored the only goal in a 1-0 UMass victory over the Friars in Amherst.
The previous weekend Morrow’s power-play goal in overtime lifted the Minutemen to a 5-4 win against Merrimack.
“Eight games into his college career, he already has three goals and five assists. It’s a pretty impressive start for anybody. He's starting to realize where he can really do his thing,’’ said coach Greg Carvel.
“He needed four games to get a feel for the pace and how he can use his abilities. He’s very confident in his abilities. We had that with Zac Jones (the All-American defenseman who starred at UMass before signing with the New York Rangers). He knew when to make plays and had confidence in himself. Scotty really sees the game well and he trusts his abilities and he can execute. To have all three of those makes him a very dangerous offensive player.’’
Morrow, a Shattuck St. Mary’s alum, was ticketed for North Dakota until the Fighting Hawks asked him to play a season in the USHL rather than jump straight from prep school to Division I.
“When I was originally being recruited it came down to UMass and North Dakota,’’ said Morrow. “I had a long relationship with the coaches here that factored in when I decommitted. I knew that with North Dakota not working out, this was the place I wanted to be. Those two schools were head and shoulders above everyone else.
“Having a head coach who has coached D in the NHL was a really big factor for me. (North Dakota coach) Brad Berry did that and Coach Carvel has really helped me so far in my transition to Hockey East.’’
UMass knew coming in that Morrow’s skating needed to be better but was confident that it would improve.
“During the recruiting period, Ben and Jared (associate head coaches Ben Barr and Jared DeMichiel) would tell me how talented this kid was, but his skating was an issue. As kids get older and stronger their skating starts to come along, but what he does with the puck is as good as anybody I’ve had here,’’ said Carvel.
Morrow says he’s working on his improving his defensive play and his skating, “my first three strides, especially.’’
A strong candidate to make the U.S. team at the World Junior Championship next month, Morrow credits his teammates with helping him get off to a strong start.
“Our team has done a great job of integrating me and the rest of the new guys in. Our culture here is really special and all the guys have really taken care of me. I’ve got them to thank for my transition,’’ he said.
UMass makes a statement
It’s six wins in a row for No. 8 UMass after last weekend’s very impressive sweep of Providence College.
The Minutemen haven’t lost since dropping a pair to No. 1 Minnesota State five weeks ago, a result that in hindsight was just what the doctor ordered.
“The first two games of the year, getting beat by Minnesota State, I think finally shut the door on last year and humbled everybody within the program,’’ said coach Greg Carvel.
Carvel’s crew has gotten back to basics and tightened their defense. It wasn’t just the wins last weekend that were noteworthy -- 1-0 at home and 5-1 on the road -- it was the way that UMass achieved them.
Limiting the No. 12 team in the country to one goal over 120 minutes is a tall order, but the Minutemen did it.
“It showed that we could play good defensive hockey, which we hadn’t really done well enough through the first six games. I think we’ve done well against Providence because we regard them as an elite program and so they get our best,’’ he said.
“Saturday night’s the first game we haven’t given up an odd-man rush. That, to me, is way more appealing than being able to score late in a game because of the fact that we’re getting the structure back defensively.
“Providence has a lot of ability. We held them to one goal over two games. It’s not like the goalie prevented them of scoring multiple goals. (Matt) Murray was really solid, but I thought he was able to make predictable saves as opposed to chaotic saves. Those two games give us good footing to move forward,’’ Carvel said.
Next up for UMass is Boston University. Riddled with injuries up front, the Terriers have lost five of their last six.
Free-agent watch
Bobby Trivigno, UMass
Last season’s Hockey East Player of the Year hasn’t yet hit his stride offensively this year. “I think Bobby Trivigno can give us more,’’ said Greg Carvel. But he is averaging over a point per game with 3-6-9 in eight games. For my money, the New York Rangers remain the favorite to land the undersized (5-foot-8, 172 pounds) but ultracompetitive Long Islander on an NHL deal once the season is over.
Wyatt Bongiovanni, Quinnipiac
After scoring 34 goals in 81 games over three seasons, the puck is not going for Bongiovanni so far this season. With 3-2-5 in 10 games, Bongiovanni is scoring on only 7.3 percent of his shots. Even so, his production in previous years and the way he competes figure to get him some interest on an AHL/ECHL contract.
Luke Krys, Brown
Krys (6-foot-2, 185 pounds) is a meat-and-potatoes player who routinely plays 30 minutes a night for the Bears. The former Salisbury School defenseman doesn’t possess a classic stride, but he gets the job done. A junior, he’s not about to leave school early, but next year he should generate some traction on an AHL/ECHL deal.
