High Character - A UMass Hockey Podcast

Cameron and Evin got the chance to sit down with Steve Trachtenberg, the outgoing Director of Hockey Operations to talk about his time at UMass! In this episode they discuss Steve's rise through the program's ranks, what his role entailed, his favorite UMass memories, and much more. This is the first episode of the 2024-25 season, and it kicks off High Character's fourth season of UMass Hockey coverage!

UMass played their hearts out against 1 seed (and eventual National Champion) Denver, but their season ended on a heartbreaking 2-1 loss in double overtime in Springfield. Cameron and Evin are here to breakdown this game and much more, including recapping the rest of the national tournament, awarding their season long awards and discussing how they compare to their preseason superlatives, and discussing all the movement with this year's roster. Sorry for the day on this episode, life got in the way, but we hope you enjoy and we can't wait to talk to you all next season!

UMass got torched by BC in their Hockey East semifinal game at TD Garden, but more importantly, they have clinched their fifth NCAA tournament appearance in program history! Cameron and Evin are here to briefly recap the semifinal game, discuss the road that got UMass into the tournament, and preview what the Springfield region has in store for us!

With the season completely on the line, UMass took care of business in the Hockey East quarterfinals against Providence to get to the semifinals at TD Garden! Cameron and Evin are joined by UMass broadcaster and friend of the pod Nathan Strauss to break down this massive win, and discuss the team's postseason hopes going forward!

UMass went up to Maine for a two game series to end the regular season, and only needed two points to clinch a home game in the Hockey East quarterfinals, but they got swept and dropped to #15 in the pairwise (out of the tournament picture). Cameron and Evin are here to break down this series and discuss the dire situation the team finds themselves in entering the playoffs.

UMass swept Lowell in the home and home on the back of two Ryan Ufko overtime game winners, but only got four out of six Hockey East points doing it. Cameron and Evin are here to recap both games, and discuss the position they put UMass in heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

UMass had a massive home and home series with #16 UNH and they came home with four points when they really should've gotten all six. Cameron and Evin are here to break down all of the action across the two games, sound off on Hockey East officiating, and try to make sense of the position UMass finds themselves in with two weeks left in the regular season.

Cameron and Evin got the chance to sit down with Javier Reyes, the Chancellor for the University of Massachusetts! In this episode they discuss Chancellor Reyes' background, both in academia and in sports, and touch on various UMass Athletics related topics such as conference realignment, women's hockey, his visions for the department, and more!

UMass played good hockey against #1 BC, but some of the most questionable officiating we've ever seen halted any chance of picking up points this weekend. Cameron and Evin are here to break down all of the action in this big Hockey East matchup, and explain the negative impacts that it had on the team's postseason picture.

Coming to you LIVE from the Hangar Pub and Grill in Amherst before the "Chill the Bill" game against UConn, we're answering questions sent in by you guys! Cameron and Evin are discussing all kinds of topics, like the origins of High Character, their experiences going to so many games, score predictions with guests, and many more!

UMass finished off an absolutely perfect weekend by sweeping rival UConn and getting all six Hockey East points! Cameron and Evin are here to break down all of the goodness from the weekend, and look forward to an absolutely MASSIVE home and home series with #1 BC.

UMass got a big time crowd for a big time game against #6 Maine, but they weren't able to capitalize on their chances and lost 1-0. Cameron and Evin are here to break down everything that went wrong for UMass in this one, and discuss why they're not too worried about it long term.

UMass went up to North Andover to face off with Merrimack for the second time in three weeks and got some payback, winning 3-2. Cameron and Evin are here to break down this awesome character win, and turn the page to a BIG top-11 matchup with #6 Maine the following day at Mullins.

With a break in the UMass Hockey action, we're going to be throwing it back to Lake Placid to review Herb Brooks Arena, the site of the Miracle on Ice in the 1980 Winter Olympics. Cameron and Evin rate the arena and compare it to the other college hockey venues they've visited, plus they make a BIG time podcast announcement that you won't want to miss.

UMass Hockey desperately needed a win on the road at Northeastern and they got it in thrilling fashion with a go-ahead goal near the end of the third! Cameron and Evin are here to break this one down, and dive into why this was one of UMass' best performances of the season to this point.And make sure to check out some of the coolest UMass (and other schools) apparel over at Homefield Apparel! https://www.homefieldapparel.com

UMass had a home and home series with Merrimack and got the job done in game one, but folded in game two. Cameron and Evin are here to break down all of the action from the weekend, and try to figure out exactly where their heads are at with this team right now.

UMass looked like they were going to pick up a much needed comeback win on Friday night against UConn, but it ended in a shootout loss to extend their second half skid. Cameron and Evin are here to break this game down and discuss how they're currently feeling about the team after this little rough patch.

UMass kicked off the second half of the season with a trip up to Lake Placid, NY, and left with a somewhat disappointing tie and overtime loss. Cameron and Evin are here to break down all of the action from the Adirondack Winter Invitational, and give their thoughts on whether or not UMass fans should be concerned after these two games.

Alaska Anchorage came into Amherst for the first time ever and UMass swept them out of the building with 14 goals, 11 of them coming in the first game! Cameron and Evin are here to recap all of the action from this series, as well as wrap up the first half of the season and look forward to the second half!

UMass went up to Burlington on Friday for a matchup with the Catamounts and come home with a 2-1 overtime loss, thanks in large part to some VERY questionable calls. Cameron and Evin are here to break everything down from this game, and look forward to the end of the first half of the season next week against Alaska Anchorage!

It's been a long time coming, but the boys have finally made it out to a new college hockey arena! Hear everything they have to say about the Bright-Landry Hockey Center, home of the Harvard Crimson, including a new category to this year's arena reviews: looks/aesthetic!

UMass Hockey went into Cambridge on Black Friday for a matinee with Harvard and came out with a wild 6-5 victory! In High Character's 100th episode, Cameron and Evin recap everything that went down in this game, from the wild back and forth scoring to the suspect refereeing and everything in between. This game, and episode, were all-timers, so you won't want to miss it!

UMass Hockey has just swept the number 5 team in the country and took 5 out of 6 Hockey East points while doing it! Cameron and Evin break down everything that happened in this wild series, from two third period comebacks, strange penalties, a freak injury, and everything in between. This one is a must listen folks!

UMass hosted Vermont for two games at the Mullins Center, and was only able to come away with a split. Cameron and Evin recap everything that led the Minutemen to the win and the loss, and discuss how they feel about the team as they head into a massive home and home series against Providence.

Cameron and Evin are here to recap #18 UMass' overtime win against Northeastern, LIVE from the Homecoming tailgate! They discuss UMass' slow start to this one, some very interesting quotes from Coach Carvel, the upcoming series against Vermont, and some breaking news towards the end of the episode. You're not going to want to miss this one!

Cameron and Evin recap everything that happened in UMass and BU's ranked home and home matchup to open Hockey East play! UMass picked up only 1 point with a loss and a tie/shootout loss, but they looked incredible on Saturday and hope to carry that momentum into next week.

UMass traveled to Mankato and SWEPT Minnesota State, getting revenge for their sweep at Mullins Center during the National Championship banner raising weekend! Cameron and Evin are here to break all of it down, including the dominant defense, Michael Hrabal's heroics, and all the freshman contributions! The good vibe episodes are ALL the way back, so kick back and enjoy some awesome UMass Hockey conversations!

Cameron and Evin recap the WILD home series vs. #6 Michigan! This series finished as a split, and UMass' game two win will go down as one of the all time best games/comebacks in program history! Relive all the action from a fun weekend at Mullins, and stick around to hear a preview of the upcoming series with Minnesota State!

Cameron and Evin recap UMass' 5-3 Opening Night win over local rival AIC! Find out what they liked about the team in their first game together, some things they thought could be improved upon, and overall how the team looks as they head towards a BIG matchup with Michigan!

Cameron and Evin sit down with UMass Hockey Head Coach Greg Carvel for the second time! In this episode, they discuss what went wrong last season, and preview what we should be expecting this season. Coach was very candid in his answers, and he gave some great insight into the program and the locker room. You don't want to miss this conversation with one of the country's best hockey coaches!

Cameron and Evin go through the 2023-24 UMass Hockey schedule matchup by matchup and preview how they think UMass will fare this season! They give a prediction for each series and their final record prediction at the end, and there will be some agreements, some disagreements, and even a few hot takes about how this year will go.

The 2023-24 UMass Hockey season is right around the corner and High Character is BACK. Cameron and Evin catch up on how their off-seasons went, and get you up to speed on all the new faces we will see in the program this year! We hope you enjoy it and we can't wait to spend another season talking about UMass Hockey!

A difficult season for UMass Hockey has come to a disappointing end at the hands of BC in the opening round of the Hockey East playoffs. Cameron and Evin are here to recap the game, wrap up the season, look towards what might be different next season, and discuss some broad UMass concerns that they wanted to get off their chests.

The Hockey East playoffs are finally here, and UMass is heading out to Conte Forum in Newton to take on rival BC in the opening round! Cameron and Evin get you ready for this playoff matchup, and detail what UMass needs to do differently against this BC team to advance to the quarterfinals.

The last High Character arena review of the season is here, and this was a fun one. Cameron and Evin share their thoughts on Alfond Arena, home of the Maine Black Bears, and they explain why this building is maybe the most unique in all of college hockey.

UMass traveled up to Orono and swept Maine out of the building in the final series of the regular season! Cameron and Evin break down this awesome showing from UMass, and what they hope can carry over into a potential Hockey East playoff run.

UMass has just one series left in the regular season as they travel up to Orono to take on the Maine Black Bears. This series has some big playoff seeding implications, and Cameron and Evin are here to get you ready for all the action on the ice!

This is one of the most polarizing arena reviews yet, as Cameron and Evin share their thoughts on Matthews Arena, the oldest arena in all of Hockey East. Do you love the history of this place, or is it a dump in your opinion?

UMass split their home and home series with #15 Northeastern, winning during their Senior Night celebration on Friday, and losing in Boston on Saturday. There were a lot of things to be happy about with this series, and Cameron and Evin break all of it down, while also giving some reasons to be optimistic as we head towards the Hockey East playoffs!

UMass plays their second to last series of the year, and their last home game of the year, against #16 Northeastern this weekend. Cameron and Evin get you ready for all of the action, including some shocking stats about the UMass vs. Northeastern matchups over the last few seasons. Plus Friday is Senior Night at Mullins, so make sure you get out to the game to show your support for our seniors!

Not much went right this weekend as BC swept UMass in the home and home and took all six points, points that UMass really needed to get a home Hockey East playoff game. Cameron and Evin recap the series and try to explain what's so different about this season compared to years past.

UMass has a BIG home and home series coming up against rival BC with some huge Hockey East standings implications! Cameron and Evin are here to get you ready for all the action this weekend, plus they do a little dive into the team stats and how they're looking as we approach the end of the season.

UMass was well on their way to two regulation wins this weekend against Vermont, but two disastrous third periods led to two ties and four points on the weekend overall. In this episode, Cameron and Evin discuss everything that happened in the series, and what led to UMass somehow giving up TWO 3-0 third period leads.

UMass is looking to get a Hockey East win streak going as Vermont comes to Amherst for a two game series! Cameron and Evin get you ready for all the action this weekend, and share why they think UMass has a real shot at taking six points.

UMass went down to Providence and got a gutsy win to snap their six game losing streak! The boys definitely bent but didn't break, and there are certainly some aspects of their game that need some work, but it sure feels good to get into the win column again. Cameron and Evin recap this game in what is the happiest episode in a while!

UMass plays their third and final game against Providence this season, and they're looking to right the ship from their previous two performances. Cameron and Evin get you ready for all the action in this one, and also go over some revelations they've had about this UMass team and their performance this season.

We have a brand new type of episode for you guys in this one. Cameron and Evin sat down with the Trademark and Licensing Director for the entire UMass system, Evelin Simmons, to talk about a bunch of different topics such as branding, NIL, replica jerseys, the color maroon, and more! This was a really fun one to record, and we think you guys are going to appreciate some of the things Evelin had to say!

UMass headed up to Lowell and lost a really tough, hard fought game 1-0 versus their rival. This was the first time Lowell has beaten UMass in their last 11 tries (1-8-2) and the boys nearly kept that streak in tact. Cameron and Evin break down everything that happened in this game, and discuss where UMass now sits in the Hockey East picture.

UMass is heading up to Lowell to play Little Brother for the third and final time this season. The boys have the points advantage over Lowell 4-2 so far this year, and they're looking to win the head-to-head matchup Friday night at Tsongas. Cameron and Evin are here to get you ready for all the action, and to let you know what to expect in this rivalry matchup!

Cameron and Evin were lucky enough to visit Toscano Family Ice Forum for the second EVER men's hockey game in the building. Find out what the boys thought about the Huskies' new digs, and here what UConn did well, and where they might have fallen short with the design.

UMass just got swept and dropped 5 of 6 points to #13 UConn, but the weekend wasn't a total loss. Cameron and Evin recap this home and home series where UMass showed their most promising signs since the Denver series. If you want to hear more about Toscano Family Ice Forum, check out our arena review and vlog of the experience coming soon!