SPORTS
SPORTS
8 winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine
winter 2014 | St. Lawrence University Magazine 9
St. Lawrence’s two head hockey coaches, the women’s team’s Chris
Wells ’92 and the men’s Greg Carvel ’93, have a lot in common.
They both grew up in Canton, where they played youth hockey
together, attended games in Appleton Arena as kids and were
high school teammates. They went to the same prep school, were
teammates on championship teams at St. Lawrence, and today
are the only NCAA Division I hockey coaches in the country who
work in the same building where they played while growing up.
St. Lawrence Sports Information Director Wally Johnson talked to
them last fall about the parallels in their lives and careers. That
conversation is excerpted here; a video of the entire interview can
be found at
Johnson:
What was it like growing up and playing hockey
together and then coming to St. Lawrence?
Carvel:
I don’t think either of us when we were kids expect-
ed to be where we are now. It’s still surreal for me to walk into
the building and think back to when we played minor hockey
together. It’s great for Chris and me to be working so closely
together because we understand and know each other so well.
Johnson:
Given the obvious differences in coaching women
versus men, how much have you worked together on such
things as sharing coaching techniques?
Wells:
I’m always trying to get as many of his NHL ideas
from him as I can!
Carvel:
I’ll sneak up and watch Wellsy’s practices and steal
some things from him, and watch his team’s penalty kill and
power play and other aspects.
Johnson:
How has St. Lawrence hockey changed since you
guys were here as players, and how has it stayed the same?
Wells:
Many things have changed, but the core values of the
University and the hockey programs have remained the same.
And Appleton has stayed the same, although we have new
locker rooms and a weight room. This rink is one thing that
attracts the kids we want.
The implementation of scholarships in the late 1990s
opened doors to a lot more players for us, certainly from the
U.S. side.
Carvel:
One thing that’s stayed the same is the importance
of the program to both the community and the University.
You know, we’re so well supported by the Canton community.
That never changes. And we represent the University, and
our alumni turnout for games all through New England is
tremendous. That’s also never changed.
As for coaching, when we played it was just, you know, show
up to the rink, get on the ice and play hockey. Now, with
society becoming more technological, we’re responsible for
off-ice training, nutrition, just a ton of stuff, and luckily we
have a tremendous staff to help us with that.
Full Circle
Carvel and Wells Coach Together
Where They Played Together
Men’s Hockey Society Forms
Last fall, the University unveiled the Saints Hockey Society, designed to support and promote men’s
ice hockey. Gifts will be receipted as charitable donations to St. Lawrence University, but every dollar
will go to the men’s team to assist with recruiting, equipment purchases, facility improvements and
upgrades, alumni events and capital projects such as HD video equipment.
Several giving levels are available. For more information, contact Greg Carvel,
or Andy Whittier,
. And to stay on top of the men’s hockey team year-round,
follow the team on Twitter at @SkatingSaints.
Johnson:
When it comes to recruiting, some kids want the
glitz of a BU or BC. How do you sell St. Lawrence?
Carvel:
We sell a niche: high-quality education; high-quality
hockey, coaching and development; and a real community
feel. We sell family here. We’re a small school, and a lot of
kids want that. We combine our academic reputation, which
has really taken off, the quality of the coaching, and our tradi-
tion and history.
Wells:
We’re getting a lot more U.S. kids for the women’s
program now (with the growth of the sport in the States), but
we sell the same things.
Johnson:
Has the relationship between player and coach
changed since you graduated?
Carvel:
Chris and I were fortunate that we played for Joe
Marsh, maybe the ultimate player’s coach. He maximized his
teams by emotionally charging them. Today, there’s more of
a professional relationship, not that much different from the
NHL. But what Chris and I do is part of the bigger mission
here at St. Lawrence. I feel like an extended parent to these
kids. I take that role very seriously and am honored to fill it.
St. Lawrence is about family and that’s the culture I try to
build here.
Wells:
Having that open line of communication and feeling
comfortable to come and talk to your coaches all the time is
the environment that we try to create. We want input from
our players because at the end of the day your customer has
the best information. But aside from hockey, they know they
can talk to us about anything, and hopefully by the time they
graduate they’re ready to go on their own.
Hockey Night in Canton
Former All-American and Hockey Hall of Fame inductee
Brian McFarlane ’55, right, hosted a talk about hockey as part
of Saints Hockey Alumni Weekend on campus in October.
McFarlane, who still holds the St. Lawrence men’s record for
career goals with 101, was a long-time host of “Hockey Night
in Canada” on television, a prolific author with several books
on hockey, and the creator of the animated character Peter
Puck, a cartoon character who explained hockey’s rules and
history between periods of games on NBC’s “Hockey Game of
the Week” and “Hockey Night in Canada” broadcasts during
the 1970s. He continues to play hockey in Florida each winter.
He is pictured with men’s head coach Greg Carvel ’93.
–Wally Johnson
Old-School Coaches
Chris Wells and Greg Carvel aren’t the only alumni head-
coaching at their alma mater. Others in 2013-14:
Franco Bari ’98
, women’s soccer
Jodi Axtell Canfield ’91
, women’s lacrosse
Mike Howard ’87
, women’s cross country; director of track
and field
Mike Hurlbut ’89
, men’s hockey (associate head coach)
Mike Mahoney ’93
, lacrosse
John Newman ’94
,
M’01
, men’s cross country, men’s track
and field
Mark Raymond M’95
, football
Ethan Townsend ’98
,
M’01
, Nordic skiing
