Despite roster questions, UMass establishes an identity

AMHERST, Mass. — Every team, no matter how good, enters the season with questions that need to be answered.

Few teams with legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations entered the season with more of them than the UMass Minutemen.

Question 1: How do you overcome the loss of your three highest-scoring forwards, including captain and Hobey Baker finalist Bobby Trivigno?

Question 2: Which of your three goalies, all with little to no NCAA experience, steps in for Matt Murray, who played 36 games last season and 121 in his career?

Question 3: Which defenders will step into bigger roles beneath the top pairing of Hobey hopeful Scott Morrow and Ryan Ufko?

Question 4: How will all the new players, including a handful of transfers from other schools, take to the vaunted UMass system -- and crucially, remain "