Friday at Merrimack: Live Stats | Watch | Listen | Game Notes
Saturday v. Merrimack: Live Stats | Watch | Listen
LOWELL, Mass.—The No. 10/9 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (13-3-3, 10-2-1 Hockey East) hopes to hold its spot in the conference standing this weekend as they ready for a home-and-home series with neighboring rival Merrimack (10-10-1, 5-7-0 HEA). Puck drop for the pair of games is set for 7 p.m. on Friday and 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell enters tonight's contest with an 13-3-3 / 10-2-1 record after sweeping a pair of games from Maine, 5-3 and 4-3, at the Tsongas Center. The club has won five straight and is 7-2-1 in its last ten. The River Hawks are 6-3-0 on the road and 7-0-3 on the familiar ice of the Tsongas Center. UMass Lowell currently sits in the number nine slot in the USA Hockey Magazine Poll and at number 10 in the DCU/USCHO Poll. It is the team's tenth week in the Top 20 and the number nine spot is their highest ranking of the season. Hockey East Coaches, in their pre-season poll, placed the River Hawks seventh in the conference. UMass Lowell currently holds first place in the Hockey East Conference standings gaining that spot with a sweep of Vermont in the final weekend of action before the winter break. The team currently has a five-point lead over Northeastern.
Andre Lee leads the team in goals with eleven.
Carl Berglund tops the points chart with sixteen. Berglund's twelve-assists lead the club. Goaltenders
Henry Welsch and
Owen Savory split time in goal evenly a year ago, but this year Savory has shouldered the heavier workload. Savory has gotten the call 15 times and has been among the nation's best. He's got a 1.52 GAA and a .940 save percentage. The senior has four shutouts. Welsch has started four times with one shutout and a 2.71 GAA and a .872 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
Merrimack is one of the hotter teams in the country; they are 5-1-1 in their last seven. They enter tonight's game with a record of 10-10-1 / 5-7-0 after sweeping a pair of one-goal games from Providence last weekend. Four of their ten losses have come in overtime. The Warriors are 4-4-1 at the Lawler Rink and 6-6-0 on the road. The Hockey East Coaches pre-season poll pegged Merrimack for a ninth-place finish; they currently sit in a seventh place tie with UConn. Twenty-one different players have scored goals, four have five or more. Max Newton and Filip Forsmark lead the team with nine apiece. Newton is the points leader with 23. Hugo Ollas and Zachary Borgiel have shared the goaltending responsibilities with solid results. Ollas shows 2.47 / .908 numbers. Borgiel comes in at 2.84 / .896.
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
There is no team that UMass Lowell has played more often in its hockey history, but it has been a while since these two teams last played. To be exact, it has been 713 days since the two met at the at the J. Thom Lawler Rink in North Andover in a game that UMass Lowell won, 4-3. COVID-19 protocols and Hockey East scheduling prevented the two teams from playing one another during the 2020-21 season. That one-year, 11-months and 13-days between games is the longest period without meeting since the two first played November 26, 1971.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MERRIMACK
This is the 135th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1971 when both were playing at a Division II level. Merrimack won the first ten games between the two schools, but UMass Lowell leads the all-time series, 82-40-12 and holds a 60-21-10 advantage since Merrimack became a member of Hockey East. UMass Lowell authored a 12-game unbeaten streak during the mid-1990s. The River Hawks have lost just four of the last 20 meetings. The two teams have met twice in the Hockey East post season with each advancing once.
TWO YEARS AGO vs. MERRIMACK
UMass Lowell swept the last season series between the two schools two years ago. The River Hawks beat Merrimack, 3-1, on January 4, 2020, at the Lawler Rink.
Kenny Hausinger,
Andre Lee and
Connor Sodergren scored goals for the winners. Griff Jeszka picked up the lone marker for the home team. Goalie
Tyler Wall kicked aside 24 shots to pick up the win. UMass Lowell got goals from six different players in a 6-4 win on January 18, 2020, at the Tsongas Center. Trailing 6-1 Merrimack rallied for three power play goals late in the third period. Sami Tavernier scored twice in the contest for the visitors. The final meeting of the year, February 8, 2020, at the Lawler Rink, went to UMass Lowell, 4-3.
Matt Brown,
Connor Sodergren,
Blake Wells and
Marek Korencik scored River Hawk goals. Tyler Irvine, Liam Walsh and Chase Gresock scored for Merrimack.
STILL THERE
When these two teams met for three-games two-years ago twenty-one goals were scored by a total of fifteen different players. Of those fifteen players only five remain on either roster. Four are River Hawks, one wears the Merrimack uniform.
Connor Sodergren scored in each of the three meetings,
Andre Lee scored goals in two of the games and
Blake Wells and
Marek Korencik had single goals. Liam Walsh is the only scorer still on the Warrior roster.
PLAYOFFS VERSUS MERRIMACK
UMass Lowell and Merrimack have met just twice in the Hockey East Tournament for a total of four games. In 1994 UMass Lowell, the second seed, defeated Merrimack 7-1 in the first game of their best-of-three series. Ian Hebert had a goal and an assist to reach the 100-point mark. The River Hawks eliminated the Warriors 24 hours later with a 3-0 shutout by Dwayne Roloson and a hat trick by
Norm Bazin. In 2018 the story was very different. Ludvig Larsson scored the game winner at 18:01 of the first overtime in a 2-1 victory. Jace Hennig had tied the game with less than five-minutes remaining in the third period. Hennig proved to have overtime magic the second night as he provided the game winner at 13:59 of the first overtime. The two teams did meet on numerous occasions during their Division II days with ULowell holding a 5-4-0 post-season edge.
BAZIN VERSUS MERRIMACK
UMass Lowell Coach
Norm Bazin had his only career hat trick in the Hockey East playoffs against Merrimack. The big moment came on March 11, 1994, in a playoff series clinching 3-0 win. As a Coach Bazin is 14-6-4 against the Warriors.
AT THE LAWLER RINK
The Lawler Arena, home of Merrimack College hockey and where the two teams play tonight, holds a special place in UMass Lowell hockey history. It was on that ice surface that UMass Lowell won its first Division II National Championship. In 1979 the Chiefs defeated Illinois-Chicago, 10-6, and Mankato State, 6-4, to claim the trophy. Two years later ULowell grabbed its second title beating Mankato State, 8-7 in OT, and Plattsburgh State, 5-4, at the Lawler Rink. The River Hawks are 37-25-6 all-time at the Lawler Rink.
AT LAWLER RINK II
UMass Lowell has played 68 games on the ice at the Lawler Rink. UMass Lowell is 37-25-6 in the Lawler Arena. The River Hawks have only played in one enemy building more often. That is the Alfond Arena at the University of Maine where UMass Lowell has skated 70 times. UMass Lowell did not go to the Alfond Arena in Orono last year and they are not scheduled to do so this year. UMass Lowell and Maine met once in Portland and twice at the Tsongas Center this season.
AT LAWLER RINK III
UMass Lowell has won 37 games at the Lawler Rink, the most of any enemy building. Thirty-three of those wins have come against Merrimack, the others have come in tournament play against various teams. The River Hawks have 30 wins at Northeastern's Matthews Arena and 26 wins on the ice at the Schneider Arena in Providence.
FAMILY TIES
Merrimack forward Logan Drevitch is the son of former UMass Lowell defenseman Scott Drevitch. The elder Drevitch played for the ULowell Chiefs 1984-88 and recorded 11-goals and 72-points. Logan, a senior, has totaled 18-goals and 44-points. Another son, Tyler, finished up his Merrimack hockey career two years ago. Father Scott played professionally through the 2006-07 season scoring 116 goals and 1,002-points.
SCORING vs. MERRIMACK
Seven different players on the River Hawk roster have scored goals against Merrimack, six have done so in a UMass Lowell uniform.
Connor Sodergren tops the goal scoring list with four.
Andre Lee and
Nick Austin, each, have a pair of goals against the Warriors. Austin's two goals came as a freshman member of the Colgate hockey program.
Reid Stefanson leads the team in points with one-goal and five-points in just three-games against Merrimack. At the other end of the ice only
Owen Savory has faced Merrimack, but that was as a member of the Rensselaer hockey team. Savory was on the short end of a 5-1 loss.
ON THE ROAD
UMass Lowell has won six of nine road games this season after winning six of ten a year ago. The River Hawks were 10-5-1, .656, playing away from the Tsongas Center during the 2019-20 season. The team, after dropping two in a row on the road, has now won three-straight road games.
ON THE ROAD, AGAIN
UMass Lowell is 118-69-12, a .623 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the ten-plus years that
Norm Bazin has led the program. That .623 winning percentage is the second best in the nation during that period. Quinnipiac, at 117-61-26, .637, is first. The National Average is .447. UML is 94-58-11, .610, as the road team, 24-11-1, .681, in games played at a neutral site.
HOME SWEET HOME
UMass Lowell is undefeated in the early going at the Tsongas Center. The team is 7-0-3 on the familiar ice after winning just four of its ten home games (4-5-1) during the 2020-21 season. It was the first time the River Hawks have had a losing record at home since 2010-11 when the home team went 4-12-0. The River Hawks are 109-53-24 (a .651 winning percentage) at the Tsongas Center since
Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season. That .651 winning percentage is eleventh best in the country. The national average over that span of time is .562. That includes a 13-9-0 record in playoff games.
FEELING GOOD AT HOME
UMass Lowell is on a bit of a streak at the Tsongas Center. The team is unbeaten in their last dozen games (8-0-4) on home ice. That matches the school's best home stretch as a Division I team. The streak began late last season and has included the first ten games this year. It is the fourth time the team has had a streak of ten or more games without a loss at home during the Division I era. The school's DI record is 12 (9-0-3) set during the 2013-14 season.
A WIN TODAY...
Would extend the River Hawks winning streak to five-in-a-row. It would push the UMass Lowell record to 14-3-3 (.763), matching 2014-15 for the best record after 20 games during the
Norm Bazin Era. It would also be the third time the Bazin-led club has win 14 of its first 20. A regulation win would also, at the very least, maintain the UMass Lowell five-point lead in the Hockey East standings.
CELEBRATING THE PAST
UMass Lowell will honor the 1981 and 1982 Division II National Champion ULowell Chiefs with on-ice ceremonies during the second intermission. Among those expected to be in attendance are Captain Dean Jenkins, all-time scoring leader Mike Carr and Coach Bill Riley.
WHO'S NEXT...?:
After this weekend's series with Merrimack the River Hawks will continue Hockey East action with a split pair of games next weekend. UMass Lowell will visit Northeastern on Friday night and host Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon. The River Hawks defeated Northeastern in overtime earlier this season and lead the all-time series, 64-51-10. UMass Lowell and UMass played a pair of games earlier in the season. The River Hawks earned a shootout victory in the first meeting but came up a goal short the second night. The River Hawks lead the all-time series, 51-31-8.
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
UMass Lowell followed a similar script as they swept a pair of games from Maine last weekend. The River Hawks built a 3-0 first period lead on both Friday and Saturday nights as the visitors tried to claw their way back into the hockey games.
Nik Armstrong-Kingkade scored two goals as UMass Lowell defeated Maine, 5-3, at the Tsongas Center Friday night. The sophomore's two goals, including one shorthanded, helped the River Hawks build a 3-0 first period lead.
Carl Berglund,
Ben Meehan and
Ryan Brushett also scored goals for UMass Lowell. Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup, Nolan Renwick and Donavan Houle scored for Maine. Saturday the home team built a 3-0 first period lead on goals by
Andre Lee,
Connor Sodergren and
Zach Kaiser en route to a 4-3 final.
Jordan Schulting has the eventual game winner. David Breazeale, Houle and Schmidt-Svejstrup scored for the visitors.
Owen Savory made 51-saves over two nights to earn a pair of wins.
A RECORD RUN
UMass Lowell is unbeaten in its last twelve games, 8-0-4 dating back to last season, at the Tsongas Center. That matches the school Division I record of twelve straight, 9-0-3, without a loss at home set during the 2013-14 season. This recent streak began with a 3-3 tie against Boston University March 6, 2021. It is the third longest home unbeaten streak in school history. The longest began on February 10, 1982 and extended for 24 games through March 12, 1983.
A RECORD RUN-Part II
UMass Lowell is unbeaten in its last nine (7-0-2) Hockey East games at the Tsongas Center. The River Hawks have done that three other times, but they have never gone unbeaten at home in ten straight conference games. The last time the team did that was during the 2013-14 season.
A MINI STREAK
UMass Lowell is on a 5-game winning streak. The last time they had a longer streak was a 6-game winning streak January 4-25, 2019.
FIRST PLACE?
The UMass Lowell December 11th 2-1 regulation win at Vermont, completing a weekend sweep, moved the River Hawks into sole possession of first place in the Hockey East standings with a conference record of 8-2-1. It was the first time that UMass Lowell has held sole possession of the top spot since November 18, 2019 when the club had a record of 4-1-3. It is the latest in the season that UMass Lowell has held sole possession of first place since January 25, 2016 when the team had a 10-3-3 record. That was one point better than both Boston College and Notre Dame.
FIRST PLACE LEAD
UMass Lowell started the week with a seven-point lead over 2nd place Massachusetts. It is the largest first place lead that UMass Lowell has ever had in Hockey East. A big part of the explanation is that each regulation win is now worth three-points rather than two. The previous best was a 5-point cushion over Boston College/Boston University/Massachusetts/Merrimack/Notre Dame on November 23, 2015, and a 5-point lead over just BC a week later. As play starts this weekend UMass Lowell has a five-point lead over Northeastern.
10-2-1 IN CONFERENCE
At 10-2-1 in Hockey East play, this is the River Hawks best ever record at the thirteen-game mark in the conference season. It matches the 10-2-1 start to the 1986-87 season. It is just the second time in 39-years that the River Hawks have won ten of their first thirteen league games. They have won eight on seven occasions including five times under Head Coach
Norm Bazin.
IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
UMass Lowell is getting more national attention. The River Hawks are continuing to move up in the polls. After two weeks at the number 12 slot the club now holds the number nine spot in the USA Hockey Magazine Poll and the number ten position in the DCU/USCHO Poll. In both cases it is UMass Lowell's highest ranking of the year. It is the eleventh week in a row UMass Lowell has appeared in the USCHO Poll. This year's River Hawks had been listed as "Receiving Votes" in both Polls since the start of the season, but November 1 the team moved into the "Ranked" column at number 19 in the USCHO Poll and a few weeks later earned similar recognition from USA Hockey. The team with a strong finish and playoff run ended last year ranked 19th in the USCHO Poll. The River Hawks are no stranger to the polls, the River Hawks have been in the polls numerous times in recent years and had been nationally ranked for 116 consecutive polls between Jan. 7, 2013 and Oct. 23, 2017.
IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT - Part II
UMass Lowell is ranked 9th in the nation by USA Hockey Magazine and 10th by USCHO and that's the highest the River Hawks have been ranked by voters in a couple of seasons. The last UMass Lowell carried a higher ranking was on December 7, 2020 when the team was ranked 8th by USCHO. The same week it was ranked 9th by USA Hockey. The team had been ranked in the top ten for 33 consecutive weeks between March 14, 2016 and September 25, 2017.
AGAINST NATIONALLY RANKED TEAMS
UMass Lowell saw its five-game undefeated against Nationally Ranked opponents come to an end December 4th when the River Hawks fell to Massachusetts 3-2 at the Mullins Center. The night before the club battled #14 UMass to a 4-4 tie, earlier in the season the River Hawks defeated Northeastern and Boston College, the teams ranked 17th and 16th respectively. The River Hawks are 4-0-0 against ranked teams this season after those wins and a previous sweep of Boston University. The club was just 4-7-1 against Nationally ranked opponents last season. The wins came against UConn, Northeastern, Boston University and Boston College. The tie also came against BU. The River Hawks are 76-64-14 against Nationally Ranked teams during the
Norm Bazin Era.
