Friday v. Miami (OH): Live Stats | ESPN+ | International Stream ($) | Game Notes
Saturday v. Miami (OH): Live Stats | ESPN+ | International Stream ($)
 
LOWELL, Mass.—The UMass Lowell men's hockey team (1-0-0, 0-0-0 HEA) closes out its three-game homestand this weekend, Oct. 7-8-, with a pair of games against Miami University (OH) (1-0-1, 0-0-0 NCHC). Friday night's series opener is slated for 7:15 p.m., while Saturday's tilt is set for 6:05 p.m. Both games will be broadcast on ESPN+ and internationally on Stretch Internet.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell heads into the last stretch of their three-game season-opening homestand coming off a high-scoring win against St. Lawrence last weekend. The River Hawks wasted no time getting on the scoresheet, with three of their four goals coming in the first period. Although three different senior forwards (Kaiser, Chambers, Berglund) found the back of the net against the Saints, it was sophomore Isac Jonsson who emerged as the team's leading point scorer on Saturday. Notching his first career goal and an assist, Jonsson sits atop the River Hawks leaderboard in points with two after one game. Jonsson was not the only UMass Lowell blueliner getting in on the points last weekend, with three of the six River Hawk assists on Saturday coming off the sticks of defenders. Senior Marek Korencik and junior Ben Meehan both logged points in the tilt while also combining for a +2 rating and 2 blocked shots.
 
Gustavs Davis Grigals impressed in his first outing as a River Hawk, making 27 saves to keep St. Lawrence scoreless. Though this week may see an appearance from junior Henry Welsch between the pipes, Grigals is likely to be the River Hawks' go-to for Friday's opening night game. This weekend will be just the first time Grigals has gone up against Miami (OH) in his collegiate career. Only one currently rostered River Hawk (Jon McDonald) has ever faced off against Miami (OH) during his time at UMass Lowell.
 
SCOUTING THE REDHAWKS
Miami (OH) comes to the Mill City after a split with Ferris State to open their season. The RedHawks bounced back from a shootout loss on Oct. 1 to the Bulldogs to pick up a 4-1 win on Sunday to even the weekend series. Junior Matthew Barbolini and senior Joe Cassetti each put up two goals against Ferris State to lead Miami's offense against the Bulldogs. Cassetti was credited with the crucial game-tying goal in the final minute of regulation against Ferris State on Friday. In addition, three different RedHawks registered three-point weekends: sophomore Red Savage (1-2-3), freshman Max Dukovac (0-3-3) and junior Hampus Rydqvist (0-3-3). Savage's lone goal of the weekend was the first time a RedHawk had tallied a shorthanded goal since Nov. 27, 2021, against LIU, when Savage picked up his first career goal. In terms of offensive production, the Red Hawks saw the most success when Savage, Barbolini, Cassetti and Dylan Moulton took to the ice. The four skaters ended the weekend with a +3 rating each.
 
On defense, senior Jack Clement was a solid net-front presence for the RedHawks with six blocked shots across the two-game slate. Between the pipes, Ludvig Persson will likely earn the nod once again after finishing 1-0-1 against Ferris State with a .942 save percentage and a 1.45 GAA.
 
ALL-TIME AGAINST MIAMI (OH)
The River Hawks and RedHawks have only met four times before this weekend's two-game series with UMass Lowell holding onto a 2-1-1 edge going into Friday's game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
It's been a while since both programs met. The last time these two programs faced off was during the 2018-19 series when the River Hawks headed to Oxford for a pair of games. The River Hawks took the first of the weekend with a 3-0 shutout, but the RedHawks squeaked out a 2-1 comeback in the second game. 
 
SCORING AGAINST THE REDHAWKS
Only one River Hawk has ever suited up against the RedHawks. Graduate student Jon McDonald played against the RedHawks during his freshman season, but the defenseman did not find the back of the net. Last time against Miami, Sam Knoblauch, Connor Wilson, and Kenny Hausinger all picked up goals.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
UMass Lowell picked up their first season-opening win since the 2019-20 campaign last weekend against St. Lawrence with a high-scoring 4-0 shutout at the Tsongas. Behind a standout debut by transfer Gustavs Davis Grigals in goal, four different River Hawks were able to light the lamp to start the team off on a high note. Sophomore defenseman Isac Jonsson led the scoring charge for UMass Lowell on Saturday with his first collegiate goal and an assist to register a team-best two points. Jonsson was also a key part of the River Hawks' penalty kill unit that stayed flawless against the Saints, killing off all five extra-man chances for St. Lawrence. Seniors Brian Chambers, Carl Berglund and Zach Kaiser also knocked in their first of the season, with Kaiser's goal coming on the power play.
 
UMASS LOWELL vs the NCHC
The River Hawks don't often faceoff against NCHC opponents, but when they do, they've seen a fair bit of success. UMass Lowell holds a 9-7-2 all-time record against NCHC teams. Most recently, the River Hawks hit the ice against reigning national champions and current No. 1 Denver in the NCAA Tournament last year.
 
IN THE POLLS
The River Hawks are moving up in the polls this week. After being ranked 17th in the USCHO and 16th in the USA Today/USA Magazine poll last weekend, UMass Lowell made the jump to 15th in both after their 4-0 win over St. Lawrence
 
 
DEFENDER GOALS
Goaltender Gustavs Davis Grigals and defenseman Isac Jonsson were named the Hockey East Goaltender of the Week and the HEA Defenseman of the Week after standout performances against St. Lawrence. Jonsson's weekly honor marks the third of his career after earning Hockey East Defender of the Week twice last season.
 
HOME SWEET TSONGAS
The River Hawks are fond of home-ice advantage, posting winning records on home ice in three of their last five seasons. Last year, the UMass Lowell home crowd got to see the team play to a 12-3-3 mark at home.
 
A WIN TODAY...
A win today would move the River Hawks to a 2-0-0 mark this season and a 3-1-1 mark all-time against the RedHawks. It would also be the first time the River Hawks started off the year at home with a 2-0 record since 2019-20 when the team swept Alabama-Huntsville.
 
UP NEXT
UMass Lowell hits the road for its first road trip of the season next weekend, Oct. 13-14, when they head to East Lansing, Mich., to play Michigan State. Last season, the Spartans came to Lowell for a two-game stretch, with the River Hawks picking up a 3-0 win on night two after playing to a 2-2 draw in the first game.

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