Friday v. Vermont: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Game Notes | Tickets
Saturday v. Vermont: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Tickets 
 
LOWELL, Mass.—The No. 17 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (5-3-0, 2-1-0 Hockey East) hosts the Vermont Catamounts (2-4-1, 0-4-0 HEA) for a two-game homestand this weekend, Nov. 4-5, at the Tsongas Center. Puck drops for the pair of games are slated for 7:15 p.m. and 6:05 p.m., respectively. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
After splitting their series with the Terriers last weekend, the River Hawks enter this weekend's homestand ranked fourth overall in the conference with 10 points. With just three conference games under their belt, UMass Lowell hopes to capture another six points this weekend when they take on the Catamounts. Through the first eight games, seniors Carl Berglund and Brian Chambers remain atop the leaderboard for the River Hawks with eight points each. Berglund leads the team in goals with four on top of his four assists. Meanwhile, six of Chambers' eight points have come off helpers for a team-best in the statistical category. Freshman Scout Truman and graduate student Jon McDonald sit just behind the senior linemates with five points each. McDonald owns one game-winning goal to his credit with four assists, while Truman has three goals and two assists in his eight appearances. McDonald has also maintained a major presence on the blue line this year, leading the team with 16 blocks in eight games. Juniors Ben Meehan and Brehdan Engum backup McDonald's team-high with 14 blocks each in their time on ice this season. Between the pipes, Henry Welsch and Gustavs Davis Grigals split time in the net last weekend with Welsch picking up his third-straight win on Friday night. The junior out of Lakeville, Minn., currently sits in eighth overall in both GAA (2.01) and save percentage (.938).
 
UMass Lowell's penalty kill has been off to a solid start, ranking fourth in the conference with a .857 success rate. The River Hawks are also one of five HEA schools to have at least one shorthanded goal this season after freshman Owen Fowler earned his first collegiate goal on the PK at Northeastern two weeks ago.
 
SCOUTING THE CATAMOUNTS
After a rocky start to the season, the Catamounts are quickly starting to find their footing on offense. Picking up a 6-0 win over Holy Cross, a 2-1 win, and a tie over Colgate last weekend, Vermont is riding into the weekend on a three-game unbeaten streak. Senior Jacques Bouquot leads the team in points with five coming off assists only. Only four Catamounts skaters have scored multiple goals. Joel Määttä, Isak Walther, Porter Schachle and Will Zapernick each have two points to lead Vermont's scoring efforts. On defense, Vermont has been relying on Carter Long and William Lemay to fortify the blueline. The veteran defenders have both posted a team-high seven blocks in their seven games this season. Between the pipes, Gabe Garriere has seen the majority of the action for the Catamounts, playing in six games and earning five starts. In 324:16 minutes, Carriere has stopped 156 shots, allowed 11 goals and amassed a 2-2-1 record with one shutout. He also owns a 2.04 GAA and a .934 save percentage, which sits him just behind River Hawk netminder Henry Welsch in the conference standings at ninth overall.
 
On special teams, the Catamounts have struggled on the power play with only two goals in 30 opportunities. Vermont is also tied with Northeastern in shorthanded goals allowed with two in seven games. On the kill, Vermont sits second to last in Hockey East with a 77.8 PK percentage after allowing six goals on 27 opponent chances.
 
SCORING AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS
Ten River Hawks have picked up points against Vermont during their careers. Sophomore Matt Crasa leads the way with four points in his two appearances. Last season, Crasa led UMass Lowell to a weekend sweep over the Catamounts on the road to close out the first half of the schedule. For his efforts, he was named the Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Week. Crasa is one of just two River Hawks to have multiple goals against the Catamounts. Senior Zach Kaiser has scored two goals against the Catamounts, accounting for both of his points. Senior Carl Berglund and Jon McDonald own three points each against Vermont. Berglund has one goal and two assists against the Catamounts, while McDonald has three helpers in his eight games.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
The River Hawks earned four points against then No. 9 Boston University last weekend, picking up a win and an overtime loss against the top-10 program. On Friday, freshman Scout Truman led the team to a 2-1 win over the Terriers with the first multi-point night of his collegiate career. Junior Henry Welsch stopped 32 shots and allowed just one goal to help the River Hawks secure their first victory over a top-10 opponent since the 2020 season. UMass Lowell traveled to Agganis on Saturday to close out the weekend, where Matt Crasa notched his first of the season to put the River Hawks up 1-0 heading into the third. A late equalizer from BU forced extra minutes, which led to an overtime BU goal to force the split.
 
AT THE DOT
The River Hawks have been a dominating force at the faceoff dot this season. Through the first eight contests, UMass Lowell sits seventh in the nation with a .553 win percentage. Senior transfer Jake Stella leads the team with 71 wins in his 127 attempts for a .559 save percentage to tie for 33rd in the country.
 
BLUELINE BUILDING BLOCKS
Graduate student Jon McDonald and juniors Brehdan Engum and Ben Meehan have been major netfront presences for the River Hawks to start the campaign. McDonald currently leads the team in blocks with 16 and ranks third in the conference alongside with UConn's Harrison Rees and UNH's Alex Gagne. Tied for second on the team, Engum and Meehan sit in a four-way tie for eighth in the HEA standings with 14 blocks in eight games.
 
A WIN THIS WEEKEND...
A pair of wins this weekend over the Catamounts would move the River Hawks to a 7-3-0 (5-1-0 HEA) season mark and a 39-17-8 all-time record. With a split, UMass Lowell moves to a 6-4-0 (4-2-0 HEA) record and a 38-18-8 all-time series mark against Vermont.
 
SCOUT'S HONOR
Freshman Scout Truman had a breakout weekend against then No. 9 Boston University, scoring both goals in Friday night's 2-1 win over the Terriers. The Ontario native added a team-high two blocks and a +1 rating to his stat line for the night on top of his contributions up high. For his efforts, Truman was named the Hockey East Co-Rookie of the Week.
 
UP NEXT
UMass Lowell takes a break from the action until Tuesday, Nov. 15, when they travel to Chestnut Hill, Mass., for a 7 p.m. puck drop against Boston College.

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