Friday v. Alaska Anchorage: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Game Notes
Saturday v. Alaska Anchorage: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen 
 
LOWELL, Mass.—After two weeks off for the holiday break, the No. 13/13 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (10-6-1, 5-4-1 Hockey East) returns to action this weekend, Dec. 30-31, with a two-game homestand against non-conference opponent Alaska Anchorage (2-12-0). Puck drops for the pair of games are set for 6:05 p.m. and 4:05 p.m., respectively. Both contests will be streamed on ESPN+ and available internationally on the Hockey East STRETCH portal.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
The River Hawks earned a well-deserved break after closing out their vigorous first-half schedule with a 10-6-1 (5-4-1 Hockey East) mark. Before the break, UMass Lowell capped the opening frame of the regular season with a 3-2 win on the road at Dartmouth. Gabe Blanchard, Ben Meehan and Stefan Owens all lit the lamp in the tilt, with Meehan leading the charge with two points off a goal and an assist. Blanchard's goal also marked the first of his collegiate career and sparked the offense at Thompson Arena. Senior Carl Berglund tied Meehan with a team-high two points off two assists in the non-conference clash. Between the pipes, Grigals earned the win to end his first semester as a River Hawk with a 5-3-1 mark.
 
Berglund continues to lead the scoring charge for the River Hawks with a team-high 14 points off a team-high seven goals and an additional seven assists. Tied for second, senior Zach Kaiser (6G, 4A0 and junior Ben Meehan (3G, 7A) own 10 points apiece through the first 17 games. Defenseman Jon McDonald has been a sneaky offensive weapon for the River Hawks, dishing out a team-best eight assists on top of his game-winning goal against Michigan State for nine points in 16 games. A staple on the blue line, McDonald is also a major cog in the River Hawks' nationally ranked penalty kill machine. With 23 blocks, the defenseman ranks second on the team behind teammate Brehdan Engum. A commanding presence on the ice, Engum has stopped 30 shots this season, just 16 off his career-high 46 set last season. With his 30, Engum sits in a tie for sixth in the conference in the category and 36th in the country.
 
Between the pipes, Henry Welsch and Gustavs Davis Grigals have earned nearly identical records to end the first half of the schedule. Welsch owns a 5-3-0 mark, while Grigals advanced to a 5-3-1 record after earning the nod in the last two games for UMass Lowell and coming in as relief against Dartmouth at the 2022 Friendship Four. Both netminders are probable starters going into the series with the Seawolves, but Grigals holds the statistical edge over Welsch heading into opening night. The only skater with experience against Alaska Anchorage, Grigals owns the nation's best save percentage (.937) and the second-best GAA (1.70). His 15 goals allowed is the fifth lowest in the NCAA and the second lowest in Hockey East. Welsch is not far behind, however, with just 17 goals allowed to tie for seventh in all of Division I and fourth in the conference. Though Welsch has not seen playing time since the team's time in Belfast, Welsch still sits amongst the nation's best goaltenders. His 2.06 goals against average and .926 save percentage puts him 11th in the nation in both categories.
 
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
The Seawolves trudged through a difficult first half of the schedule to emerge with a 2-11-0 mark thus far. The team's two wins have come against then-nationally-ranked Western Michigan (3-1) and Northern Michigan (3-1). Heading into the holiday break, the Seawolves were on an eight-game skid dating back to November 4 with a loss to Air Force. Though Alaska Anchorage has seen victories against Simon Fraser and UNLV in exhibition play, their regular-season slate has posed a challenge for the Seawolves to start the year. Though 15 Seawolves have made their way onto the scoresheet in their first 13 games, Alaska Anchorage has struggled to produce offensively with just 21 goals scored to 58 goals against. Connor Marritt leads the Seawolves' goal-scoring efforts with a team-best four this season in his 14 appearances. Behind him, three Seawolves – Maximilion Helgeson, Jamie Collins and William Gilson – own three goals each. Defenseman Derek Hamelin leads the team in assists with eight so far this season. He is tied for first on the team with Ben Almquist (2G, 6A) in points with eight. On defense, Brett Bamber and Carson Kosobud have been major assets for the Seawolves' blueline. Playing in all 14 games this season, Bamber leads the squad with 25 blocks while Kosobud sits just behind him with 23. In goal, Nolan Kent has earned the nod six times in the last 10 non-exhibition contests for the Seawolves. With 11 games played and seven starts, Ken owns a 1-6-0 mark, a 2.85 GAA and a .920 save percentage through the first half of his graduate campaign. Jared Whale and Joey Lamoreaux have also earned considerable minutes between the pipes. In 100 minutes of playing time, Whale has a 5.39 GAA, a .878 save percentage and a 0-2-0 mark, while Lamoreaux sits at 1-4-0 with a 4.84 GAA and .842 save percentage in his 285:12 minutes. 
 
SCORING AGAINST THE SEAWOLVES
None of UMass Lowell's 29 skaters have registered a point against Alaska Anchorage during their career as this is the first time nearly all of the team is going to play against the Seawolves. In fact, only one current River Hawk has ever seen action against Alaska Anchorage, and that is graduate student Gustavs Davis Grigals. A transfer from Alaska Fairbanks, Grigals took on the Seawolves between the pipes during his freshman campaign. In the 2-1 win, Grigals allowed just one goal and made 16 saves to lift the Nanooks to victory.
 
FRESH FOES
Alaska Anchorage is not a team the River Hawks typically see in their regular season non-conference rotation. Across the program's Division I and II stretch, the two teams have only met 10 times in just about 40 years. The first time the two programs met was back on November 9, 1981. The River Hawks saw the Seawolves three times during the 1981-82 season and claimed high-scoring wins in all three contests. The first-ever meeting resulted in a 6-2 victory for the River Hawks, which they followed up with a 5-4 win the following night to claim the two-game sweep. UMass Lowell capped off its season sweep just weeks later when the Seawolves visited the Tsongas Center and dropped a 7-4 decision to the home squad. For Head Coach Norm Bazin, Friday's puck drop marks the first time in his coaching career that he'll faceoff against Alaska Anchorage. As a player, Bazin was very familiar with the Seawolves. During Bazin's playing career as a River Hawk, UMass Lowell met up with Alaska Anchorage five times, posting a 2-3 mark.
 
IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL (FLIGHT)
The Seawolves' journey to the Mill City certainly was far from a quick one. It is approximately 4,591.5 total miles from the Seawolves Sports Complex to the Tsongas Center. How long is that exactly? It would take 74 hours via car (with no traffic) and 11.5 hours via plane on a direct flight. To put it in perspective, the River Hawks traveled roughly 3,118.1 miles to get from the Tsongas Center to the SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the 2022 Friendship Four weeks ago. This means a one-way trip from Seawolves Sports Complex to the Tsongas Center is 1,473.4 miles longer than a one-way trip back to Belfast.
 
IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME…
It's been nearly two decades since these two teams have squared off against one another. The last time the River Hawks and the Seawolves met was in 2003 when Alaska Anchorage squeaked out a 1-0 win over UMass Lowell at the NYE Frontier Classic. In fact, only one River Hawk has seen any action against Alaska Anchorage in recent years. Graduate transfer Gustavs Davis Grigals played one game during his freshman season against the Seawolves while he was with Alaska Fairbanks. Grigals claimed the win in a 2-1 decision at home, allowing just one goal and making 16 saves.
 
PK POWERHOUSES
An imposing presence on the ice, the UMass Lowell penalty kill crew has been seemingly impenetrable this season. In 59 opponent power play opportunities, the River Hawks have only given up six power play goals this season for a .898 kill rate. Backstopped by Grigals and led by veterans such as Jon McDonald, Brehdan Engum, and Ben Meehan, the UMass Lowell penalty kill unit currently sits second in Hockey East behind UConn and fourth in the country behind Harvard, UConn and Ohio State.
 
STELLAR AT THE DOT
The River Hawks have been dominating at the dot this season. Led by senior Jake Stella, the River Hawks have won 565 faceoffs to claim a .541 success rate in their first 17 games. Their exceptional performance at the draw ranks them first in the conference and seventh in the nation. Stella's .554 individual faceoff win rate ranks him 40th in the country amongst all active Division I hockey players.
 
THE GOOSE IS LOOSE 
Graduate transfer Gustavs Davis Grigals has made himself at home between the pipes for the River Hawks this year, putting up stellar numbers since coming to the Mill City. Heading into the back half of the schedule, Grigals sits atop the NCAA rankings in save percentage with a .937 success rate. The Latvian-born netminder also owns the second-best goals-against average in the nation with a 1.70 mark. His efforts in both statistical categories also earn him the top slot in the Hockey East standings.
 
A WIN THIS WEEKEND
A pair of wins this weekend would break the current 5-5-0 all-time series deadlock between the programs and give the River Hawks the upper hand in the matchup. A single win would also mark the program's first win at home against the Seawolves since November 27, 1981, as well as their first win in nearly twenty years against Alaska Anchorage. The last time the River Hawks walked away with the win was on January 9, 1993, when UMass Lowell took down the Seawolves in a 6-1 thriller. A sweep over the Seawolves would also move Head Coach Norm Bazin to a 2-0-0 career mark against the far-off foe.
 
RETURN OF THE MATTS
Some familiar faces will be returning to the ice this weekend at the Tsongas Center. Former River Hawks and current Seawolves Matt Allen and Matt Kinash hope to suit up against their former teammates this weekend. Allen saw action in eight games for the River Hawks during his career in the Mill City, netting one goal and three assists. In his time at UMass Lowell, Kinash cracked the starting lineup twice.
 
UP NEXT
The River Hawks play their last non-conference matchup of the season next Saturday, January 7, when they travel to the MassMutual Center in Springfield, Mass., to

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video