Sunday vs. Maine: Live Stats | Watch (NESN) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Game Notes
 
LOWELL, Mass.—The No. 17/20 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (15-10-2, 9-6-2 Hockey East) gears up for a matinee matchup against the Maine Black Bears (13-13-2, 7-9-1 HEA) this Sunday, Feb. 12, at the Tsongas Center. Puck drop for the NESN broadcast is slated for 2:05 p.m.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
With a 0-1-1 record last weekend, the River Hawks hope to land in the win column Sunday against Maine. With a 1-1-0 mark against the Black Bears, this weekend's stand-alone tilt proves to be a critical three points for UMass Lowell as the post-season push heats up. Last weekend, senior Filip Fornåå Svensson had a stellar weekend with two goals and one assist in two games. The senior also netted a key goal in the shootout to keep UMass Lowell in the mix against Boston College long enough to claim the extra point. Freshman Scout Truman regained his footing on attack with a goal in both games as well. A sneaky scoring threat, captain Carl Berglund continues to lead the River Hawks in all three-point categories with nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. He currently sits just six points shy of matching his career-high in points (28) set last season. Berglund has some company close by, however, with Zach Kaiser and Truman hot on his heels with eight and seven goals, respectively. In the assists column, graduate student Jon McDonald is just one helper short of matching Berlglund's total with 12 this year. Behind him, his fellow blueliners Isac Jonsson and Ben Meehan both own 11 helpers to their credit. Junior Brehdan Engum has been putting up impressive numbers on defense with 45 blocks to his credit this season, just one shy of matching his career-high set during his sophomore campaign. Engum currently sits in a three-way tie for sixth in the conference in blocks. Between the pipes, Gustavs Davis Grigals saw action in both games for the River Hawks last weekend, but Grigals and Welsch are both likely to see action in Sunday's tilt. The duo sits one-two in the Hockey East standings in goals against average with a 2.02 and a 2.14 GAA, respectively. Grigals and Welsch also sit back-to-back in save percentage, ranking third and fourth with a .926 and .920 save percentage, respectively.
 
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS
The Black Bears have been on an upset streak since they last clashed with UMass Lowell. Though they dropped three games to Boston University during their last seven games, the rest of the stretch has seen several upset wins over ranked opponents. Most notably, Maine swept the then No. 17/16 Providence Friars on home ice, outscoring them 6-2 and posting a shutout over the ranked foes. The Black Bears also bounced back from a hard-fought 5-3 loss to then No. 3 BU to earn a 3-2 overtime win over then No. 15/18 Merrimack. The team also opened the weekend with a dominant 3-1 win on the road at Boston College Friday night. Lynden Breen has been a standout scorer for the Black Bears as of late. Last weekend, Breen scored three goals and added an assist to finish with four points. Two of his three goals came on the penalty kill. Breen currently leads the team in goals (14) and points (24), while senior Ben Poisson leads the program in assists this season with 14. Between the pipes, Victor Ostman has been the go-to starter for the Black Bears. With an 11-9-1 record and three shutouts to his credit, Ostman entered the weekend with a 2.26 GAA and a .918 save percentage.
 
SCORING AGAINST THE BLACK BEARS
Heading into this weekend's Super Bowl Sunday showdown with the Black Bears, eleven River Hawks have lit the lamp against Maine during their time in Lowell. Leading the way, Carl Berglund has 12 points in his nine appearances against Maine. He's scored five times against the Black Bears and has dished out seven helpers. Last time out against Maine, Berglund dished out three assists in the weekend split. When the River Hawks last visited the Alfond, four River Hawks found their way into the scoring column. Brian Chambers, Isac Jonsson, Marek Korenčik and Matt Crasa all hit twine in their two-game road trip to Orono. Chambers led the way in scoring with two goals in the team's 5-3 loss on Saturday night.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
The River Hawks' power play clicked on all cylinders last weekend, as the River Hawks opened the two-game stretch with a 2-2 tie against BC to force a thrilling shootout at the Tsongas. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first period on the power play, the River Hawks dropped to a 2-1 deficit early in the second against the Eagles. In the final five seconds of the middle frame, senior Filip Fornåå Svensson ripped the equalizing goal on the power play to lock things up and eventually force bonus hockey. After a scoreless five minutes, the teams turned to the shootout to decide who claimed the extra point. With the point on the line, Fornåå Svensson stepped up to keep the River Hawks alive in the shootout long enough for senior Brian Chambers to seal the deal with a beautiful goal in the fourth round. UMass Lowell's power play got things rolling for the River Hawks on Saturday after two back-to-back goals from UNH put the River Hawks down 2-0 heading into the second period. A power play goal from Carl Berglund sparked the offense, making room for Scout Truman and Filip Fornåå Svensson to push the River Hawks out to a 3-2 lead as they crept into the third. Three uninterrupted goals from UNH ultimately stymied the River Hawks' offensive onslaught, resulting in a 5-4 loss at home.
 
GOOSE-TENDER OF THE MONTH 
Graduate student Gustavs Davis Grigals was crowned the January Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Month by Hockey East earlier this week. Grigals finished the month with a 4-1-0 record in his five appearances. With just nine goals against and 138 saves, the Hobey Baker Memorial Award nominee ended his five-game stint with a 1.81 GAA and a .939 save percentage. Grigals, who is also nominated for the 2023 Mike Richter award, started the February slate with the nation's best save percentage (.933) and the third-best GAA (1.83) in the NCAA after capping the month with a shutout against Massachusetts.
 
#HOBEYGETSROWDY
Senior Carl Berglund and graduate student Gustavs Davis Grigals have been nominated for this year's Hobey Baker Memorial Award. The Hobey Baker Award is given annually to the nation's top Division I hockey player. The first phase of voting for the award opened on Thursday, January 19, and will run through Sunday, March 5.
 
PK POWERHOUSES
A notably difficult defense to maneuver at full strength, the River Hawks have been seemingly impenetrable on the penalty kill during the 2022-23 slate. UMass Lowell has allowed just 13 opponent power play goals in 91 opponent opportunities across 27 games. Heading into the back half, the tune has not changed for the River Hawks, tying for the nation's fourth-best PK percentage (.857) and the second-best percentage in Hockey East.
 
AT THE DOT
The River Hawks have been a force to be reckoned with at the faceoff dot this season, averaging a .541 success rate on the draw to rank fifth in the country. With 899 wins to their 762 losses, the River Hawks have held their opponents to just a .459 faceoff win rate through their first 27 games. Leading the charge, Jake Stella continues to be a major contender for the River Hawks on the faceoff dot, with 246 wins and 214 losses for an average individual win rate of .535.
 
A WIN THIS WEEKEND
With a win this weekend against the Black Bears, the River Hawks would improve to an all-time series record of 50-82-5. UMass Lowell would also claim the 2-1 advantage in the 2022-23 series with the Black Bears. It would also snap Maine's two-game winning streak and earn three valuable points in the Hockey East Tournament race.
 
UP NEXT 
The River Hawks look ahead to a home-and-home series with Providence next weekend, Feb. 17-18. UMass Lowell starts with a visit to Schneider Arena on Friday, before returning to the friendly confines of the Tsongas Center for a Saturday night showdown.

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