Saturday at UConn: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (NESN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Game Notes
 
LOWELL, Mass.—The No. 5 seeded UMass Lowell men's hockey team (17-14-3, 11-10-3 Hockey East) is set for the Hockey East Quarterfinals this weekend, opening the 2023 tournament against No. 4 seed Connecticut (20-11-3, 13-9-2 HEA) on Saturday, March 11, at 4 p.m. at the Toscano Family Ice Forum. The matinee tilt will air on NESN+ and ESPN+.
 
TOURNEY TIME
The River Hawks are making their 35th postseason appearance this weekend in the 38th annual Hockey East Tournament. Coming off a trip to the semifinals last year, UMass Lowell owns a 50-52-3 all-time mark in the tournament. The team returns to the quarterfinal round for the 33rd time in program history. In the quarterfinal round, UMass Lowell is 36-30-2 all-time. In their last trip to the HEA Quarterfinals, the River Hawks bested Merrimack, 7-2, on home ice to punch their ticket to the garden. Behind the bench, Head Coach Norm Bazin is the winningest coach in the postseason amongst all active HEA head coaches, boasting a .649 win percentage. Bazin is 24-13 in his career in the HEA Tournament and has three Hockey East titles to his credit (2013, '14, '17). This season, the River Hawks earned the No. 5 seed for the first time since 2010. When seeded fifth, the River Hawks own a 10-14 record.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
After dropping a tough decision in their regular-season finale, UMass Lowell reloaded before their postseason run. Carl Berglund continues to lead the team's scoring efforts with 27 points off 12 goals and 15 assists. Behind Berglund, Brian Chambers and Jon McDonald share the second spot with 19 points each. Chambers' points have come from eight goals and 11 assists, while McDonald has three goals and a team-high 16 assists in his fifth and final season. The River Hawks defense has been working hard during the 2022-23 campaign, ranking amongst the nation's best all season long. Brehdan Engum has been a force to be reckoned with on the blue line, jumping in front of a career and team-high 56 shots this season. A contributor on both ends of the ice, McDonald backed up his explosive performance on attack with an impressive tenure defensively this season. With 45 blocks to his credit, McDonald plays major minutes on UMass Lowell's nationally ranked penalty kill unit and has helped the team register one of the country's best team goals against average. In goal, Henry Welsch and Gustavs Davis Grigals have shared the spotlight this season, with Grigals making 22 appearances and Welsch 16. Across his 22 games played, Grigals has amassed a 2.15 GAA and a .918 save percentage on his way to an 11-8-2 record. Meanwhile, Welsch owns a 2.25 GAA and a .916 save percentage this season to earn a 6-6-1 mark.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
UConn heads into the weekend on a one-game win streak after besting Boston College, 6-5, in their regular-season finale. After being swept by UNH in February, the Huskies rebounded to win three of their last four regular-season tilts. Matthew Wood leads the team with 33 points this season off 11 goals and 22 assists. Ryan Tverberg continues to be a major producer offensively for the Huskies, however, notching a team-high 15 goals in his 34 games. Defensively, John Spetz has been a force in front of the net, stopping 53 shots to lead the team. In goal, Arsenii Sergeev and Logan Terness have seen the lion's share of the action this season as the team's go-to starters. Terness has a slight edge over Sergeev in GAA, just beating out Sergeev's 2.64 GAA with a 2.53 GAA. The goaltending duo has identical save percentages, sitting at .913 heading into the playoffs. UConn also leads the conference heading into the postseason on the penalty kill, boasting a .848 success rate on the kill.
 
SCORING AGAINST THE HUSKIES
UMass Lowell has 12 rostered skaters who have at least one point against the Huskies during their careers. Leading the way, senior Carl Berglund has a team-best eight points thanks to three goals and five assists. Just one point shy of Berglund's total, graduate student Jon McDonald has seven points from one goal and six assists. Berglund's three goals lead the team in the category. Only one other River Hawk—Zach Kaiser—has lit the lamp more than once against UConn. During his tenure in the Mill City, Kaiser's picked up two goals and an assist for three points. Jake Stella, Brian Chambers and Scout Truman round out the scoring against UConn with one each during their careers. In goal, Henry Welsch has seen the most minutes against the Huskies, owning a 2-1-0 mark, a 1.98 GAA and a .933 save percentage across his three appearances. In his one game against UConn, Gustavs Davis Grigals grabbed the dub at home, making 34 saves and allowing just two goals to help UMass Lowell claim the OT win.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
The River Hawks closed out the regular season last weekend with a home-and-home series against then No. 15/16 Northeastern. UMass Lowell earned the first win of the weekend, taking down the Huskies 3-1 in front of a lively Tsongas Crowd on Senior Night. Sophomore Gabe Blanchard had a career night, dishing out two helpers and notching the eventual game-winner to lead the team with three points. Brian Chambers and Carl Berglund also lit the lamp against Northeastern to help secure the victory. Netminder Gustavs Davis Grigals had a standout night between the pipes, allowing just one goal and stopping a potential game-tying penalty shot. The next day, the Huskies countered with a 7-3 win at Matthews Arena. Mitchel Becker, Owen Cole and Brian Chambers made their way into the score column for the River Hawks. Becker's power play goal marked the first of his career at UMass Lowell. Sophomore goaltender Edvard Nordlund also saw his first minutes of collegiate action, coming in the third period and making four stops.
 
HEY NOW, YOU'RE HEA ALL-STARS
Graduate students Gustavs Davis Grigals and Jon McDonald were named to the 2023 Hockey East All-Star Third team after incredible campaigns for the River Hawks this season. Grigals, a graduate transfer, acclimated quickly to the Hockey East landscape to amass an 11-8-2 mark this year. With a 2.15 GAA and .918 save percentage, Grigals picked up several in-season accolades, including being honored as a Hobey Baker and a Mike Richter award nominee. After a 4-1-1 mark during January, Grigals was also named the Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Month. A staple on the blue line, McDonald earned his first Hockey East All-Star honor after posting career numbers during his fifth season in the Mill City. On defense, McDonald ranked second on the team in blocks with 45 and finished tied for second on the team in points with 19. A staple on the blue line, McDonald has been a key fixture on the team's nationally-ranked penalty kill unit. The duo has also been instrumental in helping the River Hawks stay amongst the best teams in the country in scoring defense.  
 
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 18 opponent power play goals in 112 opponent opportunities across 34 games. Heading into the back half, the tune has not changed for the River Hawks, ranking eleventh in the country in PK percentage (.839) and third 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 .540 success rate on the draw to rank sixth in the country and first in Hockey East. With 1,113 wins to their 950 losses, the River Hawks have held their opponents to just a .461 faceoff win rate through 34 games. Jack Collins and Owen Cole have emerged as standouts at the dot as of late, averaging .607 and .597 win rates so far this season. Senior Jake Stella continues to the lead the team in faceoff wins, however, with 255 wins this season.
 
A WIN THIS WEEKEND
A win this weekend against the Huskies would propel the River Hawks to an all-time 30-13-3 mark over UConn. Head Coach Norm Bazin would also improve to a 13-8-2 record behind the bench. A win would also mark the first Hockey East tournament victory over UConn for UMass Lowell. Before Saturday, these two teams have never had the pleasure of meeting in the postseason.
 
UP NEXT 
If the River Hawks take the win, they'll advance to the Hockey East Tournament Semifinals for the second consecutive season next Friday, March 17, at the TD Garden. They'll face off against the winner of No. 1 seed Boston University vs. No. 11 seed Vermont.
 
KEEPING IT 100
Six of the currently active River Hawks have surpassed the 100-career game milestone during their time in the Mill City. Jon McDonald entered the season with 110 games played under his belt after achieving the feat last season. This year, Zach Kaiser (112), Jake Stella (115), Ryan Brushett (113), Marek Korencik (113) and Carl Berglund (112) have all tipped the scales past 100 this season. Most recently, Brian Chambers (102) reached 100 games against UNH on Feb. 4.
 
AT THE HELM
Head Coach Norm Bazin returns for his 12th season at the helm for the River Hawks. During his tenure, Bazin has led the program to two Hockey East regular season titles, three Hockey East tournament titles, six NCAA Tournament appearances and a Frozen Four appearance.
 
LEADING THE FLOCK
Before puck drop on the 2022-23 campaign, Head Coach Norm Bazin announced the team's leadership core for the season. Graduate student Jon McDonald and senior Carl Berglund earned the nod as captains for this year's squad, while seniors Blake Wells and Zach Kaiser will sport the 'A' this year. In addition, the team will continue its tradition of honoring a monthly alternate captain.

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video