Friday vs. Northeastern: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Game Notes
Saturday at Northeastern: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Watch (STRETCH) | Listen | Game Notes

LOWELL, Mass.—The UMass Lowell men's hockey team (16-13-3, 10-9-3 Hockey East) closes out the regular season this weekend, March 3-4, with a final home-and-home series against the No. 15/16 Northeastern Huskies (16-11-5, 13-6-3 HEA). The River Hawks open the weekend at home on Friday at 7:15 p.m., before hitting the road for their regular season finale on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Historic Matthews Arena. Both games will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Before puck drop on Friday, the River Hawks will honor the eight members of the Class of 2023 with a Senior Day Ceremony.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
The River Hawks are gearing up for their final regular season home-and-home against the Northeastern Huskies. Carl Berglund continues to be a driving force on the River Hawks' front line, sitting at 26 points from a team-high 11 goals and 15 assists. Though Berglund owns the top spot in goals and points on the River Hawks' roster, Berglund shares the top spot in assists with Jon McDonald. The scoring still runs deep for the River Hawks this season, with all but three active players registering a point this season. As of late, graduate student Filip Fornåå Svensson has had a hot hand with five points in his last five games. Most recently, he had a three-point night against Merrimack on Friday, February 24, to move to a year-to-date total of six goals and six assists. His six lamp lighters currently tie his career-best mark set during the 2021-22 season with Alaska Fairbanks. Clutch on the power play, Fornåå Svensson also leads the team in power play tallies with four this year. Brehdan Engum has been a relentless shot blocker during his junior campaign continuing to add to his new single-season career best with 53 this year. Engum is just one of six consistent starters on the River Hawks' defensive core. This season, Jon McDonald, Ben Meehan and Isac Jonsson have helped bolster the River Hawks blueline with impressive defensive and major contributions upfront. Currently, McDonald, Meehan and Jonsson rank two-three-four on the squad in points, with McDonald having 18 to his credit and Meehan and Jonsson having 16 each. The group of defensemen has also seen major minutes on the River Hawks' nationally ranked penalty kill squad, allowing just 17 goals on 108 opponent power play opportunities. In goal, Henry Welsch and Gustavs Davis Grigals could split time in the cage this weekend. With 20 games under his belt, Grigals owns a 2.05 GAA and a .923 save percentage. Meanwhile, Welsch has amassed a 2.21 GAA and a .917 save percentage in his 15 games.
 
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
Splitting their last series with Massachusetts, Northeastern is in a Hockey East regular season title race this weekend. The Huskies come to the Tsongas Center with five skaters sitting with 20 or more points this season. Senior Aidan McDonough leads the team with 19 goals and 17 assists for 36 points this season. A major threat on the power play, McDonough also owns a team and conference-high eight power play tallies and is tied for seventh in the nation in the category. Right behind McDonough, sophomore Justin Hryckowian has been a major piece of the River Hawks' offense. With 14 goals and a squad-best 19 assists, Hryckowian's 33 points are good for second on the team. The duo currently ranks fourth and fifth, respectively, in the conference standings in individual points. With 440 wins and 302 losses, Hryckowian ranks second in the country in faceoff wins and has provided the Huskies an added edge at the dot this season. On defense, freshman Hunter McDonald leads the conference and team in blocked shots with 84 so far during his rookie campaign. He also leads the team in penalties and penalty minutes with 20 penalties and 54 minutes in the bin this year. In goal, Devon Levi continues to be the go-to for the Huskies. Starting in every game but one during his sophomore campaign, Levi owns a 2.20 GAA and a .934 save percentage going into the weekend.
 
SCORING AGAINST THE HUSKIES
Four different River Hawks have found the back of the net against the Huskies during their time in the Mill City. Defenseman Ben Meehan leads the way with two goals in his five games. Matt Crasa, Zach Kaiser and Stefan Owens have all lit the lamp once during their careers, with Owens earning his first collegiate tally last year on the road. Meehan adds another two points to his total off a pair of assists to lead the current roster in points against the Huskies with four. Three River Hawks are tied with three points off three assists heading into this weekend: Jon McDonald, Owen Cole and Carl Berglund. Last time out, the River Hawks took a quick trip to Matthews Arena on October 22, when they defeated Northeastern, 3-2. Cole led the squad in points with two off helpers. Meehan, Fowler and Kaiser all found themselves in the goal column at the end of the night, with Kaiser earning credit for the game-winner. Fowler's shorthanded goal also marked the first (and currently only) shorthanded goal of the season for the River Hawks as well as his first collegiate goal and point. Henry Welsch earned the win after stopping 26 shots and allowing just two goals.
 
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND
The River Hawks faced a setback last weekend, dropping both games to the No. 17/16 Merrimack. In Friday's high-scoring loss, senior Carl Berglund and graduate student Filip Fornåå Svensson notched three points each to account for six of UMass Lowell's nine combined points. Berglund led the way with a pair of goals and a helper to match his season-high set earlier this year against Miami (OH). Fornåå Svensson matched Berglund with three points off his own off one goal and two assists. The Swedish duo has had the hot hand lately, with Berglund netting four points in his last five appearances and Fornåå Svensson owning five points in his last five.
 
SENIOR SENDOFF
Prior to puck drop on Friday, the River Hawks will honor the eight members of the Class of 2023 with a senior day ceremony: Marek Korenčik, Carl Berglund, Brian Chambers, Blake Wells, Zack Kaiser, Jake Stella, Ryan Brushett and Gustavs Davis Griglas.
 
#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 17 opponent power play goals in 108 opponent opportunities across 32 games. Heading into the back half, the tune has not changed for the River Hawks, ranking ninth in the country in PK percentage (.843) 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 .538 success rate on the draw to rank sixth in the country and first in Hockey East. With 1,053 wins to their 906 losses, the River Hawks have held their opponents to just a .462 faceoff win rate through 32 games.  
 
A WIN THIS WEEKEND
Another six points are on the line this weekend with the River Hawks eager to gain ground in the Hockey East standings in their final regular season series. With a pair of wins, UMass Lowell would move to an all-time 68-52-10 mark against the Huskies. Head Coach Norm Bazin would also improve to a 15-12-3 record in his career against Northeastern. With a sweep, the River Hawks would also claim the season sweep over the Huskies after beating them earlier this year in Matthews Arena.
 
UP NEXT 
The River Hawks close out the regular season on Saturday, March 4, on the road against Northeastern. From there, the team will await their seeding for the 2023 Hockey East Tournament. The opening round is slated for Wednesday, March 8, with sites to be determined. From there, teams will advance to the Hockey East Quarterfinals on Saturday, March 11.
 

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