Success is the norm for the UMass Lowell men’s hockey team, and the 2022-23 campaign was no exception. A gritty season earned the River Hawks an 18-15-3 (11-10-3 HEA) mark as they returned to the Hockey East Semifinals for the third-consecutive year, proving once again that the Men of Lowell have the will and the way of rising to the occasion.

The River Hawks racked up accomplishments during the 2022-23 season, including a spot in the national rankings for 21 consecutive weeks. The team also stood amongst the nation’s best in several statistical categories, including scoring defense (2.28 GAA – 8th NCAA, 1st HEA), faceoff percentage (.533 – 6th NCAA, 1st HEA), and penalty killing percentage (.842 – 11th NCAA, 3rd HEA).   

For the second time since the tournament’s inception, the River Hawks went back to Belfast, Northern Ireland, for the return of the Friendship Four. The team spent the week touring the sights and sharing the game with the local community before dropping the puck on game one against familiar rivals UMass at SSE Arena.

The River Hawks closed out the first half on a high note after returning stateside, taking down UMass in a thrilling shootout before earning a 3-2 win over Dartmouth on the road to cap the first half.

Coming off the holidays, UMass Lowell regrouped before going 5-1-0 across January, picking up wins over AIC, Maine, New Hampshire, and Massachusetts. 

Grigals played an integral role in the goal for the River Hawks, picking up a 4-1-0 mark, a 1.81 GAA, and a .939 save percentage in his five appearances. For his efforts, he was named the Stop It Goaltending Goaltender of the Month.

As the fifth seed, the River Hawks had the luxury of a midweek bye before sending off to Storrs, Conn., to face off against the No. 4 seed UConn in the quarterfinal round. An exhilarating two-goal first period thanks to Blake Wells and Owen Cole helped UMass Lowell jump out to a 2-0 lead heading into the second. 

The River Hawks stint in Boston was nothing short of thrilling. A deadlocked game through the opening two periods, Merrimack got the jump with a 1-0 lead just 9:34 into the third. UMass Lowell refused to go down without a fight, however, as freshman Scout Truman notched the game-tying goal to force overtime with 31.1 seconds remaining in regulation. It took until the second overtime for the game to be decided, with the Warriors earning the win after over 90 minutes of action.

The end of the season only brought about more wins for the River Hawks in the form of signings and postseason honors. Graduate students Jon McDonald and Gustavs Davis Grigals were tabbed to the Hockey East All-Star Third Team after their incredible campaigns.

Carl Berglund, Zach Kaiser, Jon McDonald, Marek Korencik and Gustavs Davis Grigals all took their game to the next level after inking professional contracts to add to the long list of River Hawks in the pros.

In one final celebration of the 2022-23 season, the River Hawks gathered for their annual Awards Banquet to honor the team’s accomplishments and hand out the team’s awards. In total, seven River Hawks earned individual accolades spanning from Team MVP to Most Improved to the Unsung Hero of the 2022-23 campaign.