2022–23 UMass Lowell River Hawks
men's ice hockey season
Conference5th Hockey East
Home iceTsongas Center
Rankings
USCHONR
USA TodayNR
Record
Overall18–15–3
Conference11–9–3
Home10–5–2
Road7–8–1
Neutral1–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachNorm Bazin
Assistant coachesAndy Jones
Taylor Nelson
Tom Ford
Captain(s)Carl Berglund
Jon McDonald
Alternate captain(s)Zach Kaiser
Blake Wells
UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2021–22 2023–24 »

The 2022–23 UMass Lowell River Hawks Men's ice hockey season was the 56th season of play for the program, the 40th competing at the Division I level and 39th in Hockey East. The River Hawks represented the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, were coached by Norm Bazin in his 12th season and played their home games at Tsongas Center.

Season

Despite a great deal of roster turnover, the River Hawks were expected to compete for the NCAA tournament. While the loss of starter Owen Savory would be difficult to overcome, the addition of grad transfer Gustavs Dāvis Grigals was expected to soften the blow. Grigals did perform well for Lowell while understudy Henry Welsch also shone when given the chance. Unfortunately, the Hawk's offense, which had only been average last year, worsened when the scoring of Andre Lee and Lucas Condotta could not be fully replaced.

Lowell hovered around the .500 mark for most of the season but stayed on the positive side the entire time. Early on, that served the team well as Hockey East sat high in the rankings. Even with just an okay record of 10–6–1, Lowell was above the cutoff line for the NCAA tournament when they stopped for the winter break. The team's chances was dealt a heavy blow upon their return to the ice when they were swept at home by Alaska Anchorage, a team that was playing its first hockey in nearly three years. Lowell dropped 13 places in the rankings, settling in the high-20s and needed a strong second half to recover. They started out well, going 5–1 in their next six games but the River Hawks slumped in the later portion of the season, winning just 2 out of their final 9 matches. To make matters worse, seemingly the entire conference fell apart in the second half of the year and Lowell received less credit for their wins as time went on.

By the end of the regular season, Lowell was sitting well outside of the NCAA bubble and would likely need to win the Hockey East championship to make an appearance. While the team was fortunate enough to receive a bye into the conference quarterfinals, they still had to travel for their match. The River Hawks met Connecticut, who were also fighting for their postseason lives, and the team had a tall task to reach the semifinals. Luckily, Lowell got off to a good start and scored twice in the first period. Carrying a 2–0 lead into the second, the Hawks played defense the rest of the game, only getting 5 shots on goal, but the maneuver worked and UMass Lowell escaped with a 2–1 win. In the next round, Merrimack too had to win to keep their season alive and Warriors showed great desperation early in the game. Merrimack outshot Lowell 22–7 in the first 40 minutes but, thanks to a stellar effort from Grigals, neither team was able to score. The Warriors finally broke through with about 10 minutes to play and caused Lowell to throw caution to the wind and begin their own attack. The River Hawk offense finally showed some life and were able to get the tying goal with just 31 second left in regulation. Lowell continued to get their chances once overtime began but could not beat Zachary Borgiel. In third minutes of extra hockey, UML outshot Merrimack 19–12 but it was the Warriors who managed to nab the game-winner and Lowell would have to wait for another year.[1]

Departures

Player Position Nationality Cause
Matt AllenForward United StatesTransferred to Alaska Anchorage
Nick AustinDefenseman United StatesGraduation (retired)
Lucas CondottaForward CanadaGraduation (signed with Montreal Canadiens)
Matt KinashForward CanadaTransferred to Alaska Anchorage
Sam KnoblauchForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Josh LattaForward CanadaTransferred to Bentley
Andre LeeForward SwedenSigned professional contract (Los Angeles Kings)
Owen SavoryGoaltender CanadaGraduation (signed with Laval Rocket)
Jordan SchultingDefenseman CanadaTransferred to Bentley
Connor SodergrenForward United StatesGraduation (retired)
Reid StefansonForward CanadaGraduation (signed with Maine Mariners)
Jackson SterrettForward United StatesLeft program (retired)

Recruiting

Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Mitchell BeckerDefenseman United States21Rogers, MN
Dillan BentleyForward United States21Peoria, IL
Jack CollinsForward United States20Canton, NY
Mark CooperDefenseman Canada21Dunnville, ON
Filip Fornåå SvenssonForward Sweden23Linköping, SWE; transfer from Alaska
Owen FowlerForward United States20Tewksbury, MA
Gustavs Dāvis GrigalsGoaltender Latvia24Riga, LAT; graduate transfer from Alaska
Nick RhéaumeForward Canada20Sherbrooke, QC
T. J. SchweighardtDefenseman United States21Wayne, NJ
Jake StellaForward Sweden23Karlstad, SWE; transfer from American International
Roc TrumanForward Canada21Lethbridge, AB
Scout TrumanForward Canada19Lethbridge, AB

Roster

As of September 14, 2022.[2]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Sweden Edvard Nordlund Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2001-07-12 Nacka, Sweden Danbury (NAHL)
2 Minnesota Mitchell Becker Freshman D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 220 lb (100 kg) 2001-05-24 Rogers, Minnesota New Mexico (NAHL)
4 New Jersey T. J. Schweighardt Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 2001-03-15 Wayne, New Jersey Youngstown (USHL)
5 Ontario Owen Cole Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 2000-01-29 Dunnville, Ontario Brooks (AJHL)
6 Sweden Isac Jonsson Sophomore D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 2000-10-08 Ängelholm, Sweden Tri-City (USHL)
7 Ontario Mark Cooper Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-03-01 Cambridge, Ontario Hawkesbury (CCHL)
8 Germany Nik Armstrong-Kingkade Junior F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-05-01 Mannheim, Germany Minot (NAHL)
9 New York (state) Jack Collins Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2001-11-13 Canton, New York Lone Star (NAHL)
10 Minnesota Brehdan Engum Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2000-08-10 Burnsville, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL)
11 Michigan Jon McDonald (C) Graduate D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-06-15 Livonia, Michigan Fargo (USHL)
12 Alberta Roc Truman Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2001-04-25 Lethbridge, Alberta Camrose (AJHL)
13 Sweden Filip Fornåå Svensson Graduate F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 1999-01-05 Linköping, Sweden Alaska (NCAA)
14 Massachusetts Ben Meehan Junior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-04-20 Walpole, Massachusetts Cedar Rapids (USHL) LAK, 140th overall 2020
16 Massachusetts Owen Fowler Freshman F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 182 lb (83 kg) 2002-06-04 Tewksbury, Massachusetts Sioux City (USHL)
17 Slovakia Marek Korenčík Senior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-07-19 Žilina, Slovakia Luleå J20 (J20 SuperElit)
18 Sweden Carl Berglund (C) Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-01-16 Hammarö, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL)
19 Illinois Dillan Bentley Freshman F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-03-31 Peoria, Illinois New Mexico (NAHL)
21 Massachusetts Brian Chambers Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-07-24 Weymouth, Massachusetts Sioux Falls (USHL)
22 Alberta Blake Wells (A) Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-08-02 Blackie, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL)
23 Ontario Zach Kaiser (A) Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-09-06 Orangeville, Ontario Sherwood Park (AJHL)
24 Alberta Scout Truman Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2002-10-15 Lethbridge, Alberta Des Moines (USHL)
25 New York (state) Matt Crasa Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-03-04 South Setauket, New York Fargo (USHL)
26 Quebec Nick Rhéaume Freshman F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 2002-05-02 Trois-Rivières, Quebec Prince George (BCHL)
27 Virginia Stefan Owens Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 169 lb (77 kg) 2000-04-24 Midlothian, Virginia Maine (NAHL)
28 Sweden Jake Stella Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 1998-11-14 Karlstad, Sweden American International (AHA)
29 Quebec Ryan Brushett Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-06-14 Montreal, Quebec Omaha (NCHC)
30 Latvia Gustavs Dāvis Grigals Graduate G 6' 1" (1.85 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1998-07-22 Riga, Latvia Alaska (NCAA)
33 Minnesota Henry Welsch Junior G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-11-17 Lakeville, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL)
77 New York (state) Gabe Blanchard Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-09-15 East Aurora, New York Sioux City (USHL)

Standings

Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#4 Boston University †*2418602205499624029110154106
#14 Merrimack241680240507252382314110689
#16 Northeastern241473022497845351713510782
Connecticut241392422417871352012311396
Massachusetts Lowell241110322339565436181538982
Maine24911411132626536151659294
Providence24996302326460371614710387
Boston College2481150013070733614166104104
Massachusetts247143132285580351317594103
New Hampshire246153222234476351120374105
Vermont245163211183676361120569103
Championship: March 18, 2023
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

DateTimeOpponent#Rank#SiteTVDecisionResultAttendanceRecord
Regular Season
October 1 6:05 PM St. Lawrence* #17 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 4–0  5,580 1–0–0
October 7 7:15 PM Miami* #15 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch L 1–3  4,225 1–1–0
October 8 6:05 PM Miami* #15 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 4–2  3,593 2–1–0
October 13 7:00 PM at Michigan State* #16 Munn Ice ArenaEast Lansing, MichiganBTN+ Grigals L 3–4  4,419 2–2–0
October 14 7:30 PM at Michigan State* #16 Munn Ice ArenaEast Lansing, MichiganBTN+ Welsch W 3–2  5,133 3–2–0
October 22 7:00 PM at #12 Northeastern #19 Matthews ArenaBoston, MassachusettsNESN, ESPN+ Welsch W 3–2  2,387 4–2–0 (1–0–0)
October 28 7:15 PM #9 Boston University #18 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch W 2–1  5,040 5–2–0 (2–0–0)
October 29 7:00 PM at #9 Boston University #18 Agganis ArenaBoston, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals L 1–2 OT 3,119 5–3–0 (2–1–0)
November 4 7:15 PM Vermont #17 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch W 4–0  4,152 6–3–0 (3–1–0)
November 5 6:05 PM Vermont #17 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch W 2–0  4,390 7–3–0 (4–1–0)
November 15 7:00 PM at Boston College #13 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch L 2–3  3,002 7–4–0 (4–2–0)
November 18 7:15 PM #7 Connecticut #13 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 3–2 OT 4,806 8–4–0 (5–2–0)
November 19 3:35 PM at #7 Connecticut #13 XL CenterHartford, ConnecticutESPN+ Welsch L 2–4  3,665 8–5–0 (5–3–0)
Friendship Four
November 25 2:00 PM vs. #17 Massachusetts* #14 SSE Arena BelfastBelfast, Northern Ireland (Friendship Four Semifinal)  Grigals L 1–2  5,487 8–6–0
November 26 10:00 AM vs. Dartmouth* #14 SSE Arena BelfastBelfast, Northern Ireland (Friendship Four Consolation Game)  Grigals W 4–3  5,513 9–6–0
Regular Season
December 3 7:00 PM at #15 Massachusetts #16 Mullins CenterAmherst, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals T 1–1 SOW 5,579 9–6–1 (5–3–1)
December 9 7:00 PM at Dartmouth* #14 Thompson ArenaHanover, New HampshireESPN+ Grigals W 3–2  1,511 10–6–1
December 30 6:05 PM Alaska Anchorage* #13 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch L 2–4  4,483 10–7–1
December 31 4:05 PM Alaska Anchorage* #13 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals L 2–3  3,543 10–8–1
January 7 1:05 PM at American International* #17 MassMutual CenterSpringfield, MassachusettsFloHockey Grigals W 4–2  449 11–8–1
January 13 7:00 PM at Maine #16 Alfond ArenaOrono, MaineESPN+ Grigals W 2–1  3,150 12–8–1 (6–3–1)
January 14 7:00 PM at Maine #16 Alfond ArenaOrono, MaineESPN+ Grigals L 3–5  4,039 12–9–1 (6–4–1)
January 20 7:15 PM New Hampshire #19 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 6–2  6,016 13–9–1 (7–4–1)
January 21 7:00 PM at New Hampshire #19 Whittemore CenterDurham, New HampshireESPN+ Welsch W 3–2  4,237 14–9–1 (8–4–1)
January 27 7:15 PM Massachusetts #18 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 1–0  6,339 15–9–1 (9–4–1)
February 3 7:15 PM Boston College #16 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals T 2–2 SOW - 15–9–2 (9–4–2)
February 4 6:05 PM New Hampshire #16 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals L 4–5  5,252 15–10–2 (9–5–2)
February 12 2:05 PM Maine #17 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch T 1–1 SOW 4,019 15–10–3 (9–5–3)
February 17 7:00 PM at Providence #18 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode IslandESPN+ Welsch L 2–3 OT 2,626 15–11–3 (9–6–3)
February 18 6:05 PM Providence #18 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 2–1  4,675 16–11–3 (10–6–3)
February 24 7:15 PM #17 Merrimack #19 Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsNESN, ESPN+ Grigals L 3–5  5,025 16–12–3 (10–7–3)
February 25 7:00 PM at #17 Merrimack #19 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, MassachusettsESPN+ Welsch L 0–2  5,025 16–13–3 (10–8–3)
March 3 7:15 PM #15 Northeastern Tsongas CenterLowell, MassachusettsESPN+ Grigals W 3–1  5,394 17–13–3 (11–8–3)
March 4 7:00 PM at #15 Northeastern Matthews ArenaBoston, MassachusettsNESN, ESPN+ Grigals L 3–7  2,539 17–14–3 (11–9–3)
Hockey East Tournament
March 11 4:00 PM at #19 Connecticut* Toscano Family Ice ForumStorrs, Connecticut (Quarterfinal)NESN+, ESPN+ Grigals W 2–1  2,691 18–14–3
March 11 7:30 PM vs. #14 Merrimack* #20 TD GardenBoston, Massachusetts (Semifinal)NESN, ESPN+ Grigals L 1–2 2OT 13,187 18–15–3
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[3]

Scoring statistics

Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Carl BerglundC3612152712
Jonathan McDonaldD353172014
Brian ChambersRW288111912
Isac JonssonD34512176
Ben MeehanD344131743
Zach KaiserC/LW30881610
Scout TrumanLW34861410
Owen ColeC3368146
Jake StellaLW3649134
Filip Fornåå SvenssonC/RW28661212
Owen FowlerLW33571218
Matthew CrasaC/RW31281016
Ryan BrushettC24191012
Marek KorenčíkD3635832
Dillan BentleyF222354
Gabriel BlanchardD3423529
Brehdan EngumD3614514
Nick RhéaumeC/LW273142
Blake WellsF222136
Mitchell BeckerD211238
Stefan OwensF262022
T. J. SchweighardtD181122
Jack CollinsF1201119
Edvard NordlundG10000
Mark CooperD20000
Nik Armstrong-KingkadeF0000
Henry WelschG160000
Gustavs Dāvis GrigalsG240000
Total89150239281

[4]

Goaltending statistics

Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Gustavs Dāvis Grigals241406:281292485862.9242.05
Henry Welsch16774:07661293182.9162.25
Edvard Nordlund120:00000240.6676.00
Empty Net-20:14---3----
Total362220:4918153829084.9172.22

Rankings

Poll Week
Pre 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 (Final)
USCHO.com 17 - 15 16 19 18 17 16 13 14 16 14 13 - 17 16 19 18 16 17 18 19 NR NR 20 NR - NR
USA Today 16 16 15 16 20 18 17 16 14 13 16 15 13 13 19 20 20 19 15 20 19 20 NR NR NR NR NR NR

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 1, 13, or 26.[5]

Awards and honors

Player Award Ref
Gustavs Dāvis Grigals Hockey East Third Team [6]
Jon McDonald

References

  1. "FRIDAY, MARCH 17, 2023". College Hockey Inc. March 17, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  2. "2022–23 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". UMass Lowell River Hawks. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  3. "2022-23 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule". UMass Lowell River Hawks. Retrieved August 28, 2022.
  4. "UMass-Lowell 2022-2023 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  5. "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  6. "HOCKEY EAST NAMES 2022-23 MEN'S ALL-STAR TEAMS". Hockey East. March 10, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
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