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2021–22 UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey season

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2021–22 UMass Lowell River Hawks
men's ice hockey season
NCAA Tournament, West Regional semifinal
ConferenceT–2nd Hockey East
Home iceTsongas Center
Rankings
USCHO#12
USA Today#13
Record
Overall21–11–3
Conference15–8–1
Home13–3–3
Road8–6–0
Neutral0–2–0
Coaches and captains
Head coachNorm Bazin
Assistant coachesAndy Jones
Taylor Nelson
Tom Ford
Captain(s)Lucas Condotta
Alternate captain(s)Jon McDonald
Reid Stefanson
UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey seasons
« 2020–21 2022–23 »

The 2021–22 UMass Lowell River Hawks Men's ice hockey season was the 55th season of play for the program, the 39th season competing at the Division I level, and the 38th season in the Hockey East conference. The River Hawks represented the University of Massachusetts Lowell and were coached by Norm Bazin, in his 11th season.

Season

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Lowell got off to a great start to their season, going nine consecutive games without a loss that included four wins against ranked teams. The primary reason for the early success was from the River Hawks' defense, particularly the stellar goaltending from Owen Savory. By the end of November, Savory was among the national leaders with 1.10 goals against average and 3 shutouts through just 9 games. The hot start earned Lowell its way into the national rankings and put them on the bubble of a potential NCAA bid.

The River Hawks had their first losing weekend of the season in early December, however, because it came against the defending national champions, they weren't harmed by the results too badly. The team responded by winning each of their next five games despite taking over a month to complete that stretch. Their lofty win total put UMass Lowell into the top 10 in late January and had them on the cusp of being a shoe-in for the national tournament. Unfortunately, the River Hawks' lack of offense began to catch up with them in the second half of the season.

Over a period of about a month, from late-January to late-February, Lowell went 4–6. The team could manage more than 3 goals in just one of those games and that came against Dartmouth, one of the worst teams in the nation. The defense performed well but not nearly as stout as they had in the first half of the year. The only saving grace for the Hawks was that most of the losses were to ranked teams and did not send them plummeting down the PairWise rankings. Lowell recovered at the end of the regular season, sweeping their weekend finale and lifting themselves back into the #15 spot where they at least had a chance to make a tournament bid.

Postseason

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For finishing 2nd (tied) in the conference standings, Lowell received a bye into the quarterfinals and were set against a fairly surprising Merrimack squad. The Hawks ended up producing their best offensive effort of the season and trounced the Warriors 7–2. The win pushed the team two spots higher in the rankings and gave them a more comfortable position for a tournament bid. In the semifinal round, Lowell faced off against Massachusetts. A win would not only send them to the conference championship but would likely guarantee the Hawks a tournament bid. The defense was again a strength, limiting the Minutemen to just 19 shots, but Lowell could not get on track offensively and ended up losing 1–3. Fortunately, because several underdog teams lost in the semifinal round, Lowel's position as the #13 team was assured an appearance in the NCAA tournament.

The River Hawks played in their first tournament in five years and opened against Denver, the #3 overall seed. Lucas Condotta got the Hawks on the board first and the team seemed to carry the balance of play, though they couldn't stop the Pioneers from tying the game near the end of the period. Lowell managed to kill of three separate penalties in the middle frame, a solid achievement against one of the strongest power plays in the nation. All that work, however, kept the Hawks on the defensive and Denver pressed Savory hard. Mid-way through the third, they finally got their first lead of the game on a shot from Carter Savoie. The River Hawks didn't surrender and immediately set about tying the game once more. In less than five minutes, Connor Sodergren netted the River Hawks' second goal and gave hope that Lowell could pull off the upset in front of the partisan crowd. With just under three minutes to play, Cameron Wright deflected a puck out of mid-air through Savory and took all the momentum away from the Hawks. In spite of a furious charge to get a third goal, Lowell ran out of time and their season came to a close.

Departures

[edit]
Player Position Nationality Cause
Seth Barton Defenseman  Canada Signed professional contract (Detroit Red Wings)
Anthony Baxter Forward  United States Graduate transfer to Rensselaer
Chase Blackmun Defenseman  United States Transferred to Notre Dame
Matt Brown Forward  United States Transferred to Boston University
Charles Levesque Forward  Canada Graduation (signed with Hockey Club de Cergy-Pontoise)
Benjamin McEvoy Goaltender  United States Left program (retired)
Logan Neaton Goaltender  United States Transferred to Miami
Austin O'Rourke Forward  United States Left program (retired)
Theodor Pištěk Forward  Czech Republic Left mid-season (signed with Kristianstads IK)
Dominick Procopio Defenseman  United States Signed professional contract (Huntsville Havoc)
Nolan Sawchuk Defenseman  United States Transferred to St. Thomas

Recruiting

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Player Position Nationality Age Notes
Nick Austin Defenseman  United States 23 St. Louis Park, MN; graduate transfer from Colgate
Gabe Blanchard Defenseman  United States 21 East Aurora, NY
Ryan Brushett Forward  Canada 23 Verdun, QC; transfer from Omaha
Owen Cole Forward  Canada 21 Dunnville, ON
Matt Crasa Forward  United States 20 New York, NY
Isac Jonsson Defenseman  Sweden 21 Ängelholm, SWE
Edvard Nordlund Goaltender  Sweden 20 Stockholm, SWE
Stefan Owens Forward  United States 21 Midlothian, VA
Theo Pištěk Forward  Czech Republic 20 Tabor, CZE

Roster

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As of August 12, 2021.[1]

No. S/P/C Player Class Pos Height Weight DoB Hometown Previous team NHL rights
1 Sweden Edvard Nordlund Freshman G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 176 lb (80 kg) 2001-07-12 Nacka, Sweden Danbury (NAHL)
4 Michigan Sam Knoblauch Senior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 1998-02-15 Rochester, Michigan Carleton Place (CCHL)
5 Ontario Owen Cole Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 2000-01-29 Dunnville, Ontario Brooks (AJHL)
6 Sweden Isac Jonsson Freshman D 5' 10" (1.78 m) 173 lb (78 kg) 2000-10-08 Ängelholm, Sweden Tri-City (USHL)
7 British Columbia Jordan Schulting Junior D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1999-08-06 Penticton, British Columbia Coquitlam (BCHL)
8 Virginia Nik Armstrong-Kingkade Sophomore F 5' 9" (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-05-01 Alexandria, Virginia Minot (NAHL)
9 Manitoba Reid Stefanson (A) Senior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-02-20 Winnipeg, Manitoba Sioux Falls (USHL)
10 Minnesota Brehdan Engum Sophomore D 6' 2" (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 2000-08-10 Burnsville, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL)
11 Michigan Jon McDonald (A) Senior D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-06-15 Livonia, Michigan Fargo (USHL)
12 Minnesota Nick Austin Graduate D 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1997-11-17 St. Louis Park, Minnesota Colgate (ECAC)
13 Alberta Matt Kinash Sophomore F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1999-12-15 Edmonton, Alberta Drayton Valley (AJHL)
14 Massachusetts Ben Meehan Sophomore D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 2001-04-20 Walpole, Massachusetts Cedar Rapids (USHL) LAK, 140th overall 2020
15 Tennessee Jackson Sterrett Sophomore F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 183 lb (83 kg) 1999-06-24 Hendersonville, Tennessee Maryland (NAHL)
16 New York (state) Gabe Blanchard Freshman D 6' 0" (1.83 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-09-15 East Aurora, New York Sioux City (USHL)
17 Slovakia Marek Korenčík Junior D 6' 3" (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-07-19 Žilina, Slovakia Luleå J20 (J20 SuperElit)
18 Sweden Carl Berglund Sophomore F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-01-16 Hammarö, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL)
19 British Columbia Josh Latta Junior F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-08-14 West Vancouver, British Columbia Alabama Huntsville (WCHA)
20 Oklahoma Matt Allen Sophomore F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 168 lb (76 kg) 2000-05-13 Minco, Oklahoma Amarillo (NAHL)
21 Massachusetts Brian Chambers Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-07-24 Weymouth, Massachusetts Sioux Falls (USHL)
22 Alberta Blake Wells Junior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 200 lb (91 kg) 1999-08-02 Blackie, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL)
23 Ontario Zach Kaiser Junior F 6' 1" (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) 1998-09-06 Orangeville, Ontario Sherwood Park (AJHL)
24 Ontario Lucas Condotta (C) Senior F 6' 2" (1.88 m) 209 lb (95 kg) 1997-11-06 Georgetown, Ontario Markham (OJHL)
25 New York (state) Matt Crasa Freshman F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 2001-03-04 South Setauket, New York Fargo (USHL)
26 Sweden Andre Lee Junior F 6' 4" (1.93 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 2000-07-26 Karlstad, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL) LAK, 188th overall 2019
27 Virginia Stefan Owens Freshman F 5' 10" (1.78 m) 169 lb (77 kg) 2000-04-24 Midlothian, Virginia Maine (NAHL)
28 Massachusetts Connor Sodergren Graduate F 5' 11" (1.8 m) 190 lb (86 kg) 1996-09-11 Tewksbury, Massachusetts West Kelowna (BCHL)
29 Quebec Ryan Brushett Junior F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1998-06-14 Montreal, Quebec Omaha (NCHC)
31 Ontario Owen Savory Senior G 6' 0" (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 1997-10-11 Cambridge, Ontario RPI (ECAC)
33 Minnesota Henry Welsch Sophomore G 6' 2" (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) 2000-11-17 Lakeville, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL)
34 Czech Republic Theo Pištěk Freshman F 6' 0" (1.83 m) 187 lb (85 kg) 2001-06-26 Tábor, Czech Republic Örebro J20 (J20 Nationell)

Standings

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Conference record Overall record
GP W L T OTW OTL SOW PTS GF GA GP W L T GF GA
#12 Northeastern 24 15 8 1 1 1 1 47 68 46 39 25 13 1 99 68
#10 Massachusetts * 24 14 8 2 2 3 1 46 77 54 37 22 13 2 117 88
#13 Massachusetts Lowell 24 15 8 1 1 0 1 46 62 48 35 21 11 3 102 74
#19 Connecticut 24 14 10 0 2 1 0 41 73 61 36 20 16 0 109 89
Boston University 24 13 8 3 3 2 0 41 69 58 35 19 13 3 107 89
Merrimack 24 13 11 0 1 3 0 41 70 70 35 19 15 1 109 99
#20 Providence 24 12 11 1 1 1 1 38 61 52 38 22 14 2 118 82
Boston College 24 9 12 3 0 1 1 32 67 77 38 15 18 5 114 123
New Hampshire 24 8 15 1 2 2 0 25 47 71 34 14 19 1 76 95
Vermont 24 6 16 2 3 1 2 20 41 72 35 8 25 2 59 101
Maine 24 5 17 2 2 3 1 19 54 80 33 7 22 4 74 111
Championship: March 19, 2022
† indicates regular season champion
* indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy)
Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll

Schedule and results

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Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Decision Result Attendance Record
Regular season
October 2 9:05 PM at Arizona State* Oceanside Ice ArenaTempe, Arizona   Welsch L 3–5  790 0–1–0
October 3 6:05 PM at Arizona State* Oceanside Ice ArenaTempe, Arizona   Savory W 4–2  814 1–1–0
October 22 7:15 PM Michigan State* Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory T 2–2 OT 4,658 1–1–1
October 23 6:05 PM Michigan State* Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Welsch W 4–0  3,468 2–1–1
October 29 7:30 PM at #19 Boston University Agganis ArenaBoston, Massachusetts   Savory W 3–0  2,941 3–1–1 (1–0–0)
October 30 7:30 PM #19 Boston University Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory W 2–1  4,363 4–1–1 (2–0–0)
November 3 7:15 PM Long Island* #19 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Welsch T 3–3 OT 2,633 4–1–2
November 12 7:15 PM #17 Northeastern #20 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN+ Savory W 2–1 OT 4,986 5–1–2 (3–0–0)
November 13 6:05 PM #16 Boston College #20 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory W 4–2  5,215 6–1–2 (4–0–0)
November 20 6:05 PM Connecticut #15 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN Savory W 3–0  5,025 7–1–2 (5–0–0)
November 21 3:35 PM at Connecticut #15 XL CenterHartford, Connecticut   Savory L 1–2  3,066 7–2–2 (5–1–0)
November 27 5:00 PM vs. Maine #15 Cross Insurance ArenaPortland, Maine   Savory W 2–0  4,176 8–2–2 (6–1–0)
December 3 7:15 PM #14 Massachusetts #15 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN Savory T 4–4 SOW 6,289 8–2–3 (6–1–1)
December 4 7:00 PM at #14 Massachusetts #15 Mullins CenterAmherst, Massachusetts   Welsch L 2–3  5,423 8–3–3 (6–2–1)
December 10 7:05 PM at Vermont #15 Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, Vermont   Savory W 3–0  2,796 9–3–3 (7–2–1)
December 11 7;05 PM at Vermont #15 Gutterson FieldhouseBurlington, Vermont   Savory W 2–1  2,862 10–3–3 (8–2–1)
December 29 7:00 PM at St. Lawrence* #15 Appleton ArenaCanton, New York   Savory W 3–2  727 11–3–3
January 14 7:15 PM Maine #12 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory W 5–3  4,217 12–3–3 (9–2–1)
January 15 6:05 PM Maine #12 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN Savory W 4–3  3,013 13–3–3 (10–2–1)
January 21 7:00 PM at Merrimack #10 J. Thom Lawler RinkNorth Andover, Massachusetts   Savory L 1–3  2,471 13–4–3 (10–3–1)
January 22 6:05 PM Merrimack #10 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Welsch L 2–3  5,471 13–5–3 (10–4–1)
January 28 7:35 PM at #15 Northeastern #14 Matthews ArenaBoston, Massachusetts   Savory W 2–1  2,722 14–5–3 (11–4–1)
January 30 1:05 PM #9 Massachusetts #14 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory L 3–4  3,745 14–6–3 (11–5–1)
February 4 7:00 PM at Boston College #14 Conte ForumChestnut Hill, Massachusetts   Savory W 3–2  3,843 15–6–3 (12–5–1)
February 5 7:05 PM Dartmouth* #14 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts NESN+ Savory W 6–3  4,375 16–6–3
February 11 7:15 PM #15 Northeastern #13 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory L 2–4  4,344 16–7–3 (12–6–1)
February 13 2:05 PM at New Hampshire #13 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire   Welsch L 0–3  3,870 16–8–3 (12–7–1)
February 18 7:15 PM #19 Providence #16 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory W 3–2  4,243 17–8–3 (13–7–1)
February 19 7:00 PM at #19 Providence #16 Schneider ArenaProvidence, Rhode Island   Savory L 2–3  2,453 17–9–3 (13–8–1)
February 25 7:15 PM Long Island* #16 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory W 5–1  3,512 18–9–3
March 4 7:05 PM at New Hampshire #16 Whittemore CenterDurham, New Hampshire   Savory W 6–3  6,003 19–9–3 (14–8–1)
March 5 6:05 PM New Hampshire #16 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts   Savory W 1–0  6,234 20–9–3 (15–8–1)
Hockey East Tournament
March 12 7:00 PM Merrimack* #14 Tsongas CenterLowell, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal)   Savory W 7–2  5,782 21–9–3
March 18 7:30 PM vs. #11 Massachusetts* #13 TD GardenBoston, Massachusetts (Semifinal) NESN Savory L 1–3  13,106 21–10–3
NCAA Tournament
March 24 9:00 PM vs. #3 Denver* #13 Budweiser Events CenterLoveland, Colorado (West Regional semifinal) ESPNU Savory L 2–3  3,138 21–11–3
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time.
Source:[2]

Scoring statistics

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Name Position Games Goals Assists Points PIM
Andre Lee C/LW 34 16 12 28 50
Carl Berglund C/RW 33 9 19 28 8
Lucas Condotta LW 33 10 13 23 25
Ryan Brushett C 35 8 14 22 4
Matthew Crasa C/RW 35 12 9 21 12
Reid Stefanson LW 34 8 12 20 8
Nicholas Austin D 35 1 16 17 16
Connor Sodergren F 35 7 8 15 24
Ben Meehan D 33 5 9 14 54
Brian Chambers RW 33 3 8 11 10
Owen Cole C/LW 22 3 7 10 0
Jonathan McDonald D 35 1 9 10 10
Isac Jonsson D 33 0 10 10 4
Zach Kaiser LW 33 4 5 9 12
Blake Wells F 29 3 5 8 20
Brehdan Engum D 32 2 6 8 39
Samuel Knoblauch RW 19 0 7 7 2
Marek Korenčík D 28 3 3 6 14
Nik Armstrong-Kingkade F 27 4 1 5 8
Jordan Schulting D 25 1 2 3 4
Matt Allen F 3 1 0 1 0
Stefan Owens F 13 1 0 1 0
Josh Latta F 3 0 1 1 0
Owen Savory G 29 0 1 1 2
Theodor Pistek LW/RW 1 0 0 0 0
Jackson Sterrett F 1 0 0 0 0
Edvard Nordlund G 1 0 0 0 0
Henry Welsch G 6 0 0 0 0
Gabriel Blanchard D 19 0 0 0 6
Total 102 177 279 332

[3]

Goaltending statistics

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Name Games Minutes Wins Losses Ties Goals Against Saves Shut Outs SV % GAA
Owen Savory 29 1738 20 7 2 56 696 5 .926 1.93
Henry Welsch 6 361 1 4 1 16 134 1 .893 2.66
Empty Net - 16 - - - 2 - - - -
Total 35 2116 21 11 3 74 830 6 .918 2.10

Rankings

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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 (Final)
USCHO.com NR NR NR NR NR 19 20 15 15 15 15 15 12 12 10 14 14 13 16 16 16 14 13 13 - 12
USA Today NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR 15 15 14 12 12 9 14 15 13 NR NR NR 14 13 13 12 13

Note: USCHO did not release a poll in week 24.[4]

Awards and honors

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Player Award Ref
Owen Savory Hockey East Second Team [5]
Carl Berglund Hockey East Third Team [5]
Andre Lee
Matt Crasa Hockey East Rookie Team [6]

References

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  1. ^ "2019–20 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". UMass Lowell River Hawks. Retrieved August 17, 2017.
  2. ^ "UMass Lowell 2021-22 Team Schedule". College Hockey Inc. Retrieved February 2, 2022.
  3. ^ "UMass-Lowell 2021-2022 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved July 2, 2020.
  4. ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved November 26, 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Hockey East Names 2021-22 Men's All-Star Teams". Hockey East. March 11, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.
  6. ^ "Hockey East Names Men's Pro Ambitions All-Rookie Team". Hockey East. March 9, 2022. Retrieved March 16, 2022.