There were plenty of celebratory hoots and hollers coming from the UMass Lowell locker room last Saturday night in the immediate aftermath of its most recent game.
It’s safe to say the River Hawks were happy about more than just a 3-2 overtime win at New Hampshire. With four wins in their last five games, Lowell is back on track after a two-game home sweep at the hands of Alaska Anchorage on New Year’s weekend.
The two losses to the Seawolves dropped Lowell to 10-8-1 and to what coach Norm Bazin said was a “low point” for his River Hawks.
“I wasn’t very happy with our conditioning,” Bazin said. “Since then, I feel that we’re maturing as a team, as a group. I like the way we’re trending.”
Lowell now stands at 14-9-1 overall and is right in the middle of the league standings at No. 6 with an 8-5-1 mark. They now sit at No. 18 in the latest USCHO.com men’s D-I poll.
The River Hawks’ recent good fortune has seen them outscore opponents by an 18-12 margin in five games. Their only loss so far in 2023 was a 5-3 setback at Maine on Jan. 14, part of a weekend split in Orono. The overtime win over UNH on Saturday was part of a 5-point weekend against the Wildcats, having won 6-2 the previous night at the Tsongas Center.
“We’re happy to be able to get those Hockey East points,” said River Hawks senior forward (and alternate captain) Zach Kaiser. “We had a little bit of a lull after Christmas, but to get the sweep (over UNH) is huge.”
It hasn’t hurt the River Hawks to have on hand two of the best goalies in the league. Both Henry Welsch and Gustavs Grigals are in the top five leaguewide in both goals-against average (Welsch 1.57 for No. 1, Grigals 1.96 for fourth) and save percentage (Welsch .939 for No. 2, Grigals right behind at No. 3 with .935). Each have started exactly 12 games — Grigals is 8-5 while Welsch is 6-4.
“I’ve got a luxury of starting either one, and the guys believe in both,” said Bazin, who also noted he’s bullish on both starting goalies’ pro prospects. “So far, it’s been working.”
Helping the River Hawks out defensively has been sophomore Isac Jonsson. The Swede was named Hockey East defender of the week with two goals and two assists against UNH in the weekend sweep. Offensively, senior forward Carl Burglund leads Lowell in scoring with 20 points (eight goals, 12 assists).
The River Hawks’ next four opponents are all unranked — UMass, Boston College, UNH and Maine — before a home-and-home against current No. 17 Providence the weekend of Feb. 17. Bazin doesn’t expect things to be easy for his team the rest of the way.
“As everyone knows, every Hockey East weekend is a new battle,” he said. “There’s nobody that’s easy. It’s tough in Hockey East. I don’t care who you’re playing. To have a sweep in Hockey East is extraordinarily hard. That’s why I’m proud of the guys.”
If the winning trend continues, expect to hear a lot more noise coming from the Lowell locker room.
“You heard us coming through here — guys were pumped up, feeling good,” Kaiser said. “There’s a lot of urgency — guys buying in, doing the right thing, having fun with it, having confidence and keep pushing it.”
