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

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

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

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

| 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

| 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

As of August 12, 2021.

## Standings

2021–22 Hockey East Standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall 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

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| October 2 | 9:05 PM | at Arizona State* | | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Welsch | L 3–5 | 790 | 0–1–0 |
| October 3 | 6:05 PM | at Arizona State* | | Oceanside Ice Arena • Tempe, Arizona | | Savory | W 4–2 | 814 | 1–1–0 |
| October 22 | 7:15 PM | Michigan State* | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 4,658 | 1–1–1 |
| October 23 | 6:05 PM | Michigan State* | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Welsch | W 4–0 | 3,468 | 2–1–1 |
| October 29 | 7:30 PM | at #19 Boston University | | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 3–0 | 2,941 | 3–1–1 (1–0–0) |
| October 30 | 7:30 PM | #19 Boston University | | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 2–1 | 4,363 | 4–1–1 (2–0–0) |
| November 3 | 7:15 PM | Long Island* | #19 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Welsch | T 3–3 $^{OT}$ | 2,633 | 4–1–2 |
| November 12 | 7:15 PM | #17 Northeastern | #20 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, 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 Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 4–2 | 5,215 | 6–1–2 (4–0–0) |
| November 20 | 6:05 PM | Connecticut | #15 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | NESN | Savory | W 3–0 | 5,025 | 7–1–2 (5–0–0) |
| November 21 | 3:35 PM | at Connecticut | #15 | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | | Savory | L 1–2 | 3,066 | 7–2–2 (5–1–0) |
| November 27 | 5:00 PM | vs. Maine | #15 | Cross Insurance Arena • Portland, Maine | | Savory | W 2–0 | 4,176 | 8–2–2 (6–1–0) |
| December 3 | 7:15 PM | #14 Massachusetts | #15 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, 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 Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | | Welsch | L 2–3 | 5,423 | 8–3–3 (6–2–1) |
| December 10 | 7:05 PM | at Vermont | #15 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | | Savory | W 3–0 | 2,796 | 9–3–3 (7–2–1) |
| December 11 | 7;05 PM | at Vermont | #15 | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | | Savory | W 2–1 | 2,862 | 10–3–3 (8–2–1) |
| December 29 | 7:00 PM | at St. Lawrence* | #15 | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | | Savory | W 3–2 | 727 | 11–3–3 |
| January 14 | 7:15 PM | Maine | #12 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 5–3 | 4,217 | 12–3–3 (9–2–1) |
| January 15 | 6:05 PM | Maine | #12 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, 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 Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | | Savory | L 1–3 | 2,471 | 13–4–3 (10–3–1) |
| January 22 | 6:05 PM | Merrimack | #10 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Welsch | L 2–3 | 5,471 | 13–5–3 (10–4–1) |
| January 28 | 7:35 PM | at #15 Northeastern | #14 | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 2–1 | 2,722 | 14–5–3 (11–4–1) |
| January 30 | 1:05 PM | #9 Massachusetts | #14 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | L 3–4 | 3,745 | 14–6–3 (11–5–1) |
| February 4 | 7:00 PM | at Boston College | #14 | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 3–2 | 3,843 | 15–6–3 (12–5–1) |
| February 5 | 7:05 PM | Dartmouth* | #14 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | NESN+ | Savory | W 6–3 | 4,375 | 16–6–3 |
| February 11 | 7:15 PM | #15 Northeastern | #13 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | L 2–4 | 4,344 | 16–7–3 (12–6–1) |
| February 13 | 2:05 PM | at New Hampshire | #13 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | | Welsch | L 0–3 | 3,870 | 16–8–3 (12–7–1) |
| February 18 | 7:15 PM | #19 Providence | #16 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 3–2 | 4,243 | 17–8–3 (13–7–1) |
| February 19 | 7:00 PM | at #19 Providence | #16 | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | | Savory | L 2–3 | 2,453 | 17–9–3 (13–8–1) |
| February 25 | 7:15 PM | Long Island* | #16 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 5–1 | 3,512 | 18–9–3 |
| March 4 | 7:05 PM | at New Hampshire | #16 | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | | Savory | W 6–3 | 6,003 | 19–9–3 (14–8–1) |
| March 5 | 6:05 PM | New Hampshire | #16 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | | Savory | W 1–0 | 6,234 | 20–9–3 (15–8–1) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 12 | 7:00 PM | Merrimack* | #14 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts (Quarterfinal) | | Savory | W 7–2 | 5,782 | 21–9–3 |
| March 18 | 7:30 PM | vs. #11 Massachusetts* | #13 | TD Garden • Boston, 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 Center • Loveland, 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: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| 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 |

## Goaltending statistics

| 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

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | 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.

## Awards and honors

| Player | Award |
| Owen Savory | Hockey East Second Team |
| Carl Berglund | Hockey East Third Team |
| Andre Lee | Hockey East Third Team |
| Matt Crasa | Hockey East Rookie Team |