# 2023–24 UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey season

The 2023–24 UMass Lowell River Hawks Men's ice hockey season was the 57th season of play for the program, the 41st competing at the Division I level and 40th in Hockey East. The River Hawks represented the University of Massachusetts Lowell in the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey season, played their home games at Tsongas Center and were coached by Norm Bazin in his 13th season.

## Season

Entering the year, Lowell was having to replace several of its key players; The top three scorers from last year were all gone, which was not ideal for a team that already had a hard time scoring. However, more critically, the River Hawks needed to find a way to replace its starting goaltender. Henry Welsch had shared the crease in '23 and was expected to compete for the job with Massachusetts transfer Luke Pavicich. At the start, the goaltending rotation looked like it was working when Lowell won 4 of its first 6 games while allowing less than 2 goals per. The tandem continued to play well in November, however, that when the lack of offense began to cost the team. The Hawks faced a gauntlet of highly-ranked opponents and lost four consecutive games, three by just a single goal. The losses dropped the squad to the bottom of the conference but there was still plenty of time to recover.
Unfortunately, from Thanksgiving on, the offense never could get on track. Over the final 24 games, Lowell managed 3 goals in just eight of their games and 4 goals in only two. They were shutout four separate times in that span and ended the regular season with just 39 goals in Hockey East play, by far the lowest mark in the conference. To make matters worse, Pavicich struggled in the second half of the season and his numbers ballooned. While Lowell's average goals against wasn't much much worse than their contemporaries, their nearly invisible offense left the team with no margin for error. The River Hawks finished last in the conference and ended with just 8 wins on the year, by far the worse season under Bazin.
In the conference tournament, the team continued the same trend and were unable to score a single goal. Even with Welsh holding New Hampshire to 1 goal, the team suffered its third consecutive blanking and quietly ended a forgettable year.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Nik Armstrong-Kingcade | Forward | United States | Graduation (retired) |
| Carl Berglund | Forward | Sweden | Graduation (signed with Edmonton Oilers) |
| Ryan Brushett | Forward | Canada | Graduation (retired) |
| Brian Chambers | Forward | United States | Graduate transfer to Arizona State |
| Gustavs Dāvis Grigals | Goaltender | Latvia | Graduation (signed with Milwaukee Admirals) |
| Zach Kaiser | Forward | Canada | Graduation (signed with Trois-Rivières Lions) |
| Marek Korenčík | Defenseman | Slovakia | Graduation (signed with Iowa Heartlanders) |
| Jon McDonald | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (signed with Toledo Walleye) |
| Blake Wells | Forward | Canada | Graduate transfer to American International |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Ben Brunette | Defenseman | Canada | 21 | North Bay, ON |
| Adam Cardona | Defenseman | Canada | 19 | Beaconsfield, QC |
| Nick Granowicz | Forward | United States | 25 | Macomb, MI; graduate transfer from Michigan |
| Jonathan Horn | Forward | United States | 21 | Southbury, CT |
| Sean Kilcullen | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Kensington, MD |
| Jaiden Moriello | Forward | United States | 20 | Saugus, MA |
| Shawn O'Donnell | Forward | United States | 20 | Pittsburgh, PA |
| Luke Pavicich | Goaltender | United States | 21 | Clarence Center, NY; transfer from Massachusetts |
| Alex Peterson | Forward | United States | 21 | Lansdale, PA; graduate transfer from Holy Cross |
| Ģirts Silkalns | Forward | Latvia | 20 | Talsi, LAT |
| Jak Vaarwerk | Forward | United States | 20 | East Amherst, NY |

## Roster

As of September 21, 2023.

## Standings

2023–24 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 | SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Boston College †* | 24 | 20 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 61 | 105 | 56 | 41 | 34 | 6 | 1 | 183 | 89 |
| #3 Boston University | 24 | 18 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 57 | 104 | 53 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 163 | 97 |
| #10 Maine | 24 | 14 | 9 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 44 | 76 | 67 | 37 | 23 | 12 | 2 | 119 | 94 |
| #16 Providence | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 37 | 66 | 58 | 35 | 18 | 13 | 4 | 100 | 83 |
| #13 Massachusetts | 24 | 12 | 10 | 2 | 4 | 2 | 0 | 36 | 57 | 62 | 37 | 20 | 14 | 3 | 108 | 105 |
| #20 New Hampshire | 24 | 12 | 11 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 36 | 69 | 56 | 36 | 20 | 15 | 1 | 106 | 90 |
| Northeastern | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 30 | 65 | 71 | 36 | 17 | 16 | 3 | 113 | 97 |
| Connecticut | 24 | 9 | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 29 | 49 | 77 | 36 | 15 | 19 | 2 | 90 | 105 |
| Vermont | 24 | 7 | 14 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 26 | 52 | 81 | 35 | 13 | 19 | 3 | 87 | 106 |
| Merrimack | 24 | 6 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 21 | 62 | 85 | 35 | 13 | 21 | 1 | 98 | 114 |
| Massachusetts Lowell | 24 | 4 | 17 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 18 | 39 | 78 | 36 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 72 | 113 |
| Championship: March 23, 2024 † indicates regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion (Lamoriello Trophy) Rankings: USCHO Division I Men's Poll ||||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Regular Season ||||||||||
| October 7 | 8:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage* | Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska | | Welsch | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 750 | 0–1–0 |
| October 8 | 8:07 PM | at Alaska Anchorage* | Avis Alaska Sports Complex • Anchorage, Alaska | | Pavicich | W 2–1 | 650 | 1–1–0 |
| October 20 | 7:00 pm | at Colgate* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Pavicich | W 4–2 | 847 | 2–1–0 |
| October 21 | 7:00 pm | at Colgate* | Class of 1965 Arena • Hamilton, New York | ESPN+ | Welsch | W 5–2 | 926 | 3–1–0 |
| October 27 | 7:15 pm | Connecticut | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 6,560 | 3–2–0 (0–1–0) |
| October 28 | 4:00 pm | at Connecticut | XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut | ESPN+ | Welsch | W 1–0 | 2,902 | 4–2–0 (1–1–0) |
| November 3 | 7:00 pm | at #1 Boston College | Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 2–3 | 6,608 | 4–3–0 (1–2–0) |
| November 4 | 6:05 pm | #1 Boston College | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 2–3 | 6,163 | 4–4–0 (1–3–0) |
| November 10 | 7:15 pm | #9 Boston University | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 2–3 | 5,748 | 4–5–0 (1–4–0) |
| November 11 | 7:00 pm | at #9 Boston University | Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 1–6 | 4,819 | 4–6–0 (1–5–0) |
| November 15 | 7:00 pm | at Merrimack | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN | Welsch | T 1–1 $^{SOL}$ | 2,576 | 4–6–1 (1–5–1) |
| November 18 | 6:05 pm | Merrimack | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | W 3–2 $^{OT}$ | 4,867 | 5–6–1 (2–5–1) |
| Turkey Leg Classic ||||||||||
| November 24 | 4:00 pm | Bentley* | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts (Turkey Leg Game 1) | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 1–4 | 3,568 | 5–7–1 |
| November 25 | 4:00 pm | Army* | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts (Turkey Leg Game 2) | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 2–4 | 3,741 | 5–8–1 |
| December 1 | 7:00 pm | at Connecticut | Toscano Family Ice Forum • Storrs, Connecticut | ESPN+, NESN | Welsch | L 0–2 | 2,630 | 5–9–1 (2–6–1) |
| December 3 | 4:00 pm | at Vermont | Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont | ESPN+ | Welsch | W 2–1 | 2,461 | 6–9–1 (3–6–1) |
| December 8 | 7:15 pm | Holy Cross* | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | T 2–2 $^{OT}$ | 4,783 | 6–9–2 |
| December 9 | 7:00 pm | at Holy Cross* | Hart Center • Worcester, Massachusetts | FloHockey | Welsch | L 2–4 | 1,008 | 6–10–2 |
| December 30 | 4:00 pm | American International* | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 3–4 | 4,468 | 6–11–2 |
| Desert Hockey Classic ||||||||||
| January 5 | 3:30 pm | vs. Omaha* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona (Desert Hockey Semifinal) | | Pavicich | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 4,764 | 6–12–2 |
| January 6 | 5:30 pm | vs. Harvard* | Mullett Arena • Tempe, Arizona (Desert Hockey Consolation Game) | | Pavicich | W 7–4 | 4,903 | 7–12–2 |
| January 19 | 7:00 pm | at #8 Maine | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 3–5 | 5,043 | 7–13–2 (3–7–1) |
| January 20 | 7:00 pm | at #8 Maine | Alfond Arena • Orono, Maine | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 2–7 | 5,043 | 7–14–2 (3–8–1) |
| January 26 | 7:15 pm | #10 Providence | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 2–7 | 5,929 | 7–15–2 (3–9–1) |
| January 27 | 6:00 pm | at #10 Providence | Schneider Arena • Providence, Rhode Island | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 2,270 | 7–16–2 (3–10–1) |
| February 2 | 7:15 pm | #1 Boston College | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 1–6 | 6,421 | 7–17–2 (3–11–1) |
| February 9 | 7:15 pm | Vermont | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | T 1–1 $^{SOL}$ | 5,579 | 7–17–3 (3–11–2) |
| February 10 | 7:15 pm | Vermont | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | T 3–3 $^{SOL}$ | 4,002 | 7–17–4 (3–11–3) |
| February 16 | 7:15 pm | Northeastern | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | W 4–2 | 5,426 | 8–17–4 (4–11–3) |
| February 17 | 7:00 pm | at Northeastern | Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 0–4 | 3,002 | 8–18–4 (4–12–3) |
| February 24 | 6:05 pm | #12 Providence | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 1–2 | 5,342 | 8–19–4 (4–13–3) |
| March 1 | 7:15 pm | #14 Massachusetts | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 1–2 $^{OT}$ | 5,268 | 8–20–4 (4–14–3) |
| March 2 | 6:00 pm | at #14 Massachusetts | Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts | ESPN+ | Pavicich | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 6,289 | 8–21–4 (4–15–3) |
| March 8 | 7:15 pm | #18 New Hampshire | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | ESPN+, NESN | Welsch | L 0–4 | 4,986 | 8–22–4 (4–16–3) |
| March 9 | 7:00 pm | at #18 New Hampshire | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire | ESPN+, NESN | Pavicich | L 0–4 | 5,885 | 8–23–4 (4–17–3) |
| Hockey East Tournament ||||||||||
| March 13 | 7:00 pm | at #17 New Hampshire* | Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire (Opening Round) | ESPN+ | Welsch | L 0–1 | 4,032 | 8–24–4 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. Source: ||||||||||

## Scoring statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Scout Truman | LW | 35 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 18 |
| Owen Cole | C | 36 | 10 | 7 | 17 | 8 |
| Jak Vaarwerk | C | 36 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 28 |
| Nick Rhéaume | C/LW | 34 | 9 | 4 | 13 | 32 |
| Matthew Crasa | C/RW | 34 | 8 | 5 | 13 | 16 |
| Dillan Bentley | F | 32 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 12 |
| Isac Jonsson | D | 36 | 3 | 9 | 12 | 2 |
| Ben Meehan | D | 25 | 1 | 11 | 12 | 31 |
| Filip Fornåå Svensson | C/RW | 35 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| Jake Stella | LW | 29 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 12 |
| Nick Granowicz | F | 25 | 4 | 4 | 8 | 10 |
| Mitchell Becker | D | 30 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 12 |
| Jaiden Moriello | RW | 16 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Jack Collins | F | 20 | 3 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Mark Cooper | D | 23 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Alex Peterson | F | 30 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 16 |
| T. J. Schweighardt | D | 33 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 8 |
| Brehdan Engum | D | 34 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 39 |
| Stefan Owens | F | 34 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Ģirts Silkalns | F | 18 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Sean Kilcullen | D | 27 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 25 |
| Roc Truman | F | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ben Brunette | D | 13 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 |
| Adam Cardona | D | 15 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 8 |
| Jonathan Horn | F | 5 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Shawn O'Donnell | F | 10 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 6 |
| Gabriel Blanchard | D | 12 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| Luke Pavicich | G | 17 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Edvard Nordlund | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Henry Welsch | G | 22 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | | | 72 | 114 | 186 | 352 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Henry Welsch | 25 | 1250:43 | 5 | 13 | 4 | 51 | 499 | 1 | .907 | 2.45 |
| Luke Pavicich | 17 | 914:58 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 55 | 423 | 0 | .885 | 3.61 |
| Edvard Nordlund | 5 | 14:03 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 7 | 0 | .700 | 12.81 |
| Empty Net | - | 24:28 | - | - | - | 4 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 36 | 2204:12 | 8 | 24 | 4 | 113 | 929 | 1 | .892 | 3.08 |

## 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 | 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 | 26 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR |
| USA Hockey | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | – | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR |
Note: USCHO did not release a poll in weeks 11 and 25. Note: USA Hockey did not release a poll in week 12.