2020–21 UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey season
The 2020–21 UMass Lowell River Hawks men's ice hockey season was the 54th season of play for the program, the 38th season competing at the Division I level, and the 37th season in the Hockey East conference. The River Hawks represented the University of Massachusetts Lowell (UML) and were coached by Norm Bazin , in his 10th season.
Season
As a result of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic the entire college ice hockey season was delayed. Because the NCAA had previously announced that all winter sports athletes would retain whatever eligibility they possessed through at least the following year, none of UML's players would lose a season of play.[ 1] [ 2]
UML was heavily impacted by COVID-19 early in the season. After a delayed start, the team played just four games in the first two months of the campaign. Entering their game with UMass on 29 January, Lowell had played just four games while the Minutemen had competed in 17. The lack of playing time appeared to hurt the River Hawks since the team, which had been highly ranked entering the season, swiftly fell out of the top 20. UML appeared to regain its form by the end of the regular season, but by then their only path into the NCAA tournament was with a conference championship. The River Hawks won their first postseason game without much difficulty and entered the quarterfinals having to beat Boston University to stay alive. Despite being on a four-game unbeaten streak, Owen Savory was replaced as the starting goaltender by freshman Henry Welsch and the move paid off. While he only faced 17 shots in the game, Welsch turned aside all but one and helped UML advance to the semifinals. Here the team's run was expected to end as they faced the top ranked team in the nation, Boston College (BC). The Eagles built a three-goal lead after two periods and looked to be sailing into the championship, but the River Hawks' offense awoke in the third, scoring three times to tie the game. Less than two minutes later, however, BC was again in the lead with a power play goal. Welsch was pulled for an extra attacker and in less than a minute UML had again tied the score. It took another 34 minutes of game time for the winning goal to be scored and UML's Matt Brown netted the biggest goal for the River Hawks all season.
Lowell faced off against Massachusetts for the Hockey East championship. Welsch continued his strong play but the Minutemen defense was stifling, allowed the Hawks only 16 shots on goal, none of which found the back of the net. UML has to settle for second place but the team had redeemed itself for an otherwise disappointing campaign.
Ben McEvoy sat out the season.
Departures
Recruiting
Roster
As of February 12, 2021[ 3]
No. S/P/C
Player
Class
Pos
Height
Weight
DoB
Hometown
Previous team
NHL rights
1
Logan Neaton Sophomore
G 6' 4" (1.93 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
1999-04-07
Brighton, Michigan Prince George (BCHL WPG 2019
2
Dominick Procopio Junior
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1997-06-11
Grosse Pointe, Michigan Shreveport (NAHL —
4
Sam Knoblauch Junior
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
1998-02-15
Rochester, Michigan Carleton Place (CCHL —
5
Chase Blackmun Junior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-04-02
Hudson, Wisconsin Cedar Rapids (USHL —
7
Jordan Schulting Sophomore
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-08-06
Penticton, British Columbia Coquitlam (BCHL —
8
Nik Armstrong-Kingkade Freshman
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-05-01
Alexandria, Virginia Minot (NAHL —
9
Reid Stefanson Junior
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-02-20
Winnipeg, Manitoba Sioux Falls (USHL —
10
Matt Brown Sophomore
F 5' 9" (1.75 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1999-08-09
Wood-Ridge, New Jersey Des Moines (USHL —
11
Jon McDonald Junior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-06-15
Livonia, Michigan Fargo (USHL —
12
Charlie Levesque C Senior
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
175 lb (79 kg)
1998-05-29
Russell, Ontario Hawkesbury (CCHL —
13
Austin O'Rourke Junior
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
211 lb (96 kg)
1997-08-17
Canton, Georgia Amarillo (NAHL —
14
Ben Meehan Freshman
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
2001-04-20
Walpole, Massachusetts Cedar Rapids (USHL LAK 2020
15
Jackson Sterrett Freshman
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
183 lb (83 kg)
1999-06-24
Hendersonville, Tennessee Maryland (NAHL —
16
Josh Latta Sophomore
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-08-14
West Vancouver, British Columbia Alabama Huntsville (WCHA —
17
Marek Korenčík Sophomore
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-07-19
Žilina, Slovakia Luleå J20 (J20 SuperElit —
18
Carl Berglund Sophomore
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-01-16
Hammarö, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL —
19
Anthony Baxter Senior
D 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-11-26
Oakville, Ontario Burlington (OJHL —
20
Matt Allen Freshman
F 5' 10" (1.78 m)
168 lb (76 kg)
2000-05-13
Minco, Oklahoma Amarillo (NAHL —
21
Brian Chambers Sophomore
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-07-24
Weymouth, Massachusetts Sioux Falls (USHL —
22
Blake Wells Sophomore
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
200 lb (91 kg)
1999-08-02
Blackie, Alberta Okotoks (AJHL —
23
Zach Kaiser Sophomore
F 6' 1" (1.85 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1998-09-06
Orangeville, Ontario Sherwood Park (AJHL —
24
Lucas Condotta A Junior
F 6' 2" (1.88 m)
209 lb (95 kg)
1997-11-06
Georgetown, Ontario Markham (OJHL —
25
Nolan Sawchuk Junior
D 5' 11" (1.8 m)
180 lb (82 kg)
1997-09-25
Burnsville, Minnesota Minot (NAHL —
26
Andre Lee Sophomore
F 6' 4" (1.93 m)
205 lb (93 kg)
2000-07-26
Karlstad, Sweden Sioux Falls (USHL LAK 2019
27
Seth Barton Junior
D 6' 3" (1.91 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-08-18
Kelowna, British Columbia Trail (BCHL DET 2018
28
Connor Sodergren C Senior
F 5' 11" (1.8 m)
190 lb (86 kg)
1996-09-11
Tewksbury, Massachusetts West Kelowna (BCHL —
29
Matt Kinash Freshman
F 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1999-12-15
Edmonton, Alberta Drayton Valley (AJHL —
30
Benjamin McEvoy Senior
G 6' 5" (1.96 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
1998-10-13
Dunstable, Massachusetts Groton-Dunstable (USHS–MA —
31
Owen Savory Junior
G 6' 0" (1.83 m)
185 lb (84 kg)
1997-10-11
Cambridge, Ontario RPI (ECAC —
33
Henry Welsch Freshman
G 6' 2" (1.88 m)
195 lb (88 kg)
2000-11-17
Lakeville, Minnesota Aberdeen (NAHL —
37
Brehdan Engum Freshman
D 6' 2" (1.88 m)
215 lb (98 kg)
2000-08-10
Burnsville, Minnesota Waterloo (USHL —
Standings
Schedule and results
Source:[ 6]
Date
Time
Opponent#
Rank#
Site
TV
Decision
Result
Attendance
Record
Regular season
December 13
5:00 p.m.
vs. #19 Providence
#8
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts NESN+
Neaton
L 2–4 0
0–1–0 (0–1–0)
December 21
5:00 p.m.
at Connecticut
#17
XL Center • Hartford, Connecticut
Welsch
W 2–1 0
1–1–0 (1–1–0)
January 3
6:00 p.m.
vs. Maine
#17
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Welsch
W 5–3 0
2–1–0 (2–1–0)
January 4
3:00 p.m.
vs. Maine
#15
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Savory
W 9–5 0
3–1–0 (3–1–0)
January 29
8:00 p.m.
at #10 Massachusetts
#16
Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts
Savory
L 0–5 0
3–2–0 (3–2–0)
January 30
7:00 p.m.
vs. #10 Massachusetts
#16
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Welsch
L 1–2 0
3–3–0 (3–3–0)
February 5
6:00 p.m.
vs. New Hampshire
#20
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Welsch
L 1–2 0
3–4–0 (3–4–0)
February 6
5:00 p.m.
at New Hampshire
#20
Whittemore Center • Durham, New Hampshire
Savory
L 6–7 OT
0
3–5–0 (3–5–0)
February 9
5:00 p.m.
vs. #20 Connecticut
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts NESN
Welsch
W 3–2 OT
0
4–5–0 (4–5–0)
February 12
7:00 p.m.
at #1 Boston College
Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts NESN+
Welsch
L 1–7 0
4–6–0 (4–6–0)
February 13
6:00 p.m.
vs. #1 Boston College
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Savory
L 3–4 0
4–7–0 (4–7–0)
February 19
7:05 p.m.
at #16 Northeastern
Matthews Arena • Boston, Massachusetts NESN
Welsch
W 4–1 0
5–7–0 (5–7–0)
February 20
6:00 p.m.
vs. #16 Northeastern
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Welsch
L 0–4 0
5–8–0 (5–8–0)
February 26
7:00 p.m.
at Vermont
Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont
Savory
W 3–1 0
6–8–0 (6–8–0)
February 27
7:00 p.m.
at Vermont
Gutterson Fieldhouse • Burlington, Vermont
Savory
W 3–2 0
7–8–0 (7–8–0)
March 6
3:00 p.m.
vs. #10 Boston University
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts
Savory
T 3–3 SOL
0
7–8–1 (7–8–1)
Hockey East tournament
March 10
7:00 p.m.
vs. Vermont *
Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts (Hockey East Opening Round)NESN
Savory
W 5–3 0
8–8–1
March 14
1:05 p.m.
at #9 Boston University *
Agganis Arena • Boston, Massachusetts (Hockey East Quarterfinals)NESN+
Welsch
W 2–1 0
9–8–1
March 17
4:30 p.m.
at #1 Boston College *
Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts (Hockey East Semifinals)NESN
Welsch
W 6–5 2OT
0
10–8–1
March 20
7:03 p.m.
at #6 Massachusetts *
Mullins Center • Amherst, Massachusetts (Hockey East Championship)
Welsch
L 0–1 0
10–9–1
*Non-conference game. # Rankings from USCHO.com Poll . All times are in Eastern Time .
Scoring statistics
Name
Position
Games
Goals
Assists
Points
PIM
Andre Lee C /LW 20
7
9
16 18
Reid Stefanson LW 19
5
10
15 4
Matt Brown LW 19
8
5
13 10
Charlie Levesque C 20
6
6
12 2
Chase Blackmun D 19
6
5
11 8
Carl Berglund C /RW 11
3
8
11 2
Seth Barton D 20
2
9
11 4
Lucas Condotta F 20
6
4
10 14
Jon McDonald D 17
0
8
8 4
Ben Meehan D 17
0
8
8 27
Zach Kaiser C /LW 20
4
2
6 2
Connor Sodergren F 18
2
4
6 2
Anthony Baxter D 16
3
2
5 25
Brian Chambers RW 18
3
2
5 4
Jordan Schulting D 6
1
3
4 4
Blake Wells F 12
1
3
4 4
Nolan Sawchuk D 15
1
2
3 8
Matt Allen F 5
0
3
3 0
Nik Armstrong-Kingkade F 18
1
1
2 4
Dominik Procopio D 2
0
1
1 0
Josh Latta F 9
0
1
1 4
Brehdan Engum D 12
0
1
1 10
Sam Knoblauch RW 15
0
1
1 4
Marek Korenčík D 17
0
1
1 4
Jackson Sterrett F 2
0
0
0 0
Matt Kinash F 2
0
0
0 0
Logan Neaton G 3
0
0
0 0
Owen Savory G 8
0
0
0 0
Austin O'Rourke F 11
0
0
0 2
Henry Welsch G 12
0
0
0 0
Bench
-
-
-
-
-
6
Total
59
99
158
186
Source:[ 7]
Goaltending statistics
Name
Games
Minutes
Wins
Losses
Ties
Goals against
Saves
Shut-outs
SV % GAA
Henry Welsch 12
686
6
5
0
29
258
0
.899
2.54
Owen Savory 8
447
4
3
1
25
137
0
.846
3.35
Logan Neaton 3
99
0
1
0
8
47
0
.855
4.85
Empty Net
-
8
-
-
-
1
-
-
-
-
Total
20
1241
10
9
1
63
442
0
.875
3.05
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 (Final)
USCHO.com
11
12
11
10
8
15
17
17
15
15
15
16
20
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
19
-
19
USA Today
11
12
12
10
9
15
NR
NR
13
15
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
NR
USCHO did not release a poll in week 20. [ 8]
References
^ Cobb, David (August 21, 2020). "NCAA approves blanket waiver for 2020 fall sports athletes to retain year of eligibility" . CBS Sports . Retrieved January 25, 2021 . ^ "DI Council grants waiver to allow transfer student-athletes to compete immediately" . NCAA . December 16, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2021 .^ "2020-21 Men's Ice Hockey Roster" . UMass Lowell River Hawks. Retrieved October 3, 2024 .^ "Hockey East Unveils 2021 Tournament and Seeding Format - Hockey East Association" . hockeyeastonline.com . Retrieved February 10, 2021 .^ "2021 Hockey East Women's Tournament Field Set" . hockeyeastonline.com . Retrieved March 13, 2021 .^ "UMass Lowell River Hawks (Men) 2020-2021 Schedule and Results" . College Hockey Stats . Retrieved December 5, 2019 .^ "UMass-Lowell 2020-2021 Skater Stats" . Elite Prospects . Retrieved July 2, 2020 .^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll" . USCHO.com . Retrieved November 26, 2019 .{{cite web }}: CS1 maint: url-status (link )
