(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “The River Hawks celebrate a victory on home ice as a team after the game.”
Jake Messer
Connector Editor
With nearly a third of the season in the books, the UMass Lowell River Hawks are currently 5-7 on the year and are sitting tied for seventh in the Hockey East standings. It’s an underwhelming start for the premier athletic program, but one that can be remedied quickly in the coming weeks.
The team, which is notably solid, has been very 50/50 this season. They get one win; they lose the next. They have good offensive production; they have a lackluster defense. They have a solid special teams group; they have given up the second-most shorthanded goals on Hockey East: three.
Everything is on the fence, but this is a much more welcome problem than being a bad team, which they are most definitely not. However, recent results have only reinforced their inconsistent characteristics.
On Nov. 15th, Lowell lost to RPI 2-0 on the road, a game in which they won the shot battle and faceoff battle, but they were still unable to score. The night before, they lost to Union 7-1, another game where the number of shots taken were even and the faceoffs went Lowell’s way, yet they still lost in blowout fashion despite winning important aspects of the game.
“Today, we will share in this team’s loss,” said Head Coach Norm Bazin. “The team practiced well this week, so we were hopeful that it would translate. Unfortunately, we were clearly a step off all night. Every aspect of our game will need to be better.”
The thing is, the team is good in most categories. The problem is they aren’t necessarily great in any. If they want to break the inconsistency stigma that surrounds them at this time, they will have to do one simple thing; adopt an identity.
Whether it’s becoming an offensive juggernaut, a stalwart defensive group, or even a hard-nose, in-your-face, physical hockey team, this season’s River Hawks need an identity to play behind if they want to put together a winning streak that carries into the playoffs.
If coach Bazin felt that an offensive approach was the best way to go, graduate captain Jay Ahearn would certainly be the face of that style of hockey, with his five goals being the most on the team, and his three assists being tied for third.
Another player that could lead the offensive surge is freshman Dalyn Wakely, a forward that is currently leading the team with seven assists and in points with nine – quite impressive numbers for a college rookie.
What if there isn’t enough firepower? Bazin could favor being a defensive team. Players like senior TJ Schweighardt and freshman Nate Misskey are leading the team in blocks with 16 and 11 respectfully. Now, as a team, they are currently second to last in the conference with 126
blocks, but they have the second-best penalty kill unit, with 85.1% of their penalties. It just might work; it would just take a conscious effort, and bodies would be put on the line every night.
Show-lining this defensive approach would be the two-headed monster of senior Samuel Richards and freshman Austin Elliot. As a duo, they have made 304 saves, posted a .911 save percentage and are averaging a 2.55 GAA, some of the better numbers that Hockey East has seen this season. What makes this special is that Lowell has two solid goalies, whereas most other collegiate teams rely on one netminder throughout the campaign, something Bazin can easily capitalize on.
If neither of these options are suitable, there is nothing wrong with turning the clock back to hard-hitting and gritty hockey style. Being physical and not giving an inch is what hockey is at its core, and while teams like Boston College and Maine have moved away from that, these teams are always the hardest to beat.
Laying out, finishing checks, constant forecheck, digging down deep for the puck – these are the characteristics that old-time hockey is filled with, and they still serve a purpose today. Games aren’t won on physicality, but they can be used to bring the team together and play as one. Just like the current-day Florida Panthers, physicality always compliments talent and skill on the ice.
Looking ahead, the River Hawks head to Lake Placid, New York, to compete in the Adirondack Winter Invitational. On Nov. 28th, they will face off against Clarkson. The next day they will take on St. Lawrence, a chance to set the tone, whatever that may be.
