What's new
By:
USCHO Fan Forum

This is a sample guest message. Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

  • The USCHO Fan Forum has migrated to a new plaform, xenForo. Most of the function of the forum should work in familiar ways. Please note that you can switch between light and dark modes by clicking on the gear icon in the upper right of the main menu bar. We are hoping that this new platform will prove to be faster and more reliable. Please feel free to explore its features.

UMass Lowell 2020-2021: Down the long hallway

Barry Scanlon
@Scanlon65
UMass Lowell has won three playoff games to advance to the Hockey East title game vs. UMass Amherst, but head coach Norm Bazin said, "We know we've accomplished nothing."

There's not much else to say. Go Lowell.
 
Here's the lineup. Go Lowell.

Ew84wBYUYAMnfsO
 
The link is he was an assistant there before. That's why he was mentioned last time around. The previous coach, Scott Owen's, had good teams. I didn't say he would be interested, just that CC will probably check in again.
 
J.D. said:
The link is he was an assistant there before. That's why he was mentioned last time around. The previous coach, Scott Owen's, had good teams. I didn't say he would be interested, just that CC will probably check in again.
Click to expand...
I can see checking in (doing their due diligence), but unless Bazin feels like he's missing something here (money/facilities/support), I do agree with brassbonanza. Why leave your alma mater to coach at a school you were an assistant? I would think that the alma mater part would be more important to him.
 
Anyway ... another season done and dusted. Disappointing is the key word. The easy excuse: couldn't ever seem to get into the right playing shape till too late due to multiple quarantines.

But ice wise ... goaltending never really stood out for Lowell this year. Lots of questions going into next season.
  1. Did Welsch do enough in the last 5.5 periods (starting the third at BC till the end of the UMass game) to make the claim to be next year's #1?
  2. Will Neaton be back, or will he look to transfer (with another netminder scheduled to come in this year, or will Harper be pushed to 2022)?
  3. Of the three that played time (Levesque, Sodergren, Baxter), will any of the seniors want to return for another season?
  4. If the answer to #3 is yes, will that affect an incoming freshman?
  5. Does the rest of the team return? With the transfer portal being opened up this year, I think people are expecting a good amount of turnover in rosters (in all NCAA sports).
  6. If Brown/Berglund/Lee can take the next step in their progression, does that do enough (along with #1 above) to give Lowell home ice for next year?
  7. Who will be the incoming freshman? Will any of them have the ability to jump right into the fray?
  8. We've gotten spoiled recently by the goaltending, but with none of the three hitting a 90% save rate ... there's a reason #1 is #1 above. But in the games I watched, I did see a lot of defensive breakdowns from a team, I expected to be much better on that side of the puck. Considering we brought back everyone on the blueline and even added a draft pick, I was a bit disappointed in that. They need to be more solid next season. Can Blackmun/McDonald/Sawchuk/Barton be the senior leaders needed on that back line, and help out the goalies more?
There are more questions, but for now ... I'm going to leave it at that.

Some good highlights to take out of this season (the Tournament run, that BC game). Some terrible lowlights (the choke job at UNH).

But at the end of the day, another season that ended too early.
 
UMLFan said:
Anyway ... another season done and dusted. Disappointing is the key word. The easy excuse: couldn't ever seem to get into the right playing shape till too late due to multiple quarantines.

But ice wise ... goaltending never really stood out for Lowell this year. Lots of questions going into next season.
  1. Did Welsch do enough in the last 5.5 periods (starting the third at BC till the end of the UMass game) to make the claim to be next year's #1?
  2. Will Neaton be back, or will he look to transfer (with another netminder scheduled to come in this year, or will Harper be pushed to 2022)?
  3. Of the three that played time (Levesque, Sodergren, Baxter), will any of the seniors want to return for another season?
  4. If the answer to #3 is yes, will that affect an incoming freshman?
  5. Does the rest of the team return? With the transfer portal being opened up this year, I think people are expecting a good amount of turnover in rosters (in all NCAA sports).
  6. If Brown/Berglund/Lee can take the next step in their progression, does that do enough (along with #1 above) to give Lowell home ice for next year?
  7. Who will be the incoming freshman? Will any of them have the ability to jump right into the fray?
  8. We've gotten spoiled recently by the goaltending, but with none of the three hitting a 90% save rate ... there's a reason #1 is #1 above. But in the games I watched, I did see a lot of defensive breakdowns from a team, I expected to be much better on that side of the puck. Considering we brought back everyone on the blueline and even added a draft pick, I was a bit disappointed in that. They need to be more solid next season. Can Blackmun/McDonald/Sawchuk/Barton be the senior leaders needed on that back line, and help out the goalies more?
There are more questions, but for now ... I'm going to leave it at that.

Some good highlights to take out of this season (the Tournament run, that BC game). Some terrible lowlights (the choke job at UNH).

But at the end of the day, another season that ended too early.
Click to expand...

I think if you look at how the team played down the stretch there's a lot of reason for optimism next year. They were playing week in and week out and were starting to gel. Those two losses to UNH probably kept Lowell out of the tournament. I do think you have Welsch and Savory as your 1-2 combo next year, and I expect Savory to be better than he was this year. This year, especially for him was a whirlwind. I think Neaton would probably look to go somewhere he can get ice time.

Of the incoming freshmen who were thought to come in next year, what are we looking at in terms of perceived talent level? Are any of them strong offensively? Because this team desperately needs some help putting the puck in the net on a consistent basis.
 
bottomdweller said:
Of the incoming freshmen who were thought to come in next year, what are we looking at in terms of perceived talent level? Are any of them strong offensively? Because this team desperately needs some help putting the puck in the net on a consistent basis.
Click to expand...
I've noted the lack of "firepower" in the recruiting thread. There's potential there (especially Scout Truman), but the question is when will some of these guys come in. The only forward that has to come in this season is Owen Cole, who put up really good numbers in a very offensive league (CCHL) and has a 1-5-6 (5 games) so far in the AJHL season.

None of the other commits are all that high in the stat leader categories of their respective leagues. Potential guys that might enroll in the fall: Owen Fowler (27 GP, 9-4-13), Scout Truman (35, 5-14-19), Matt Crasa (42, 10-11-21) are all in the USHL. Roc Truman has 2 assists in 7 games in the AJHL and Justin Dauphinais hasn't played this season.
 
UMLFan said:
Anyway ... another season done and dusted. Disappointing is the key word. The easy excuse: couldn't ever seem to get into the right playing shape till too late due to multiple quarantines.

But ice wise ... goaltending never really stood out for Lowell this year. Lots of questions going into next season.
  1. Did Welsch do enough in the last 5.5 periods (starting the third at BC till the end of the UMass game) to make the claim to be next year's #1?
  2. Will Neaton be back, or will he look to transfer (with another netminder scheduled to come in this year, or will Harper be pushed to 2022)?
  3. Of the three that played time (Levesque, Sodergren, Baxter), will any of the seniors want to return for another season?
  4. If the answer to #3 is yes, will that affect an incoming freshman?
  5. Does the rest of the team return? With the transfer portal being opened up this year, I think people are expecting a good amount of turnover in rosters (in all NCAA sports).
  6. If Brown/Berglund/Lee can take the next step in their progression, does that do enough (along with #1 above) to give Lowell home ice for next year?
  7. Who will be the incoming freshman? Will any of them have the ability to jump right into the fray?
  8. We've gotten spoiled recently by the goaltending, but with none of the three hitting a 90% save rate ... there's a reason #1 is #1 above. But in the games I watched, I did see a lot of defensive breakdowns from a team, I expected to be much better on that side of the puck. Considering we brought back everyone on the blueline and even added a draft pick, I was a bit disappointed in that. They need to be more solid next season. Can Blackmun/McDonald/Sawchuk/Barton be the senior leaders needed on that back line, and help out the goalies more?
There are more questions, but for now ... I'm going to leave it at that.

Some good highlights to take out of this season (the Tournament run, that BC game). Some terrible lowlights (the choke job at UNH).

But at the end of the day, another season that ended too early.
Click to expand...
It's been a very tough season for everyone. As a fan I never felt totally engaged with this season with everything else going on. I can't wait to get back to the Tsongas and start making plans for road trips again.

1- I think Welsch did enough to go into next season as the #1. That being said I think Savory will bounce back and challenge for the top spot. I believe he's a better goaltender than he showed.
2 - Unless there's a reason for the lack of playing time I think Neaton has to move on. After being drafted he's only played in 6 games for Lowell over two seasons.
I'm not sure if Harper will come in or not. He's put up great numbers in the NCDC this season but another year in the USHL playing regularly would be better than sitting in Lowell. Then again maybe he's ready to challenge for the top spot?
3 - My guess is the seniors will not return for another season.
5 - I think there will be some roster movement. I'm sure some on the roster will be looking for more playing time. The defense is crowded. By my count they will be at 11 with the addition of Jonsson and Blanchard.
6 - I do think Brown/Berglund/Lee can take the next step, but other's will also need to step up. I thought Condotta, Chambers, Weeks and Kaiser played well this season. Hopefully they can provide more offense next season. One observation, of the 4 freshmen forward's only Armstrong-Kincade was able to earn regular playing time. I do think they have a shot at home ice.
7 - At the moment with the current roster my guess would be just Cole (F), Jonsson (D), and Blanchard (D). I think Jonsson will be able to step right in. Cole will make 16 forwards so they may have room for one more. It would be nice to find an impact transfer that can help with the offense.
8 - I agree with you about the defense. Too many mistakes by upperclassmen. Overall I think the defense will be fine going forward.
 
Last edited:
Mark Divver @MarkDivver
Matt Brown will be a very nice get. Word is two dozen schools have already called about him

Brad Elliott Schlossman @SchlossmanGF
A couple of additions to the transfer portal this morning: UMass Lowell sophomore forward Matt Brown, who led the team in points as a freshman and goals as a sophomore, is in. So is New Hampshire senior D Benton Maass, a Washington Caps draft pick.
 
I’ll miss having Matt Brown on the team. That’s a player Lowell can’t afford to lose. My expectations for next season are already lowered. Best of luck to all of the guys moving on. Barry Scanlon also confirmed Levesque and Sodergren won’t return for a 5th season.
 
Middle Street said:
I’ll miss having Matt Brown on the team. That’s a player Lowell can’t afford to lose. My expectations for next season are already lowered. Best of luck to all of the guys moving on. Barry Scanlon also confirmed Levesque and Sodergren won’t return for a 5th season.
Click to expand...
Yep. A lot of my hopes for next year depended on the trio of Brown/Lee/Berglund being here next season. This is terrible news for Lowell.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top