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UMass Lowell 2026-2027: Is this the new Norm?

umlhockey22490 said:
Elliot was great at times on Friday, but when its a need it save (or control) ...I dont think he has it. Also fell alseep on one of ASU's final goals. I've seen all I need to on Stewart, I think he has big issues on when/ if he should get involved/ pinch, which led to rushes or loss of possession. I've been fairly disappointed in Wellenreiter as well.

Positives: Jacob Macdonald...where have you been lol. Clearly has put in the work in the offseason, and the coaching staff saw it. Glad to see Buch back in the lineup, he looked a little tentative out there (not really a surprise).

Saturdays game kind of got away from us after the double minor to Wakely. It seemed Norm was okay with the first call, was not expecting the 2nd call. Also it looked like he asked to see if the spear by that OGRE NOIDBERG was missed... but the ref was having none of it. For me, at that point just take the other penalty then for a bench minor to get your damn point across, I'm tired of the referrees giving no mind to anything coming from Norm. I feel they were letting SO much go (specifically on an ASU PP interference calls going into the zone).
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Honestly, I didn’t notice Stewart too much, but I will take your word on him for sure. And yes, I agree with MacDonald… he looks great!
 
Well, you can't win if you don't score. After a tough first period I thought the Hawks played well, especially in the second period. Plenty of chance but also too many shots right into the PC goaltender. They need to get move traffic in front of him. I thought Elliot played well, although I didn't see the first PC goal as people were standing in the aisleway blocking my view. A tough turnover on the second goal. Hopefully they can find the net today and get the split.

I was wonder what the attendance was last night, but I can't find it anywhere. What's up with that?
 
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We had played the teams that were picked 9th in the NCHC (ASU), 4th and 10th in the ECAC (Clarkson and St. Lawrence) and wound up a whopping 1-3 at home against those teams. Then we played a real team and got smoked twice.

Twice this year we've been down 3-0 in the first period ... which means we're thoroughly chasing the game. We continue to average our paltry ~2 goals per game. The one strength I expected this year was on the back end but we're giving up 3.7 goals per game instead (with what repeatedly has been mentioned as an extremely deep d-corps). The goalies are both below 90% on their save rate with Elliott dead last in Hockey East (with players that have started more than 1 game).

Through 6 games, only 2 players have scored more than one goal.

We're faster. But nothing else has changed. Oh ... sorry, the attendance is dropping.

If results stay like this for another month, I'll be wondering why the HE Coaches didn't put us 13th out of 11.
 
I get the frustration, 1-5 is 1-5. But they've actually outshot teams 194-182 and are only shooting about 7%. Urban stopped 42 of 44 in the second ASU game, and Parsons blanked them on 30 Friday. The thing that worries me is the power play at 3 for 24. That's the part that has to change at Colgate this weekend.
 
eyak29 said:
I get the frustration, 1-5 is 1-5. But they've actually outshot teams 194-182 and are only shooting about 7%. Urban stopped 42 of 44 in the second ASU game, and Parsons blanked them on 30 Friday. The thing that worries me is the power play at 3 for 24. That's the part that has to change at Colgate this weekend.
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Yeah, there are going to be nights when the goalies steal one ... but the other side of that is you need yours to do the same.
 
UMLFan said:
Yeah, there are going to be nights when the goalies steal one ... but the other side of that is you need yours to do the same.
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So when I watch these things. And I get im not schooled in hockey play as such. I usually see that we usually don't get out physical played per se it usually comes down to choices and for whatever reason our choices seem to be a little more broken than others.

Ultimately that may be where it is on coaching because the choices change the game. I don't know how to train them better or worse but I dont think its that we are perpetually slower. Now, maybe it is puck skills. Less able to bury a shot, less able to make a pass. But its the choices that tend to frustrate me because its usually not a raw skill mechanic.

As for goalies. Yeah I don't think Elliot is stealing anything. I hope he can prove us wrong. Its been awhile since we've had a goalie who I've felt comfortable with. We got really blessed over the years with good to superior goaltending and now it feel like we're back to the mid-2000s in net. Its not quite a horrorshow but its not far off.
 
hawkeytown said:
That said, I think some of what we’re seeing on the ice is tied to the style of play. From conversations I’ve had with players and their parents, there seems to be some frustration among a small number of former players with the system, and I believe that has contributed to transfers over the past seasons.

Lowell recruits talented players who are absolutely capable of competing and scoring. My understanding is that the system is very defense-oriented, similar to what you might see in the NHL, focusing on limiting space, clogging lanes, and capitalizing on opponents’ mistakes rather than creating offense through skill, puck possession and sustained pressure. I’m not going to pretend to be an expert on the X’s and O’s, but I do think the style of play is an important part of the conversation, and not necessarily the recruits themselves.
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It's obviously early, but checking in on some of the recent transfers:
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Patman said:
Wait. Sacred heart?! Why?
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My guess is that Sacred Heart has been one of the best AHA teams the past few years, and they believed they could legitimately help them win the conference and make the national tournament. Just my thoughts
 
UMLFan said:
Yeah, there are going to be nights when the goalies steal one ... but the other side of that is you need yours to do the same.
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Agree on Simpson. Since that Quinnipiac game he’s stopped 67 of 71 over the last four. What jumped out to me was outshooting Michigan State 73-37 on the weekend. Split that series and they’re right there for votes.
 
eyak29 said:
I get the frustration, 1-5 is 1-5. But they've actually outshot teams 194-182 and are only shooting about 7%. Urban stopped 42 of 44 in the second ASU game, and Parsons blanked them on 30 Friday. The thing that worries me is the power play at 3 for 24. That's the part that has to change at Colgate this weekend.
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Including this season, Lowell has outshot its opponents in four of the last five, yet opponents have had a higher shooting percentage in every single one.
 
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