What's new
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.

UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Status
Not open for further replies.
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

And BTW, if anyone in the Hawks athletic department is reading this, our website currently says "UMass Lowell 1 vs Nortre Dame 0." Might want to fix that, please, it's rather embarrassing.

That sounds right, we won and they got nothing :p
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Agreed, what a fantastic two games. The Tsongas was packed both days with many more undoubtedly watching on tv as well. Sweeping the #6 team in the nation (until the new poll tomorrow) plus winning the season series and securing an important 4 points is huge. I too was puzzled by the lack of Notre Dame fans, figured there's a decent alumni base in the area or at least the "fake" Notre Dame fans would come out in force but they were few and far between. One thing I did notice was even the lack of chatter on their message board thread and wondering if they just have a low fanbase for hockey in general.
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

I'm watching the replay of last night's game ... and just flabbergasted. This is what Toot Cahoon gets paid for?

After the second Lowell goal... "What's interesting about this is that that last goal found it's way into the net, and this does as well."

Um ... what? :confused:
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

It was good to hear Chaz on the radio yesterday... I'm still having issues in finding bars that carry NESN or the variety of other regional channels we've been on. Everybody is a sports bar until they aren't.

Generally, with the radio, its been nice to hear from the cavalcade of color men Bob has had on this past season. You certainly get to learn a few different things between reporters and former players.
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

I'm watching the replay of last night's game ... and just flabbergasted. This is what Toot Cahoon gets paid for?

After the second Lowell goal... "What's interesting about this is that that last goal found it's way into the net, and this does as well."

Um ... what? :confused:

Yes, thought it was very painful watching the replay. Now we know why UMass-Amherst's program has deteriorated so badly.
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

For anyone who didn't see the NESN broadcast:

The bench minor was on ND coach Jackson. In the first intermission he said that was on him, that he wanted to talk to the ref and that he wouldn't come over - so he started yelling louder. Not sure what the content of his message was, but with everything the officials hear I hope it was something egregious enough to warrant a bench minor.
Based on the Refs reaction Jackson must have said the magic words. The Ref looked at him once and the turned away. Jackson continued and the Ref quickly turned to motion the penalty.
 
Last edited:
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Public Service Announcement:

UMaine will host an NCAA FCS Tournament game on December 7 - same day that UML heads to Maine for hockey game. If anyone is planning on going, might want to consider buying hotel rooms if staying the night, etc. now before prices go up. Parking should be fun for fans trying to get to that game.
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Public Service Announcement:

UMaine will host an NCAA FCS Tournament game on December 7 - same day that UML heads to Maine for hockey game. If anyone is planning on going, might want to consider buying hotel rooms if staying the night, etc. now before prices go up. Parking should be fun for fans trying to get to that game.

On the other hand, I suppose if you get their early enough you can have one big "i hate maine" party.
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Five for Fighting Round 2: Bobby Robins

His 6th fight of the season was against former Maine Black Bear and Hockey East instigator Joey Diamond...
I absolutely do not believe in fighting in hockey. This one was about as contrived as it gets. Even to this seemed to be like WWF there was evil pleasure in seeing Diamond rocked. He was such a pi55ant when he was protected in college hockey. All those cheap shots that no one could level him for. I can let that go now :p
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

I too was puzzled by the lack of Notre Dame fans, figured there's a decent alumni base in the area or at least the "fake" Notre Dame fans would come out in force but they were few and far between.

When comparing the nights, I noticed more ND fans on Friday than I did Saturday. I also thought the crowd was noticeably smaller on Saturday, especially the sections behind the net where the visitor's shoot twice. Still a sellout obviously, but I was surprised at the number of no shows.

Lowell's record is now 5-1 on the 2nd night of back to back games.
 
Last edited:
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Lowell makes a big jump, going from #13 in the USCHO Poll to #8.

Lowell is also the Hockey East Team of the Week. Hellebuyck and Devin Shore named Co-Players of the Week.
 
Re: UML 2013/2014 Season ... The Target is firmly on

Lowell Sun article by Barry Scanlon.

Hellebuyck deserves to be heralded
There are several reasons the UMass Lowell hockey team has undergone an amazing rebirth.

Coach Norm Bazin deserves a lion’s share of the credit, of course. Hired after a disastrous 5-25-4 season, Bazin has led the River Hawks to a sparking 62-28-3 record in two-plus seasons.

That, my friends, is incredible — and his efforts have not gone unnoticed.

Bazin has been named Hockey East’s Coach of the Year both of his years behind UML’s bench and he was selected the nation’s Division 1 Coach of the Year after guid*ing the River Hawks to the Frozen Four last season.

But where’s the love for sophomore goaltender Connor Hellebuyck? Here’s the numbers for the Commerce, Mich., native:

W-L-T - SV% - GAA - SO
Freshman 20-3-0 0.952 1.37 6
Sophmore 6-3-0 0.951 1.57 2

Hellebuyck’s talents were again on display this past weekend and he was the major reason two full houses at the Tsongas Center witnessed 1-0 and 3-1 victories over sixth ranked Notre Dame. When Hellebuyck is on his game — which is most of the time — opposing players have little to shoot at it. He plays angles extremely well and is rarely out of position. The puck just seems to hit him. He stands 6-foot-4, weighs 200 pounds and makes a hockey net seem tiny. To put his numbers into perspective, a save percentage of .930 and a goals against average of 2.00 are considered outstanding.

Still, despite his gaudy numbers, Hellebuyck doesn’t seem to get much nationwide respect. In fact, he takes a back seat in his own conference, Hockey East, to Providence’s Jon Gillies.

Hellebuyck and Gillies were both freshmen last season. Gillies was named the Hockey East Freshman of the Year and the first-team HE goaltender despite having far inferior numbers.

Gillies put together a fine season, but his save percentage of .931 and goals against average of 2.08 weren’t even in Hellebuyck’s league.

What about the head-to*head battle? Obviously, hockey is a team game, but Hellebuyck didn’t exactly look out of place with the much-heralded Gillies on the opposite end of the rink.

In four meetings, UML and Hellebuyck went 3-1 against the Friars and Gillies.

Hellebuyck stopped 31 of 32 shots in the regular-season finale at Providence to backbone a 4-1 UML win, a victory which gave the River Hawks their first Hockey East regular-season title.

With even more at stake, in the Hockey East semifinals, Hellebuyck made 34 saves as the River Hawks topped Providence, 2-1, in Boston.

This is not to suggest Gillies is not an elite goalie.

He is one of the top goalies to come into Hockey East in a long time. But Hellebuyck is putting up video game-type numbers and he performs the best when the stakes are the highest.

In the NCAA Northeast Regional, he stopped 59 of 60 shots as UML topped Wisconsin (6-1) and New Hampshire (2-0). (That was after he stopped 70 of 71 shots as UML defeated Providence and then Boston University to win the program’s first HE playoff crown).

At the Frozen Four, Hellebuyck again was spectacular. Yale outskated UML all over the rink in Pittsburgh, but Hellebuyck was tremendous in the NCAA semifinal. Yale finally won in overtime, 3-2, but it wasn’t for Hellebuyck the River Hawks would have been blown out in regulation.

UML plays a tenacious style in which every player is asked to go into the dirty areas. Blocked shots are a badge of honor, and Hellebuyck is lucky to have defensemen such as Christian Folin, Zack Kamrass and Jake Suter in front of him.

But — even if he somehow manages to get overlooked — No. 37 is reason No. 1 why a second straight trip to the Frozen Four may be possible.
 
Last edited:
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top