BRIDGEPORT, CT - No. 3/3 Union men's hockey (25-7-7, 14-4-4 ECAC Hockey) will take on No. 15/15 UMass-Lowell (24-12-1, 17-9-1 Hockey East) in the East Regional Final of the NCAA Tournament tonight at 6:30 p.m. Both teams are in search of their first Frozen Four appearance in program history. The Dutchmen, the No. 1 seed, earned their first-ever Division I NCAA Tournament win, earning a 3-1 victory over No. 15/15 Michigan State yesterday at Webster Bank Arena. Junior forward Jeremy Welsh had a goal and an assist, and sophomore goaltender Troy Grosenick stopped 16 of 17 shots to lead Union. The Dutchmen went 1-1 against Hockey East competition this season, falling 2-1 in overtime to New Hampshire on Oct. 28, and earning a 3-1 win at Merrimack on Dec. 17. UMass-Lowell earned a spot in tonight's final with a 4-3 overtime win over No. 2 seed Miami (OH) last night. Riley Wetmore's goal at 2:13 of overtime helped the River Hawks earn the victory in their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament since 1996.
Welsh Nears Union College Century Club
Junior forward Jeremy Welsh, who scored his team-leading 26th goal of the season in yesterday's 3-1 win over Michigan State, is now tied for the team lead with 42 points (26 goals, 16 assists) and with 98 points (52 goals, 46 assists) needs two more to become the 21st member of the Union College Century Club (100 points).
Scouting UMass-Lowell
UMass-Lowell returns to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996 under first-year head coach Norm Bazin. The third-seeded River Hawks (24-12-1) will be making their fourth all-time appearance in the NCAA Tournament (1988, 1994 and 1996). Bazin, the Hockey East Coach of the Year, has led UMass Lowell to its largest turnaround in program history and set the Division I record for largest turnaround by a first-year head coach, guiding the River Hawks to 19 more wins than a season ago. UMass-Lowell, like Union, has been solid on both sides of the ice with the nation's No. 8 scoring offense (3.35 goals/game) and No. 13 scoring defense (2.43 goals allowed/game). The River Hawks have 12 players with doubledigits in points, and seven players with 10 or more goals. Junior captain Riley Wetmore leads UMass Lowell in scoring with 14 goals and a team-high 25 assists. The junior center has assisted on seven game-winning goals and totaled 14 multi-point games. Hockey East Rookie of the Year Scott Wilson also keys the UMass-Lowell scoring attack. A Pittsburgh Penguins' draft pick, Wilson is right behind Wetmore with 38 points on 16 goals and 22 assists. Sophomore Doug Carr a Hockey East Second-Team All Star has been solid in net for UMass- Lowell this season. Carr has posted a 22-9-1 record with a .929 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average. He is just the sixth goaltender in program history to record a 20-win season and ranks fifth in the NCAA in winning percentage (.703), ninth in save percentage, ninth in goals against average and 10th in shutouts (4).
UMass-Lowell has been dangerous on the power play (21.5%, T-11th NCAA), and in the middle of the pack on the penalty kill (80.9%, 37th NCAA).
