Inevitably at this point of the season, for fans, players and coaches alike, the mind begins to drift toward March and playoff hockey. It’s only natural, as every game carries increased importance as teams jockey for position for the Hockey East tournament, which begins just four weeks from today.
A one-game-at-a-time approach has worked well for coach Norm Bazin and UMass Lowell.
So you’ll have to excuse UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin if he doesn’t quite get caught up in the hysteria of playoff hockey just yet. The first-year head coach has his team just one point out of first place in the league standings with a game in hand over league-leading Boston University, but the only thing on his mind right now is Friday’s game at home against Merrimack.
“Our team does well when concentrating on the next game, and the next game only,” Bazin said. “When we look at the big picture, it doesn’t bode well for us. We’ve got an inexperienced group, in age and youthfulness, and we do pretty well when the next game is the focus.”
For certain, Bazin has kept his troops focused on the task at hand for much of the season. After posting a 2-3-0 mark in October, the River Hawks have gone 16-4-0 since. Still, looking deeper at the schedule illustrates Bazin’s thoughts about focusing on the next game only. In each of the four losses since the first of November, one might reach the conclusion that the River Hawks might have been looking past their opponent, losing to New Hampshire, Northeastern, Vermont and Providence – all teams in the bottom half of the league’s standings.
While the River Hawks may be looking at the final eight games of the league season one at a time, it’s clear the road into the playoffs will present numerous challenges. Six of the final eight games are against teams in the top half of the standings, with just three points separating first from fifth place.
Bazin has had his team thinking of the season in three parts, with the third part — the final 10 games of the year — beginning last weekend with Lowell’s series at home against Vermont. The River Hawks captured the sweep in 3-1 and 6-4 victories, but not without some nerve-wracking moments. In the opener, the Catamounts scored the game’s first goal before Lowell rallied with two in the second period and one in the third. Saturday’s game saw a 5-2 third-period lead nearly evaporate as Vermont scored a pair of extra attacker goals 50 seconds apart before Josh Holmstrom capped the contest with a late empty net goal.
“We’re concentrating on 60-minute efforts,” Bazin said. “We want our guys to play in the moment — when we get away from that, we lose focus. It’s crucial for our young guys to keep playing in the moment, and we have to find a way to keep our guys grounded. We realize it’s not too far down – Vermont was a very good club, and those games could have gone either way.”
The River Hawks are well aware of just how narrow the gap between first and last place is in Hockey East; after all, it was just last season that UMass-Lowell was where the Catamounts now are, in last place in the league, and watching the playoffs from home.
Lowell’s change from last season to this has come on two fronts. Offensively, the River Hawks are benefiting from balanced scoring, with seven players already over the 20-point mark on the season. Last year, just two players — David Vallorani and Riley Wetmore — surpassed the 20-point mark for the entire season. Additionally, along with the balanced point totals, just two players — freshman Scott Wilson and sophomore Derek Arnold — have more than 10 goals on the year, with both players recording 13.
“It’s very important for our team to have scoring by committee,” Bazin said. “Any of those seven guys can lead our team in scoring for a given weekend. It bodes well for our team-first attitude, focusing on our team and not on individuals.”
While UMass Lowell has gotten offensive production from a number of sources, it’s been sophomore Doug Carr between the pipes who has kept the River Hawks steady this season. Carr’s numbers are very solid, posting a .923 save percentage and a 1.88 goals-against average. More impressive has been his consistency, as Carr has recorded just three shutouts on the year.
“He’s somebody who’s been very strong, somebody who’s been consistent, which is the key word when describing goaltenders,” Bazin said. “He’s had a great start to the season, and we’re anxious to see what the stretch drive brings. It’s a long season, full of potholes, and he’s done well to navigate through them so far. We’re cautiously optimistic that he can be a reflection of the team over the stretch run.
“We feel we’ve been able to accomplish things by scoring by committee, getting good leadership and goaltending and special teams, and just finding ways to play the same way both away and at home,” he added. “Our home arena has been very good to us. We’ve gotten great fan support at home in front of our fans, and that’s given us an edge. These are all factors that have allowed us to have an aggressive approach.”
While Bazin tries to keep his team focused on the next opponent, the fact of the matter is that the next six games will determine not only where the River Hawks finish the regular season, but also whether or not they will have an opportunity to continue in the national tournament. Quite a leap from a team with just five wins a year ago.
FRIES AT THE BOTTOM OF THE BAG
• Hockey East can certainly make a case as the best offensive league in the country. Half of the league’s teams are ranked in the top 14 nationally in scoring offense, led by UMass-Lowell (3rd), Maine (4th) and Boston University (5th).
• Boston College appears to be heating up at the right time. The Eagles have 14 goals in their last three games, all wins, including a 7-1 victory over Northeastern in last Monday’s Beanpot semifinal. The Eagles are at Vermont tonight before facing Boston University on Monday in the 60th Beanpot championship.
• Massachusetts, currently lying in ninth place, has its work cut out for it to attempt to climb into a playoff spot. The Minutemen have yet to win a game on the road this season, going 0-9-2 in road games. Four of UMass’ eight remaining games are on the road, including two at Maine and one each at Boston University and Merrimack.
• Parity has truly found its way into Hockey East. Last season, only six teams finished the season with double digit wins. This season, eight teams are already there, with a ninth — Massachusetts — needing one more win to join that group.
