News Around UMass Lowell Basketball and Hockey

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It has already been a busy few weeks for the winter men’s sports teams around the campus of UMass Lowell. Both the basketball and hockey teams have started their offseasons with news to keep their fan base interested as the long wait for next year begins. For fans of the orange ball, the news is mixed. First, the team did have one member of last year’s squad that has entered the transfer portal. Connor Withers has decided to leave the program and try to find another home. The 6-7 senior played in 56 games with 48 of them being starts during his career at UMass Lowell. He averaged 30.3 minutes in his career with the River Hawks. He averaged 9.9 points per game, six rebounds, and 1.8 assists. He scored 534 points at UMass Lowell and grabbed 325 boards, had 103 assists, 61 blocks, and 61 steals. Connor shot 47.1% from the field (201-of-427), 32% from 3-point land (48-of-150), and shot 76.1% from the free throw line (86-of-113). Last season, Connor appeared in 27 of the 34 games the River Hawks played scoring double-figures twice, both in league play. For the 2022-23 season, Withers averaged 4.1 points and 2.6 rebounds. He will have three years of eligibility remaining.

The River Hawks’ head coach Pat Duquette will be around for the foreseeable future. That’s because he signed a multi-year extension to stay with the school. The River Hawks are coming off their most successful season as a division one program racking up a 26-6 record and 11-5 in America East. For the second time in program history, UMass Lowell played for the America East championship back in March. The coach capped off the year by being named the conference’s Coach of the Year as well as the NABC District 1 Coach of the Year. Not only did the program have its first 20-win season since 2010-11, but it also had its first winning year and best winning percentage (.765) since becoming a division one program. The team set records for total wins with 26, league wins with 11, and consecutive wins with 9. They finished off the season in style by going undefeated at home for the first time as a D1 member (17-0).

On the ice, the UMass Lowell hockey team has been busy with the transfer portal. They have lost some players and have gained a couple. Those leaving the program include Brian Chambers who has transferred to Arizona State. The senior forward played in 28 games for the River Hawks this past year scoring eight goals with 11 assists for 19 points. Ryan Brushett will also be moving on to RPI for next season. The senior forward appeared in 24 games for UMass Lowell scoring one goal and nine assists for 10 points. Blake Wells, another senior, played in 22 games for the River Hawks this season. He had two goals and one assist for three points as a defenseman. At this time, Blake has not found a new home for next season. Nik Armstrong-Kingkade a junior is also moving on. He appeared in ten games for Lowell last year. He registered no points in any of those games. He too is still for a new team.

UMass Lowell has gained two new members of next year’s team from the portal. Senior forward Alex Peterson is leaving Holy Cross to come to Lowell. He played in 38 games for the Crusaders last year. He was an assistant captain for the team, He scored five goals with 14 assists for 19 points. The assist total was third most on the team. The center iceman was good on faceoffs with a 345-349 record. He blocked 29 shots as well. In net, the River Hawks will have a new face, Luke Pavicich has transferred from UMass Amherst where he was 8-10-4 with a 2.75 GAA and a .920% save percentage. He was in 23 games for the Minutemen allowing 58 goals in over 1200 minutes of action. He posted two shutouts on the season. He was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Week on November 28.