UML hockey notebook: Henry Welsch doesn't pass up chance to set up winning goal

LOWELL — Statistically, Henry Welsch is one of the best goaltenders in the nation.

Last Friday, Welsch made a play that would make any defenseman proud, firing a 100-foot pass which led the an overtime goal as the UMass Lowell hockey team rallied to defeat Holy Cross, 5-4.

It was Welsch’s first collegiate point and it allowed the River Hawks (5-1) to extend their winning streak to five games.

Seeing Holy Cross on a line change, Welsch skated to his right, collected the puck and, with no hesitation, ripped a pass to Jak Vaarwerk at the Holy Cross blue line. Vaarwerk tapped it to Scout Truman, who went in on a near breakaway only to be impeded by a Crusader.

Truman left the puck for Vaarwerk, who tallied the winner into a near open net. It was Welsch’s first point in 66 collegiate games.

“I’m pretty sure it’s the first one,” a smiling Welsch said after practice at the Tsongas Center. “I just tried to catch them on a change. It was cool.”

While play is 5-on-5, UML goaltenders aren’t expected to handle the puck much. But on a power play or when the opponent is scrambling, the goalies are given more freedom.

“He’s our rock,” Vaarwerk said of Welsch. “Everyone believes in Welschy and we know how good he is.”

With one assist under his belt, Welsch says stopping pucks is still his No. 1 priority. He is 5-0-0 this season with a 1.85 goals against average and .919 save percentage. As for moving up the scoring list, he was laughing when he said, “I wouldn’t count on it.”

Down 3-0 to Holy Cross in the second period, the River Hawks stunned the hosts by scoring three goals in a span of just 58 seconds.

Incredibly, this wasn’t even close to the program record. On Jan. 26, 1985, UML scored three times in 24 seconds against Maine at the Tully Forum.

“It’s great to see. I felt the energy,” head coach Norm Bazin said of Friday’s comeback. “You don’t want to get down. But it happened. We had some system breakdowns. I was pretty proud of their resiliency.”

Trailing 3-0 and then 4-3 wasn’t the game plan, but Vaarwerk said the River Hawks refused to stop clawing.

“There’s a good vibe in the room,” he said. “Everyone knows their role.”

Last year UML was one of the lowest-scoring teams in the country, averaging 2.0 goals per game. This year’s average has skyrocketed to 4.0, putting the River Hawks in a tie for sixth in the nation.

“It’s a different group,” said Bazin, who has 15 different players from last season. “I wouldn’t compare anything from last year to this year. There’s a different energy with this group. They’re not concerned about what happened last year.”

The River Hawks will face ninth-ranked Boston University on Friday (7 p.m.) in Boston and then Saturday (6:05 p.m.) at the Tsongas Center.

“It’s going to be a battle,” Vaarwerk said.

The Terriers (4-3) figure to be in an ornery mood after being swept at home last weekend by Michigan. Graduate student defenseman Brehdan Engum, who played his first four seasons at UML, has one assist in six games for the Terriers.

“We expect a very competitive Hockey East weekend,” Bazin said. “They’re a very good rush team that does an excellent job creating a second and third wave (of offense).”

The River Hawks moved up three spots to No. 17 in the USCHO.com poll. … UML’s power play, which is succeeding 42.11 percent of the time, is now second in the nation. Only Dartmouth has a better percentage with the man advantage, but the Big Green have only played two games. … UML won after trailing by three goals for the first time since a 4-3 win over Dartmouth on Nov. 22, 2022 at the Friendship Four in Belfast, Ireland.