Remarkable. Eye-popping. Otherworldly.
It’s tough to be hyperbolic about the run UMass Lowell goaltender commit Austin Elliott went on after joining the London Knights early in the 2024-25 season.
Elliott ended a magical campaign Sunday night when he backboned the Ontario Hockey League champions to a 4-1 win over the Medicine Hat Tigers to lift London to its third Memorial Cup title in Rimouski, Quebec.
Elliott will arrive in Lowell later this summer to prepare for UML’s 2025-26 campaign. River Hawk fans have a right to be excited about his arrival.
Combining the regular season, playoffs and the Memorial Cup, Elliott won 55 of his 58 starts with London. That’s right. He lost just three games.
In Sunday’s final, Elliott was clutch again, stopping 31 of 32 shots at Sun Life Financial Coliseum.
“No, he doesn’t surprise me,” UML head coach Norm Bazin said of Elliott’s performance with the coveted championship on the line. “He’s plenty sound mentally and he showed that. I’m certainly glad he got it done. It’s such a great accomplishment. It’s exciting for him and the program.”
The Memorial Cup is the national championship of the Canadian Hockey League. Bazin, who watched London’s Memorial Cup run closely, texted Elliott after the final.
“He was certainly excited. It’s just a long year,” he said. “He’s going to take some time and go on vacation and get away from (hockey).”
Elliott led the Memorial Cup in goals against average (1.59) and save percentage (.943), earning the Hap Emms Memorial Trophy as the tournament’s top goaltender. He was also named to the all-tournament team.
UML’s goaltenders will all be new to the program in the fall. Henry Welsch and Edvard Nordlund graduated. Beni Halasz, who had half a season of eligibility left, has opted to begin his professional career.
Goaltender Austin Elliott begins to celebrate after the London Knights won the Memorial Cup on Sunday night. He’s a UMass Lowell commit. (Photo by Vincent Ethier/CHL)
But the River Hawks, who have earned a reputation for developing outstanding goaltenders, figure to be strong between the pipes next season with the additions of Elliott, Samuel Richard and Nikola Goich.
The 6-foot, 170-pound Richard hails from Ste-Catherine, Quebec. He posted a 1.48 goals against average and .926 save percentage during the regular season for the University of New Brunswick. He led New Brunswick to the University Cup title last year.
Goich, a 6-5, 175-pound native of Homer Glen, lll., starred this past season for Shreveport of the North American Hockey League.
Bazin said he feels good about the players being added to the program. At this point, the goaltending and defense are set. If the circumstances are right, the River Hawks could add a forward.
It’s been a busy spring for Bazin, who recently returned after spending three and a half weeks in Sweden as an assistant coach for France at the IIHF World Championship.
Facing world powers like Finland, Canada and Sweden, underdog France – missing three key defensemen due to injuries – went 0-7. France played several teams tough, however, taking Finland into overtime and holding their own against Canada and Sweden.
“It was a wonderful experience,” said Bazin, “and even better than what I thought.”
Seeing players like Canadian stars Nathan MacKinnon and Sidney Crosby at ice level was eye-opening.
“It was impressive. I was even more impressed by how they go about their business off the ice,” he said. “MacKinnon and Crosby and those guys, you just have such respect for how they work and what they put into their craft. MacKinnon has one speed. Fast. He never slows the game down.”
Working with France’s players was a joy, he said. At the end of the day, no matter the level, if a coach can help players get better, the athletes are all ears, Bazin said.