Owen Savory is a crucial part of University of Massachusetts-Lowell (UMass-Lowell). The NCAA Division I school has built a great culture and has made it easy for newcomer Savory to feel at home.

“Since I’ve arrived here it’s been unbelievable,” Savory said. “The guys are incredible and I can tell how great the culture is and how great the (team) bond is.”

Creating and contributing to a great culture like the one found at UMass-Lowell can be challenging, however, UMass-Lowell and Owen Savory have been able to contribute to a fantastic hockey culture that is providing them with great success.

“Having the correct mindset, setting goals for our team for what we want to achieve,” Savory said. “Whether that’s weekly or monthly or for the year, it’s very important. On the player’s side, it’s creating a good bond and sticking to our values establishes a good culture.”

Since Owen Savory is a goalie, the challenges and pressures he faces are different than that of a forward or defenseman.

“The pressures are a little bit different being the last man standing, but even those pressures can feel easy when the team is so connected,” Savory said.

Calling back to the team chemistry and culture as Savory did is essential, as when the team is connected, it can help keep players at ease when dealing with the mental side of hockey.

“A lot of my side of my game is mental, rehearsing over the course of my career to mentally reset if the other team gets a goal,” Savory said. “I think enjoying the moment and being happy to relieve those pressures is where I have found success in my game.”

Many goalies have special routines or pre-game rituals to get them in the right mindset, and these can vary drastically from player to player, yet each one serves a purpose in preparing a goalie mentally and alleviating any pressure.

“I got a pretty strict routine that I follow, some of them are pretty crazy. As I’ve gotten older and more into college some things can change on game days especially this year so you got to try and stay flexible,” Savory said. “There are some things that I do whether it’s taping my stick the same way, goalies out of anyone have the most strict routines.”

The impact of COVID-19 has affected everyone regardless of their occupation. COVID-19 has especially affected college athletes, whose practice and game schedules have been altered to comply with safety regulations.

“This is probably the most flexible year where every college athlete has to be flexible and be able to roll with the punches,” Savory said. “You have to do small group practices, but we are just happy to be playing and happy to have the opportunity to be playing. Potential for us (UMass-Lowell) is strong here so that’s why everyone has to be flexible.”

Playing in the NCAA is every college player’s dream, and Savory has the opportunity to play at a high level at UMass-Lowell.

“Every college guy worked to get to this level, and every time you get the opportunity to play such great teams and players it helps build your games,” Savory said. “Back to the pressure thing, coming in there’s a bit of pressure but I feel I’ve been able to relieve some of that, and to be able to play against the best players in the country every weekend is something special.”

The NCAA also provides excitement and great opportunities when it comes to road games for its athletes, giving players the opportunity to travel to other school stadiums and create fond memories with their team.

“Road trips are a lot of fun, and is where a lot of the team bonding occurs,” Savory said. “When you’re on the bus for hours, or in the hotel and team dinners, everything together. That’s the reason why the culture here is so strong because we have the opportunity to be together all the time.”

Playing at a high level will lead to the creation of fond memories, especially in a program like the one UMass-Lowell has culminated. These memories are ones that will last a lifetime and will be ones that can be looked back on with a smile on your face.

“The biggest thing I cherish the most is the people I met through the game, there are a lot of team sports but there is no team sport like hockey. It’s usually a smaller group on a team and the friends I have been able to make and still have friends for life is something I’ll cherish forever.”