Shreveport forward Zohovs makes NCAA DI commitment

November 17, 2016

The Shreveport Mudbugs, proud members of the North American Hockey League (NAHL), are pleased to announce that forward Eriks Zohovs has committed to play NCAA Division I hockey at the University of Massachusetts-Lowell.  He joins current Mudbugs teammate Croix Evingson, who just last month committed to play for the Riverhawks in the fall of 2017.     

 

“We congratulate Eriks on his commitment to U-Mass Lowell,” Head Coach Karlis Zirnis said.  “Eriks has been a major contributor for us since joining the team in early September.  He impacts the game in all three zones and has the hockey sense, skating ability and compete level that will make him a quality player at the Division I level.”

 

A native of Riga, Latvia, Zohovs spent last season stateside as a member of the Boston Jr. Rangers in the Eastern Hockey League.  In 29 games with the Rangers, Zohovs tallied 19 goals and 14 assists.  Zohovs has appeared on the international stage at three prestigious events, representing Latvia at the U17, U18 and U20 World Junior Hockey Championships.  He will dawn his nation’s colors again next month, when the 19 year old skates in the 2016 World Junior Hockey Championships in both Toronto and Montreal.    

 

Zohovs received league accolades last month, when he was named the NAHL South Division’s Star of the Week.  In just 16 games this season with the Mudbugs, Zohovs has collected 11 goals and 13 assists.  His 24 total points currently ties him for the NAHL lead.    

 

Zohovs joins a U-Mass Lowell program that has finished no lower than 4th place in each of the last five seasons in the always competitive Hockey East conference.  The Riverhawks reached the Frozen Four in 2012-2013, a season that saw the program finish on top of Hockey East, with a 16-9-2 record.  

 

“Winning doesn’t happen by accident,” Coach Zirnis added.  “Norm Bazin and the Lowell coaching staff have built a solid program and most importantly, a winning culture.  We are all excited for Eriks because he has chosen a program where he will grow both as a hockey player and as a young man.  We are trying to build something similar here in Shreveport, so it’s fitting that our organization’s first two commitments are to a program with the standards of U-Mass Lowell.”