From Sweden to South Dakota to Massachusetts, the last five years have looked nearly identical for UMass Lowell teammates Carl Berglund and Andre Lee.<\/p>\n
They started off as rivals until Berglund transferred onto Lee\u2019s U16 team in their home country of Sweden.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the beginning, I knew [Lee] as a great player from another team,\u201d Berglund said. \u201cHe\u2019s always been a tall kid, was always a big kid.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always liked him,\u201d Berglund added. \u201cAfter a few months on that team, we played together for the rest of that year and I\u2019ve always enjoyed being around him. He always brings a smile to your face.\u201d<\/p>\n
Two years ago, the 6-foot-4, 205-pound Lee decided he wanted to experience America and came from Sweden to the U.S. to play for the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.<\/p>\n
Not long after, he got a phone call. It was Berglund.<\/p>\n
His ex-teammate was curious about life in Sioux Falls, and whether or not it made sense for him to follow Lee\u2019s lead and move to the U.S. Lee assured him that it had been a great experience and he\u2019d feel comfortable playing there.<\/p>\n
That was all Berglund needed to hear to make the move from Sweden and join Lee in South Dakota.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe chance for me came up just before Christmas to finish the year off over there and I didn\u2019t hesitate with that decision,\u201d Berglund said. \u201cI took it right away.\u201d<\/p>\n
Berglund played 37 games as a center for Sioux Falls and finished with five goals and 11 assists while Lee scored 20 goals and added 15 assists in 61 games as a left wing, and racked up 11 points in 12 postseason games. Lee was then selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the seventh round of the 2019 NHL Draft.<\/p>\n
While Lee\u2019s family made the move to the U.S. with him, Berglund\u2019s remained in Sweden. That wasn\u2019t easy, but having Lee\u2019s family around didn\u2019t just help his own transition, but having a friendly face helped Berglund feel more comfortable during his first time being away from home.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first night when I got there, I went to Andre\u2019s house to eat and we had such a good time,\u201d Berglund said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of fun memories of going to my house, too. We had this big basement where we used to play ping pong with the roommate I was living with and Andre.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lee and Berglund always found opportunities to have playful competition both on and off the ice, but when it came to golfing, it\u2019s always been one-sided.<\/p>\n
\u201cCarl is really good at golf. He always beats me!\u201d, Lee said.<\/p>\n
After coming to the U.S. and playing for Sioux Falls, it was time for the duo to contemplate their futures. They visited UMass Lowell and decided there was no need to go their separate ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe decided that Lowell might be the place, and why not just do it together?,\u201d Lee said.<\/p>\n
The pair have bonded during their long plane rides home, another perk of being together in Massachusetts. Lee hails from Karlstad, Sweden while Berglund is from nearby Hammaro – about 20 minutes south.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnother thing that\u2019s really nice is that we live close to each other in Sweden,\u201d Berglund said. \u201cWe always go with each other to the airport and we travel together, sitting next to each other on planes. You\u2019re never alone when you travel, which is nice.\u201d<\/p>\n
Between listening to music and watching their favorite show, Peaky Blinders, they manage to stay busy through the 10-hour flight home.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe always has something going on, so you\u2019re never bored with him,\u201d Berglund said of Lee. \u201cHe\u2019s always got a smile on his face and he always makes you laugh.\u201d<\/p>\n
During their freshman season with UMass Lowell, Berglund and Lee ranked second and third on the team with 23 and 20 points, respectively. At the unexpected shut-down last season, the River Hawks were ranked 12th in the country. This season, they are 20th despite being only one of two teams ranked teams who have played just six games.<\/p>\n
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a few setbacks, including 13 postponed games. The team is 3-3 overall and has played just twice since Jan. 4.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, Berglund and Lee got off to an electric start in their first four games played before the pause. Berglund scored three goals and added four assists, while Lee tallied two goals to go with two assists.<\/p>\n
The transition from Swedish hockey to the American game was drastic for both Berglund and Lee because hockey in Sweden employs bigger rinks and a less physical game, primarily focused on skill training.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been a great journey for the both of them,\u201d UMass Lowell coach Norm Bazin said.<\/p>\n
While the pair aren\u2019t out on the ice together often, when they are, they cherish it.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Berglund\u2019s] really smart and makes a lot of great plays,\u201d Lee said. \u201cWhenever I\u2019m out there with him, I\u2019m just trying to get open and trying to give him a pass.\u201d<\/p>\n
Although they\u2019re so close, they\u2019ve somehow never roomed together. But that doesn\u2019t prevent them from their daily Swedish conversations filled with laughter.<\/p>\n
\u201c[Berglund\u2019s] so kind,\u201d said Lee. \u201cHe will always be there if you need something and will always come over if you\u2019ve got something on your mind. He\u2019s just so kind. Sometimes he gets on my nerves and we kind of joke around, but it\u2019s always friendly at the end of the day.\u201d<\/p>\n
The experience has been one like no other, and Lee and Berglund are thankful to have each other through it all.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we both had a chance to come here, we took it quickly,\u201d Berglund said. \u201cHaving the opportunity to keep playing together made it an easy decision.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
From Sweden to South Dakota to Massachusetts, the last five years have looked nearly identical for UMass Lowell teammates Carl Berglund and Andre Lee. They started off as rivals until Berglund transferred onto Lee\u2019s U16 team in their home country of Sweden. \u201cFrom the beginning, I knew [Lee] as a great player from another team,\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":79619,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[331],"tags":[2423,2424,2425,2426],"class_list":["post-79617","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-other-sports","tag-andre-lee","tag-carl-berglund","tag-ncaa-hockey","tag-umass-lowell"],"yoast_head":"\n