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New Year's Day has not yet arrived, but for the UMass Lowell hockey team, the holiday break is over.

The River Hawks (6-7-1 / 3-6-1) host non-conference opponent Bentley University, at the Tsongas Center, Sunday at 4:00pm. 
 
The visitors are trying to end a winless streak which has reached four, (three losses and a tie.) 
 
UMass Lowell is looking to pick up its third consecutive win and fifth in its last seven outings and the River hawks are trying to apply the lessons learned during a roller coaster first half of the season.
 
“It takes everyone's effort, every night at one-hundred percent,” says senior captain Riley Wetmore (Swanton, Vt.). “”We learned a lot during the first half, we've got to play Lowell hockey and we're antsy to get started.”
 
Wetmore defines “Lowell hockey” simply as, “fast paced, a lot of urgency, get to the puck first, get to the corners, get to the net front. Be tough to play against, be a gritty team.”
 
The captain also adds, “Do the little things.”
 
Hockey is a team game that is so often determined by those individual battles. 
 
Wetmore's words are words that Coach Norm Bazin has been preaching.
 
“I want to see good habits, stopping at the net front, taking the goalie's eyes away, and doing all the little things it takes to be successful,” says Bazin. 
 
Although the break is referred to as the “halfway point” in the season, it is not that.  The River Hawks with 14 games behind them have 20 remaining and it is those remaining games that will determine how the season is viewed.
 
“It's the tale of two seasons, the bulk of our schedule is coming up,” says Bazin.  “I'm excited to see what this team brings.  Overall consistency is the key; we have to show a high level of urgency.”
 
UMass Lowell and Bentley have only met a handful of times, but history favors the River Hawks.  UMass Lowell holds a 4-0-0 edge in the all time series.  All four games have been played at the Tsongas Center.  The most recent meeting was nearly two years ago; UMass Lowell won that, 8-5.
 
The River Hawks enter the game coming off back-to-back shutouts.  UMass Lowell closed out the first half of the season with a 2-0 win against Northeastern and a 5-0 beating of Harvard.
 
The Harvard game found UMass Lowell getting some much needed offensive contributions from the defense corp.  Freshman Dmitry Sinistsyn (Moscow, Russia), junior Chad Ruhwedel (San Diego, Calif.) and Sophomore Jake Suter (Lac du Flambeau, Wisc.) all scored goals.  The defense accounted for five points after scoring just nine in the previous 13 games.
 
Bentley features some eye popping offensive numbers.  The Falcons are the nation's highest scoring team, averaging 3.80 goals per game and feature the country's third most effective power play (25.9%.)
 
The visitors are led by Brett Gensler.  The junior forward has 10 goals and 16 assists for 26 points and leads the nation in points per game at 1.73. 
 
Bentley also boasts the nation's top two offensive defensemen. Sophomore Steve Weinstein (5-10-15) is averaging a point per game and Freshman Matt Blomquist (2-12-14) is just under those numbers, (0.93.)
 
Tickets for all home games are available for public purchase. Game tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors (65+) and children (12 and under). As always, UMass Lowell students receive free admission by scanning their ID as part of the Mission: All In campaign.
 
Tickets can be purchased at the Tsongas Center Box Office, which is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the week. Fans can also purchase tickets online at TsongasCenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780.
 
Season tickets will continue to be on sale through the River Hawk Marketing office and can be purchased by calling 978-934-4988.