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The next game is all that matters.
 
The 12^th/15^th ranked UMass Lowell (13-7-1/7-6-1) hockey team and Hockey East rival unranked Northeastern (7-11-2/4-9-2) will square off twice this weekend.  The River Hawks visit the Matthews Arena in Boston on Friday night and host the Huskies Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.  Both games are 7:00pm starts.
 
“We're looking for a strong battle,” says Head Coach Norm Bazin.  “We're looking for an aggressive contest.  Hopefully we can pressure the puck and play well away from it, because we're going to have to.”
 
The two teams have met once this season; a 2-0 River Hawk win, on December 8, 2012, that launched UMass Lowell's current nine game winning streak, the longest active streak in the country.  It also equals the longest such streak in UMass Lowell's Division I hockey history.
 
That nine game stretch has propelled UMass Lowell to the number 12 spot in the USA Today College Hockey Poll and the 15^th position in the USCHO poll.  The team, after a difficult start in league play has climbed into a sixth place, four points behind second place New Hampshire, in Hockey East.
 
Wins eight and nine in the streak came last weekend.  UMass Lowell defeated Providence, 2-1, a week ago and Boston University, 4-3, last Saturday night.
 
Four of the nine consecutive wins have been by a single goal.
 
Defense has been a key, both to winning and to scoring goals.
 
“Our offense comes from our defense, that's not a cliché,” says Bazin.  “For us, it's very applicable.  If we're good in the defensive zone, we score more goals.  We have more offense and spend less time in the defensive zone.”
 
The blue line corps has also been large contributors to the offense.  They scored 8 goals and 18 assists during the last eight games. 
 
And first year players are showing a growing maturity. 
 
“First and foremost, you want to give them an opportunity to succeed,” says Bazin.  “Several of them have made key contributions.”
 
The first year players as a group have scored 12 goals and 28 points during the nine game run.  They have added five game winning goals. 
 
Freshman goalie Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, Mich.) has been between the pipes in five of those nine contests and has allowed only four goals.
 
The River Hawks have seven players in double digits in scoring led by sophomore forward Scott Wilson (Oakville, Ont.)  Wilson has seven goals and 13 assists.  Fifteen of his twenty points have comer in eleven road games.  Senior captain Riley Wetmore (Swanton, Vt.) and junior forward Joseph Pendenza (Wilmington, Mass.) lead the team in goals with eight apiece.
 
Northeastern features one of the nation's top freshmen, Kevin Roy. Roy leads all of the country's first year players in points per game, 1.15, and leads the Huskies in goals, assists, points and game winning goals.
 
Northeastern defeated Boston University, 6-5, last Friday but fell to Boston College, 9-3, on Saturday.  The Huskies have only won three of their last 11 games and have not won at home since defeating Alabama-Huntsville, November 11^th.
 
History may suggest good things for the River Hawks.  UMass Lowell has the edge in the all time series, 56-40-7, and has a winning record at the both the Matthews Arena and the Tsongas center.  The River Hawks have won the last three meetings between the two.
 
Saturday's game is also part of Hockey East's Skating Strides against Breast Cancer initiative.  UMass Lowell is promoting the game as Pink at the Rink. 
 
Fans are encouraged to wear pink and the event will feature a variety of promotional activities in an effort to raise awareness and support for Mel's Foundation, a Boston-based non-profit that provides grants to a variety of New England programs.  Of note, the ice will be tinted pink.
 
After this weekend, UMass Lowell will only have four home games remaining on the regular season schedule.  The club will visit Merrimack next Friday night and visit Maine on Super Bowl Sunday.  They will return home Saturday, February 16 to host Massachusetts.
 
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.