It's called the Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge, but for the UMass Lowell hockey River Hawks it's about taking a road mentality and translating progress into victories.
The River Hawks (1-3-0) visit Michigan State University (0-2-0) on Friday night in East Lansing, Mich. and travel to Ann Arbor, Saturday, to battle the University of Michigan (3-0-1). Both games can be heard on the ESPN River Hawk Radio Network; ESPN 900 AM, ESPN 1250 AM, WSMN 1590 AM and WCAP 980 AM.
Both opponents are members of the newly formed Big Ten hockey conference. It is the league's first year of operation. The final seven of thirteen games between teams from Hockey East and the Big Ten will be played this weekend to decide the Big Ten / Hockey East challenge. Two points are awarded for a win, one for a tie and a bonus point is awarded for a road win. Hockey East, after the first six games holds a 9-4 edge.
For UMass Lowell the weekend may very well be less about the inter-conference challenge and more about the team itself.
"I think the first road trip as a team is going to be very good for us," said Head Coach
Norm Bazin. "For team building purposes it's very important. When you encounter two tough opponents, it's important to get over those hurdles as a team. It will be a very valuable experience for these kids."
The River Hawks are looking to bounce back after dropping two games, by identical 3-1 scores, to Quinnipiac last weekend. Despite the results there was progress.
"I've seen progress from week to week and from Friday to Saturday," said Bazin. "Saturday I thought our 'compete level' was better; we got to pucks first. I thought there were a lot of things in our game that improved."
One thing that will have to improve as the season moves forward is the performance of the special teams. The power play has struggled, scoring just once in 25 opportunities. The penalty killing unit has allowed 5 goals in 18 short handed situations.
"We realize fully that our special teams haven't been what they need to be in order to have success," said Bazin. "We're working on that diligently."
When Bazin talks about the power play, he talks about puck movement and player movement.
"It's got to be a five-man unit," said Bazin. "People away from the puck have to be a threat and they have to communicate and make themselves available for quick puck movement. If you start moving the puck quickly things will open up and you'll find seams and you will get scoring opportunities."
The weekend should also provide opportunity for continued growth and development for a variety of individuals.
"Some of these kids have to grow into their roles," said Bazin. "All of the roles have expanded; more is asked of these guys, more production is asked."
UMass Lowell does not have much of a history with either opponent and has not played either team since 2008.
The River Hawks and Michigan State have split eight previous meetings. All have been played on the Spartans home ice, the Munn Arena. The two teams have met twice in the NCAA tournament with the River Hawks winning both of those contests. Bazin was a member of the 1994 UMass Lowell team that defeated Michigan State 4-3 in the NCAA West Regional.
UMass Lowell and Michigan State split a two game series in 2008.
The River Hawks and Michigan have met only twice. The Wolverines won both of those contests in October of 1999.
