SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: No. 7 ranked UMass Lowell enters the weekend with a 2-0-1 overall record (1-0-0 HEA), after going 1-0-1 against No. 13 Quinnipiac last weekend in a home-and-home set. Sophomore forward Evan Campbell leads with roster in scoring with five points (2g,3a) in three contests. Junior goaltender Kevin Boyle has started all three games to date (2.61 GAA, .907 sv%). The River Hawks have now been ranked in the Top 20 of the national polls for 44 straight weeks.

LAST TIME OUT: The River Hawks pulled out a 3-3 road tie at Quinnipiac last Saturday, Oct. 18th at High Point Solutions Arena in Hamden, Conn. Sophomore forward Joe Gambardella scored an extra attacker goal with 1:18 left in regulation to pick up the road tie. Sophomore forward Evan Campbell notched a career-high three points (1g,2a), while Kevin Boyle made his third straight start for the River Hawks posting 35 saves in the tie against the Bobcats. Freshman forward Gage Hough notched an assist for his first collegiate point.

SCOUTING THE WOLVERINES: No. 14 ranked Michigan enters the weekend with a 1-2-0 overall record. The Wolverines are coming off a weekend split with New Hampshire last weekend at Yost Arena with Michigan winning its most recent game against the Wildcats, 2-1, last Saturday night. Alex Kile leads the team in scoring with three points (1g,2a), while Zach Nagelvoort has started two of three games in net for the Wolverines (0-2-0, 4.54, .864). Michigan will be making its fifth regular season trip to the state of Massachusetts during the Red Berenson era (since 1984-85), and its first trip since playing at BU on Oct. 24, 2009.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MICHIGAN: The River Hawks own a 1-2-0 all-time record against Michigan, which includes a 2-1 River Hawk win
at Yost Arena last October 15th.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN (GAME-BY-GAME)
Date     Site    Score
10/15/1999    A    L, 1-8
10/16/1999    A    L, 1-5
10/26/2013     A    W 2-1

SCOUTING THE SPARTANS: Michigan State comes into the weekend with a 1-1 overall record, coming off a weekend split with Massachusetts last weekend. The Spartans took a 4-3 loss on Saturday, after opening the season with a 5-3 win on Friday at Munn Ice Arena. Linemates Matt Berry, Michael Ferrantino and Mackenzie MacEachern combined for 14 (6g,8a) of the Spartans' 20 total points in the season-opening series against UMass. Berry's six points (4g,2a) over the weekend helped him earn Big Ten First Star of the Week honors for the second time in his career. Berry's four goals are tied for fifth in the nation and his six points are tied for eighth.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MICHIGAN STATE: The River Hawks own a 4-5-0 all-time record in nine all-time meetings against Michigan State. UMass Lowell won the last meeting on October 25, 2013 by a 4-1 score at Munn Ice Arena. Saturday's matchup in the first meeting all-time between the two schools taking place in Lowell. The River Hawks have won two of the four games in the series in the NCAA Tournament.

SERIES HISTORY VS. MICHIGAN STATE (GAME-BY-GAME)
Date     Site    Score
1-20-84    A    L, 10-4
1-21-84    A    L, 0-6
3-26-94 *    A    W, 4-3
3-23-96 *    A    W, 6-2
1-9-04    A    L, 0-2
1-10-04    A    L, 0-1
10-16-08    A    W, 3-0
10-17-08    A    L, 1-2
10-25-13    A    W, 4-1
* denotes NCAA Tournament games

DID YOU KNOW?: The River Hawks 14 freshmen is the largest freshman class in NCAA Div. I hockey. Evan Campbell and Joe Gambardella are the only two River Hawks to score a point in all three games so far this season.

RIVER HAWK HOMECOMING: Join us for a spirited weekend packed with events for River Hawks of all ages. Homecoming is UMass Lowell's biggest celebration of the year. Don't miss our exceptional line-up of entertainment, sports, family fun, reunions, food and opportunities to unite with friends, classmates and colleagues. See the transformation happening on-campus during the most vibrant season of the year. Homecoming is open to all friends, family, supporters and especially former student-athletes of UMass Lowell. Whether it's been a while since you've visited your alma mater or if you're a regular face in the crowd, join the campus as we celebrate the unprecedented progress and limitless future of UMass Lowell. Visit www.uml.edu/homecoming for more information on all of the events taking place over the weekend.

RIVER HAWKS INDUCT FOUR IN THE LEGENDS OF LOWELL HOCKEY: Four former UMass Lowell hockey players who left an indelible mark on the program have been named "Legends of Lowell Hockey" and will be honored before Saturday's game (October 25) against Michigan State at the Tsongas Center. The honorees, all of whom were previously elected to the University's Athletic Hall of Fame, include three forwards and one goalie. Kevin Charbonneau, Shane Henry and Christian Sbrocca make up the forward line. The trio accounted for 186 goals and 522 points.  Dana Demole is the goaltender in the group. The foursome will be honored on the ice before the opening face off and are expected to attend a pre-game reception and post game activities.

HOCKEY EAST/BIG TEN CHALLENGE: UMass Lowell will participate in its first Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge games this weekend against Michigan and Michigan State. The Big Ten went 4-3-1 against Hockey East competition in the last two weekends, but trails 10-9 in overall points.  Nine of the 12 Hockey East institutions and five of the six Big Ten schools will play in 20 games from October 10 to November 29. The games will be split with 10 in Hockey East arenas and 10 in Big Ten venues.The River Hawks will appear in four games this season all at the Tsongas Center. The final two challenge games for UMass Lowell will take place on November 14 and 15 with matchups against Penn State University.  Last season the challenge was only 13 games, and the Hockey East won the cup with a 7-4-2 record. At the end of the challenge a Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge Cup will be presented to the conference that records the most points from the 20 contests. Teams will earn two points for a win, one point for a tie and bonus point will be awarded for a road win. Should a Big Ten school utilize a shootout in any of its home games, it will not factor into the result.  

UMASS LOWELL 20-WIN SEASONS: The River Hawks registered their third consecutive 20-win season for the first time in their Division I history on February 14, 2014 vs. Massachusetts. It marked the 16th 20-win season in program history and the 11th at the Div. I level.

WEEKLY/MONTHLY AWARDS:
Zack Kamrass
HEA Defensive Player of the Week        Oct. 6th

UMASS LOWELL IN THE RANKINGS: Here is a week-by-week look at the River Hawks in the national polls and the HE standings:
Date    USAHM    USCHO    HEA
9/29    RV    17th    7th (pre)
10/6    RV    17th    7th (pre)
10/13    9th    9th    T-1st
10/20    8th    7th    T-1st

SUCCESS IS THE NORM: Norm Bazin is in his fourth season at UMass Lowell. He has compiled a 80-35-8 record (.683) in 123 games in three plus seasons for the River Hawks. He owns a 118-66-15 mark (.631) in 199 games in his career collegiate coaching record, which includes three seasons spent at Hamilton College. He recorded his 100th career coaching victory on Nov. 23 vs. Notre Dame at the Tsongas Center. Bazin is a two-time Hockey East Coach of the Year honoree and was named the 2013 Spencer Penrose Award Winner given annually by the American Hockey Coaches Association to the Division I Coach of the Year. Bazin has led the River Hawks to three straight NCAA tournament appearances, back-to-back Hockey East Tournament Championships (2013, 2014) and one Frozen Four appearance (2013).

HEAD COACH NORM BAZIN IN THE MEDIA:  Coach Bazin and select players are available to the media every Tuesday at 4:45pm post-practice at the Tsongas Center and are available for one-on-one phone interviews as well. Please contact Pete Souris for more information. Listen to Coach Bazin live every Thursday afternoon on the Christian and King Show at 12:30pm on ESPN NH Radio (900AM) and with Ted Panos on WCAP Radio during morning drive on Thursdays at 8:15am.

THIS DAY IN UMASS LOWELL HOCKEY HISTORY:
October 24
1970: The University of Massachusetts routs Lowell Tech 16-0 in Amherst, the worst shutout loss in school history. In three games against UMass, the Terriers have been outscored 36-5.

1987: Team USA flogs ULowell 6-1 in a season-opening exhibition game in front of 2,700 fans at the Tully Forum. Defenseman Tommi Maarni nets the only goal for the Chiefs.

1997: Sophomore center Greg Koehler turns the hat trick and assists on a fourth goal in the season's opener as UMass Lowell thumps UMass Amherst 6-4 at the Tully Forum.

1998: John Campbell scores two goals and assists on two others as UMass Lowell throttles RPI 8-4 at the Tsongas Arena.

1999: UMass Lowell kills off 11 Northeastern power plays and beats the Huskies 4-1 at the Tsongas Arena.

2003: Sophomore center Ben Walter scores three goals – all of them on power plays – to power UMass Lowell to a 6-1 romp over Niagara in the Xerox Showcase in Buffalo, N.Y. The River Hawks score four power-play goals in the game.
 
October 25
1986: Freshman right wing Randy LeBrasseur turns the hat trick, and junior left wing Jim Newhouse nets a goal for the fifth consecutive game as ULowell and New Hampshire battle to a 5-5 deadlock at the Snively Arena in Durham, N.H. Newhouse would extend that string by one more game before being stopped.

1996: Tim Whitehead, only the fourth coach in UMass Lowell's 30-year hockey history, becomes the first coach to win his first game as the River Hawks skate to a 5-2 triumph over UMass Amherst at the Tully Forum. Whitehead would go on to win 76 games in five seasons behind the UMass Lowell bench. The win is also the 10th in a row at home for the River Hawks, dating back to the previous season, the fifth time in school history a team has won 10 straight home games.

RIVERHAWKS IN THE PROS: Here is a listing of UMass Lowell alumni playing professional hockey (Courtesy of MillCitySports.com):
Name    Years    Current Team/League
Derek Arnold    2010-2014    Lillehammer (GET)
Chris Auger    2006-2010    Fife (EIHL)
Michael Budd    2008-2012    Wichita (ECHL)
Scott Campbell    2008-2011    Valpellice (Italy)
Doug Carr    2010-2014    Colorado (ECHL)
Joe Caveney    2009-2011    Wichita (ECHL)
Jeremy Dehner    2007-2010    EHC München (DEL)    
Maury Edwards    2008-2011    Ravensburg (DEL2)
Christian Folin    2012-2014    Minnesota (NHL)
Barry Goers    2007-2010    Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL)
Ron Hainsey    1999-2001    Carolina (NHL)
Connor Hellebuyck    2012-2014    St. John's (AHL)
Ben Holmstrom    2007-2010    Charlotte (AHL)
Josh Holmstrom    2010-2014    Toledo (ECHL)    
Joe Houk    2011-2014    Toledo (ECHL)
Carter Hutton    2007-2010    Nashville (NHL)    
Laurent Meunier    2000-2002    Straubing (DEL)
Joseph Pendenza    2010-2014    Milwaukee (AHL)
Bobby Robins    2002-2006    Providence (AHL)        
Chad Ruhwedel    2010-2013    Rochester (AHL)
Nick Schaus    2007-2010    EHC Wolfsburg (DEL)
Dmitry Sinitsyn    2011-2013    Dynamo (VHL)    
Yorick Treille    1998-2002    Grenoble (France)    
David Vallorani    2009-2012    Milano (Italy)
Ben Walter    2002-2005    EC Salzburg (Austria)    
Riley Wetmore    2009-2013    Kalamazoo (ECHL)
Scott Wilson    2011-2014    Wilkes-Barre/Scranton (AHL)

RIVERHAWKS ON THE TELEVISION:  The River Hawks are scheduled to appear seven times on television in the regular-season. Here is a listing of games the River Hawks are scheduled to appear.

Date    Matchup    Time    Channel
Sat., Oct. 10    vs. Boston College    7 p.m.    NESN
Fri., Oct. 24    vs. Michigan    7 p.m.    NESN
Fri., Oct. 31    at New Hampshire    7:30 p.m.    WBIN-TV
Fri., Nov. 21    at Notre Dame    7:30 p.m.    NBCSN
Sat., Dec. 6    vs. Maine    8 p.m.    NBCSN
Fri., Jan. 23    vs. Providence    7 p.m.    NESN
Fri., Jan. 30    at Merrimack    7 p.m.    WBIN-TV

RIVERHAWKS ON THE RADIO:  The River Hawks can be heard every week throughout the season on ESPN NH Radio (900AM) and (1250AM), as well as on the following local affiliates: WCAP (980AM) in Lowell and WSMN (1590AM) in Nashua, N.H. Bob Ellis (PxP) and Jimmy Connelly (Color Analyst) have the call of all River Hawk hockey games throughout the season. The game is accessible via the ESPN Radio app (http://espn.go.com/mobile/products/products?id=7451658). UMass Lowell home games are also available on WUML Radio (91.5 FM; non-commercial radio) with Zack Tretheway (PxP) and James Shirton (Color Analyst) broadcasting on campus and in the surrounding Lowell communities.