Friday, November 20th vs. No. 15 Notre Dame (7:15 p.m.)
(Tsongas Center: Lowell, Mass.)
Watch Live ($) | Listen Live (Comm) | Live Stats
Buy Tickets | Game Notes | Video Preview
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey Tweet #UnitedInBlue

Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: (900AM, 1250AM, WCAP 980AM, WSMN 1590AM)
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)

Non-Commericial Radio: WUML 91.5-FM:
Talent: Zack Tretheway (Play by Play); James Shirton (Analyst);
Carter Cotrupi (Producer); Matt Denaro (Engineer)

Saturday, November 21st vs. No. 15 Notre Dame (7 p.m.)
(Tsongas Center: Lowell, Mass.)
COUNTRY FEST
Watch Live ($) | Listen Live (Comm) | Live Stats
Buy Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey Tweet #UnitedInBlue

Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: (900AM, 1250AM, WCAP 980AM, WSMN 1590AM)
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)

Non-Commericial Radio: WUML 91.5-FM:
Talent: Zack Tretheway (Play by Play); James Shirton (Analyst);
Carter Cotrupi (Producer); Matt Denaro (Engineer)

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is ranked 5th in both the USCHO poll and the USA Hockey Magazine poll and has been nationally ranked for 73 consecutive weeks. The River Hawks are 8-1-2 (4-0-2, HEA) through eleven games after Sunday afternoon's 6-0 win against Maine.  Fifteen different players have scored goals, Senior Adam Chapie leads the team with five.  Chapie, Junior Joe Gambardella (2g, 7a) and sophomore C.J. Smith (4g, 5a) lead the team in scoring with nine points each. Senior goalie Kevin Boyle has started all eleven games for the River Hawks and has a 1.26 GAA and a .957 Sv%.   
 
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH: The University of Notre Dame is 5-2-3 (3-0-1, HEA) after Friday night's 2-2 tie with Northeastern at the Compton Family Ice Arena.  Notre Dame was picked seventh in the Hockey East Pre-Season Coaches' Poll.  Sixteen different players have scored goals for the Irish with Jordan Gross and Dylan Malmquist topping the list with five a piece.  Thomas DiPauli (4g, 7a) and Jake Evans (2g, 9a) lead the club in scoring with eleven points.  Goalie Cal Peterson, who has started all ten of Notre Dame's games, carries a 2.65 GAA and a .913 Sv% into tonight's contest.
 
LAST TIME OUT:  UMass Lowell defeated Maine, 6-0, Sunday afternoon in the back end of a home-and-home series.  The River Hawk jumped on top less than two-minutes into the contest and had a 4-0 first period lead.  Michael Louria had two goals in the game.  Goalie Kevin Boyle made 38 saves to pick up his third shutout of the season and sixth of his UML career.  Boyle is the first visiting goalie with consecutive shutouts at the Alfond Arena.  The 6-0- final equaled the largest home shutout loss in Maine hockey history.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NOTRE DAME: UMass Lowell and Notre Dame have met only eight times in the past, all in the last two seasons.  UMass Lowell, behind Connor Hellbuyck's 40 saves, won the first meeting, 1-0, and holds a 6-1-1 edge in the all-time series.  The two teams have met twice in the post season.  UMass Lowell eliminated Notre Dame from the Hockey East Tournament in both 2014, with a 4-0 win in the semi-finals, and 2015, two-games-to-one in the quarterfinals.
 
CONSECUTIVE GAMES SAME OPPONENT: UMass Lowell is playing the same opponent in consecutive games for the fifth time this season.  The River Hawks are 3-1-1 in the first game and 4-0-1 in the second game after sweeping Maine last weekend. 
 
FRIDAY THE 13TH, NOT SO BAD:  Superstition suggests that Friday the 13th brings bad luck, but that has not necessarily been the case for the UMass Lowell hockey program.  The River Hawks have an 12-3-3 record in 18 games played on a Friday the 13th.  They are 5-0-1 at home.  Prior to this year, the last time UMass Lowell played on a Friday the 13th, March 13, 2015, they defeated Notre Dame, 5-0, in the Hockey East Tournament Quarterfinal opener.
 
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE: UMass Lowell is ranked fifth in both the USCHO Poll and the USA Hockey Magazine Poll.  It is the third week in a row that the River Hawks have been in the top five in both polls and it was the first time the team has been ranked in the Top Five in both polls since January 19, 2015 when they came in at number five in both polls.  UMass Lowell is 19-12-5 when ranked in the Top Five in the USCHO poll.  The River Hawks have been nationally ranked, in either the USCHO or USA Today poll, for 73 consecutive weeks.  The stretch began when UMass Lowell appeared at #20 in the USCHO Poll on January 7, 2013.  Of those 73 weeks more than half, 45, have been spent in the top ten.
 
QUICK START: UMass Lowell's 8-1-2 record is the team's best start through eleven games since moving to Division I for the 1983-84 season.  The 2014-15 team did not pick up its second loss until game eleven.  The 1981-82 ULowell Chiefs hold the school record winning their first 19 games and finished 31-4-0.
 
KEVIN BOYLING HOT: UMass Lowell goalie Kevin Boyle has given up no more than two goals in nine of eleven starts.  In seven of those starts he has allowed one goal or less.  Boyle has three shutouts and has allowed three goals just twice.   The senior has a 1.26 GAA and a .957 Sv%.
 
AMONG THE LEADERS: UMass Lowell goalie Kevin Boyle is among the Hockey East and national leaders in almost all goaltending categories.  Boyle leads Hockey East and the nation in minutes played (668:33).  He leads the league in saves (272), and is second in goals against average (1.26), save percentage (.957) and shutouts with three.  Boyle is in the top five nationally in minutes, saves, GAA, Sv%, shutouts and wins with eight.
 
HEATING UP: C.J. Smith has begun to heat up his offensive game. Smith is on a five-game point scoring streak, the longest of his college career.  During that period Smith has three-goals and five-assists for eight-points.  The River Hawks have won all five games during that stretch and Smith has had a hand in three of the game winners (1g, 2a).
 
CIRCLE OF DOMINANCE: UMass Lowell has the 11th best face-off win percentage in college hockey (53.3%) and the third best in Hockey East.  With four centermen winning more often than not, the River Hawks have won 383 of 718 puck drops.   Entering tonight's contest senior center Michael Fallon is the top face-off man winning 56.9% (78-59) of draws.  Junior Evan Campbell has a 83-69 (54.6%) edge while freshman Nick Master (82 of 151, 54.3%) and junior Joe Gambardella (110 of 212, 51.9%) are also over the .500 mark.
 
POWERING UP: UMass Lowell has scored power play goals in six of their eleven games and in four of their last five games.  The River Hawks are undefeated (6-0-0) when scoring a power play goal and are 9-for-49 (18.4%) on the season.  Dylan Zink leads the team with three power play goals.
 
PENALTY KILLING: Playing shorthanded has been no disadvantage for the UMass Lowell hockey club.  The River Hawks have the 9th ranked penalty unit in the country and second in Hockey East with a 90.0% success rate (36-for-40.)  UMass Lowell was successful in their first 19 man down situations this season.
 
STAYING OUT OF THE BOX: UMass Lowell is the second least penalized team in Hockey East averaging just 8.6-penalty minutes per game.  That number places the River Hawks as the 11th least penalized team in the country.  Notre Dame, averaging more than 12 minutes per game per game is the fifth most penalized team in Hockey East and 21st most penalized in the country.
 
BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS: Seven of UMass Lowell's first eleven games this season have been decided by one-goal.  The team is 4-1-2 in those games and 34-19-15 since Norm Bazin took over the program for the 2011-12 season.  
 
ONE IS THE LONELIEST NUMBER: UMass Lowell has been limited to just one goal four times this season but that has resulted in just one loss.  The River Hawks are 1-1-2 when held to just one goal.
 
FOOTBALL POWERS TAKE NOTE: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 30-12-4 against schools that play football in the Football Bowl Subdivision.  Those schools include:  Boston College (3-6-2), Connecticut (3-2-0), Massachusetts (10-1-1), Miami (1-0-0), Michigan (1-1-0), Michigan State (2-0-0), Notre Dame 6-1-1), Penn State (3-1-0) and Wisconsin (1-0-0).
 
UMASS LOWELL VS. OTHER CONFERENCES: Five of UMass Lowell's first seven games this season were against non-conference opponents.  The River Hawks have taken three of four from the NCHC after sweeping a two game set from Colorado College and splitting two games with Minnesota-Duluth.  UMass Lowell also defeated ECAC member RPI, 3-0, in the season opener.  The River Hawks, still with six non-conference games to play, will not play another non-conference opponent again until Nov. 28th when they will face either Brown or Colgate as part of the Friendship Four Tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
 
I CAN SEE FOR MILES AND MILES AND MILES: The UMass Lowell hockey team is spending an inordinate amount of time on the road this season, especially during the first half of the year.  By season's end the River Hawks will have logged 11,469.56 miles thanks in large part to trips to Minnesota-Duluth, Pittsburgh and Belfast, Northern Ireland to take part in the Friendship Four Tournament.  Most of the travelling, 10,747.76 miles, takes place during the first half of the schedule.  The longest individual trip in School history was the 1994 journey to play in the Great Alaska Faceoff Tournament in Fairbanks in 1994.  The round-trip totaled more than eight-thousand miles. 
 
SUCCESS IS THE NORM: Norm Bazin is in his fifth season at UMass Lowell with a 107-48-15 record (.674) in 170 games. He owns a 145-79-22 mark (.634) in 246 games now in eighth season as a collegiate head coach, including three seasons at Hamilton College. Bazin is the sixth head coach in program history and the fifth Div. I boss (Riley, Crowder, Whitehead, MacDonald). He recorded his 100th career coaching victory on Nov. 23, 2013 vs. Notre Dame at the Tsongas Center and his 100th behind the River Hawk bench on October 9, 2015. He is also the fastest to the 100 win mark in school history. His first UMass Lowell win came against Minnesota State, 4-2, on October 14, 2011. Bazin is a two-time Hockey East Coach of the Year 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 NCAA tournament appearances, back-to-back Hockey East Tournament Championships (2013, 2014) and one Frozen Four appearance (2013). 
 
FIVE YEAR RUN?: The 2015-16 edition of the River Hawks can make a bit of history with a 20-win season.  The Hockey program has never had five straight 20-win seasons.  UMass Lowell has won at least 20 games in four consecutive years for the first time in the school's Division I history.  That matches the Division II run of the ULowell Chiefs who won 20-plus games per season from 1978-79 through the 1982-83.  The River Hawks have had 13 20-win seasons in their history.
 
PLAYING FOR ALL THE MARBLES: UMass Lowell is bidding to go to the Hockey East Championship Game for the fourth consecutive season.  That would put the River Hawks in an exclusive club.  Only Boston College, who managed that feat twice, and Maine, who had a seven year run, have achieved that level of consistent success.
 
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 84-3-5 when leading after two-periods.  They are also 16-10-4 when the score is tied after two periods.  UMass Lowell is 34-19-15 in games decided by one goal.  Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 9-6-13 in games decided in overtime.  When UMass Lowell has a two-goal lead at any point in the game they are 86-3-1 and 39-0-1 at the Tsongas Center.
 
FILLING THE SEATS: UMass Lowell is off to a strong start at the gate drawing more than 27,000 fans to the team's first five home games.  They lead Hockey East in attendance averaging 5,451 per game.  A year ago the River Hawks drew more than 100,000 fans for the first time in the program's history.  The twenty games played at the Tsongas Center attracted 102,390 people, an average of 5,120 per game.  The River Hawks ranked second in Hockey East in home attendance behind Notre Dame who drew 103,008 in 23 home games. 
 
WHEN THE TSONGAS CENTER IS SOLD OUT:
Last Friday night's crowd of 6,572 was the first sell out for a game against Maine and the 24th sell-out and the 12th largest crowd ever at the Tsongas Center.  Here is a list of all official sell outs and the results.  Capacity was listed as 6,496 when the building opened but the seating capacity has been reduced over time, as luxury suites and the pavilion was added, to the current 6,003.
 
    Date                                 Opponent                   Result             Score     Attendance     % of House
    February 22, 2014           Boston College                   T        2-2 (OT)                7,649            125.8%
    October 10, 2014            Boston College                  W                 5-2                7,326            122.0%
    February 6, 2015             Boston University               L                 5-2                7,241            120.6%
    January 26, 2013             Northeastern                    W        5-4 (OT)                7,013            116.8%
    December  2, 2011          New Hampshire                W                 3-2                6,826            109.6%
    January 12, 2002             Boston College                  W                 8-4                6,796            104.6%
    October 24, 2014            Michigan                             L                 8-4                6,753            112.5%
    January 23, 2015             Providence                          L                 7-3                6,750            112.4%
    March 1, 2013                  Merrimack College           W                 4-0                6,717            111.9%
    October 12, 2012            Vermont                              T        1-1 (OT)                6,711            109.8%
    February 17, 2012           Boston University              L                 7-4                6,706            107.7%
    November 13, 2015         Maine                                 W                 2-1                6,572            109.5%
    November 22, 2013         Notre Dame                     W                 1-0                6,515            107.2%
    March 7, 1998                  New Hampshire               W                 3-0                6,496            100.0%
    January 27, 1998  +         Dartmouth                         L                 1-2                6,496            100.0%
    January 29, 2011             Boston College                  L                 1-5                6,488            104.2%
    November 23, 2013         Notre Dame                      W                 3-1                6,405            105.4%
    January 31, 2015             Merrimack College           W                 4-1                6,351            105.7%
    November 9, 2013           Northeastern                     L                 2-4                6,301            103.6%
    March 8, 2013                  Providence                          L                 0-3                6,291            104.8%  
    February 28, 2015           Vermont                              T                 2-2                6,261            104.3%
    October 24, 2015            Merrimack                           T                 1-1                6,104            101.7%
    January 25, 2014  *         Providence                        W                 6-1                6,051              99.5%
    October 26, 2012            Boston College                   L                 0-1                6,003            100.0%
 
+ first game at the Tsongas Arena
*23rd largest crowd, but not an official sell-out
 
Record when the Tsongas Center is sold out: 11-9-4
Record with the Top Ten crowds: 5-3-2
 
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.