Thursday, November 17th at No. 9 Notre Dame (7:35pm)
(Compton Family Ice Arena; Notre Dame, Ind.)
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Game Notes | Video Preview
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey  

Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: (WCAP 980AM)/UMass Lowell Game Day App
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)

Friday, November 18th at No. 9 Notre Dame (7:35pm)
(Compton Family Ice Arena; Notre Dame, Ind.)
Watch Live | Listen Live | Live Stats | Buy Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey  

Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: (WCAP 980AM)/UMass Lowell Game Day App
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS:  UMass Lowell, with a 7-3-2 record, is ranked 5th in the USA Hockey Magazine poll and 6th in the USCHO poll.  The team was picked for a fourth place finish in the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll.  The River Hawk roster shows nine new faces including six forwards, one defensemen and two goalies.  The team does return its top two scorers in forwards CJ Smith (39-points) and Joe Gambardella (37-points).  That duo has been at the top of the offensive charts for the 2016-17 edition of the River Hawks.  Gambardella is atop the scoring chart with 17 points.  Gambardella and Smith each have seven goals and linemate John Edwardh has six.  The four goalies, including two freshmen, entered this season with a combined 99-minutes of collegiate experience.  Freshman Tyler Wall leads the foursome with a 1.96 GAA and a .925 save percentage.
 
SCOUTING THE FIGHTING IRISH:  Notre Dame, with a 5-3-2 record, was picked to finish second in the Hockey East Coaches' pre-season poll.  The Fighting Irish are coming off a two game winning streak plus a suspended game.  Notre Dame and Northeastern played two scoreless periods before their game was suspended, Sunday, after the ice was damaged during the resurfacing process. Thirteen different players have scored goals; seven have three or more.  Junior Anders Bjork leads the team with seven goals and 18 points.  Bjork is third in the nation in scoring and first in Hockey East.  Cal Peterson has started all nine of the team's games in net.  He has a 2.41 GAA and a .913 Save Percentage.   
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NOTRE DAME:  This is only the 11th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to Notre Dame joining Hockey East in 2013.  UMass Lowell leads the all-time series, 7-1-2.  The two teams have met twice in the post-season.  The River Hawks defeated the Irish in the 2014 semifinal, 4-0 and took two of three in the 2015 quarterfinals.  
 
LAST WEEKEND: UMass Lowell and Maine split a home-and-home series.  The Black Bears won on Friday night, 5-2, at the Alfond Arena and the River Hawks bounced back with a 4-1 win Sunday afternoon at the Tsongas Center.  Five different players scored goals during the weekend; John Edwardh had goals in each game.  Dylan Zink had four assists during the two game series.  Tyler Wall defended the net in both outings.
 
LAST SEASON: UMass Lowell took three out of four points from Notre Dame, last year, in a two-game series played in the Tsongas Center.  Anders Bjork scored the game tying goal, in the first game, after the visitors fell behind by two in an eventual 2-2 final.  The River Hawks took the finale, 3-1, Nick Master broke a 1-1 tie with a third period goal and UMass Lowell added an empty net tally. Kevin Boyle made 35 saves in the win.
 
On the National Stage:  UMass Lowell has been nationally ranked, in either the USCHO or USA Today poll, for 97 consecutive weeks.  The stretch began when UMass Lowell appeared at #20 in the USCHO Poll on January 7, 2013.  Of those 97 weeks more than half, 64, have been spent in the top ten.
 
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS:  UMass Lowell forwards Joe Gambardella and C.J. Smith rank in the top ten in scoring nationally.  Gambardella is sixth with 17 points (7g, 10a) and Smith (7g, 8a) is eleventh with 15.  The duo ranks second and fifth among Hockey East players.  Defenseman Dylan Zink is tops among Hockey East Defensemen and second in the nation with 13 points (2g, 11a).   Mattias Göransson is the top scoring freshman defenseman in Hockey East and is third in the nation with 8 points (3g, 5a).
 
A HELPING HAND:  UMass Lowell defenseman Dylan Zink has been in a giving mood.  Zink has eight assists in his last four games.  He had three assists in UML's 4-1 win against Maine on Sunday to complete a four assist weekend.  Prior to that Zink had two assists in each win in a weekend sweep of Vermont.  He has assisted on 8 of UMass Lowell's last 13 goals.
 
GOOD CHEMISTRY:  The UMass Lowell line of C.J. Smith, Joe Gambardella and John Edwardh has been red hot.  The line has played together in eleven of the River Hawks' twelve games this season accounting for 20-goals and 44 points.  That's 46.5% of the River Hawks goals and 38.9% of the team's total offensive output.  They have been held off the score sheet just once.  Since being united for the final regular season game a year ago the trio has 30-goals and 66 points in 18 games.
 
HOT SHOT JUNIOR:  UMass Lowell forward C.J. Smith leads all juniors playing college hockey in career scoring with 40-goals and 89-points.  Mike Szmatula, playing at Minnesota is second with 77 points.  T.J. Moore of Holy Cross is second in goals with 35.  Smith's 49 assists finds him tied with Anders Bjork of Notre Dame.
 
Multi-GOAL GAMES:  UMass Lowell forward C.J. Smith has three multi-goal games this season.  He is one of two players in Hockey East and one of six in the country with three multi-goal outings.  Smith had two goal games against Colorado College, Clarkson and Vermont.  Smith has ten multi-goal games in his career.
 
A WALL IN FRONT OF THE NET:  UMass Lowell freshman goaltender Tyler Wall has been named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week twice this season.  He was most recently honored November 7th after stopping 52 of 55 shots (.945 sv%) with a 1.50 GAA, as the River Hawks swept the two-game weekend series against No. 19 Vermont in the team's first weekend of conference play.  Wall previously was honored October 17th after UMass Lowell swept Colorado College. 
 
BIG ICE:  The visit to the Compton Family Ice Arena will be the second time this season that UMass Lowell has played hockey on a larger than standard (200x85) sheet of ice.  Notre Dame's home sheet is 200 x 90.  The October 14-15 series at Colorado College's Broadmoor World Arena was the first time this year that UMass Lowell has played on "Big Ice."  The River Hawks swept the series, 8-5, 4-0, on the 200 x 100 Olympic Sheet.  Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching responsibilities "big ice" has not been an issue.  The River Hawks have a record of 30-8-5 on larger than the standard 200 x 85 ice sheets including a record of 10-2-1 on an Olympic sheet and a 14-5-2 record on the 200 x 90 sheet. 
 
ROAD WARRIORS:  UMass Lowell is 3-2-0 away from the Tsongas Center this season and has been a strong team on the road during the last five-plus seasons.  Since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench the River Hawks are 46-28-7, .611, as the visiting team and 66-37-8, .636, including neutral site games.
 
WHEN RANKED TEAMS VISIT: UMass Lowell is unbeaten, at the Tsongas Center, in their last fifteen games (10-0-5) against nationally ranked teams.  The streak is their longest since the USCHO poll began in 1997. Their last home loss to a ranked team on Feb. 6, 2015, when they were beaten by third ranked BU, 5-2.  The River Hawks opened this season with two ties against fifth ranked Minnesota Duluth, knocked off no. 12 St. Lawrence Oct. 21, 5-2 and swept Vermont 3-1 and 4-2 last weekend.
 
CIRCLE OF DOMINANCE: UMass Lowell has dominated in the faceoff circle during the opening six weeks of the season winning 467 of 840 puck drops.  The .556 faceoff winning percentage is the fifth best in the nation and third in Hockey East.  Joe Gambardella leads the team winning 166 of 258, .643. Gambardella ranks third in Hockey East and the nation among centermen who have taken at least 100 draws.  Evan Campbell (83 of 154, .539) and Ryan Lohin (77 of 148, .520) are also above the .500 mark.  Nick Master (121 of 242, .500) is at the break even point. 
 
GETTING OFFENSE FROM THE DEFENSE: UMass Lowell has the sixth highest scoring defense corps in the country.  The River Hawks blue liners have combined for six goals and 36 points.  Those numbers are also the second best in HEA.
 
POWER PLAY: UMass Lowell's power play is among the best in the country.  The River Hawks have scored 17 goals in 64 man advantage opportunities for a 26.6% success rate, the fourth best in the country and number one in Hockey East.  Eight different players have scored with the man advantage; C.J. Smith and Jake Kamrass each have four power play markers.  Joe Gambardella has three and Mattias Göransson has two PP goals.  Defenseman Dylan Zink has seven PP assists. 
 
POWER PLAY TRIFECTA: Three times this season UMass Lowell has scored three power play goals in a game.  That happened most recently in the River Hawks 4-2 win against Vermont last Saturday night.  Previously UMass Lowell found the back of the net three times with the man-advantage against Minnesota Duluth and Colorado College.  The River Hawks had not done that since hitting for three against Notre Dame in a 3-1 win, November 23, 2013.  In all UMass Lowell has five multi PP goal games.
 
PENALTY KILLING WOES?: UMass Lowell Penalty Kill Unit has stepped it up.  After struggling early in the season with a man in the box, the PK unit has killed 14 straight and 23 of 25 (92%) over the last four games.  It has been a bit of a roller coaster, twice this season the River Hawks have given up three PPGs in a game.  Prior to this season UMass Lowell had not given up three power play goals in a game in more than a year.  The last time it had happened was in a 7-3 loss to Providence in January of 2015.
 
PENALTY SHOT: Forward Jake Kamrass scored on a penalty shot Saturday night, October 29th, at Omaha.  The goal broke a 1-1 tie as UMass Lowell defeated Omaha 4-2.  It was the first successful penalty shot by a River Hawk since Adam Chapie scored on a penalty shot against Merrimack February 1, 2014.
 
50th Season of UMass Lowell Hockey:  This is the 50th season of hockey at UMass Lowell.  The varsity program began with the 1967-68 season.  That first team went 7-7-1.  After winning three Division II National Championships the program moved to Division I as an Independent for the 1983-84 season and joined Hockey East for its inaugural season of 1984-85.  The River Hawks are 830-694-115 all time with a winning percentage of .542.
 
Season Long Celebration:  UMass Lowell will celebrate the 50th year of River Hawk hockey throughout the season with a variety of promotions and events.  The celebration will be highlighted by the naming of five All-Era teams as selected by the fans in on-line voting.
 
PUNCHING THE CLOCK: Through twelve games, UMass Lowell has played from behind for just 105:15 and only in portions of four games.  UMass Lowell has held the lead for 456:32 of the 670-minutes of hockey the team has played this season.
 
Iron Man:  UMass Lowell senior defenseman Michael Kapla has played in 132 consecutive games, the most of any active player in college hockey.  Kapla has never missed a game in his collegiate career.
 
100 Games CLUB:  UMass Lowell senior center Evan Campbell became the fourth member of the River Hawk team to have played in 100 games when he skated October 15th against Clarkson.  Campbell enters tonight's game with 26 goals and 52 points in 106 games.  Michael Kapla (132), Joe Gambardella (121) and Dylan Zink (114) have all surpassed the century mark.  C.J. Smith (91) and Tyler Mueller (90) are closing in on the milestone.   
 
WHO's NEXT: The River Hawks will get a bit of a breather following this weekend's action at Notre Dame.  The River Hawks have the Thanksgiving weekend off and will return to the ice for a home-and-home series with Connecticut on December 2nd and 3rd.  The River Hawks hold a 20-9-1 edge in the all-time series, but have dropped three straight to the Huskies.  Connecticut holds a 3-2-0 edge since becoming a member of Hockey East. 
 
THANKSGIVING WITH THE FAMILY:  The River Hawks have no games scheduled during the Thanksgiving weekend.  It is the first time since 2013 that the team has not played at least one game during the Thanksgiving weekend.  Following the breather UMass Lowell will play home-and-home series against Connecticut and Merrimack before getting a three week break for final exams and the winter holidays.
 
QUICK START: UMass Lowell has scored 43 goals this season, nearly half of them have come in the first five-minutes of a period.  The River Hawks have scored 15 goals in the first five-minutes of a period, the second most in the country.  This year, UMass Lowell has scored goals in the first five minutes of 15 of 36 periods.  The River Hawks have taken a 1-0 lead in the first five minutes in seven of the twelve games they have played this year.  They have also scored twice more before the six minute mark. 
 
BACK-TO-BACK: UMass Lowell is playing back to back games for the seventh time this season.  The River Hawks are 3-2-1 on the first night and 4-1-1 the second. They have one weekend sweep to their credit.  A year ago UMass Lowell played 18 two-game weekend series and the results were similar night to night.  The River Hawks were 10-5-3 on the first night of back-to-back games and 11-5-2 in the second game.  The River Hawks had five weekend sweeps. The club played only four "stand alone" game during the season and won all four.  
 
WEIGHING IN: UMass Lowell is the eighth biggest team in the nation based on weight.  The River Hawks tip the scales at 193.67 pounds.  Western Michigan at 198.63 pounds is the heaviest team in the country.
 
FRESHMEN: Eight freshmen have made their River Hawk debut during the first four weekends of the new season.  Kenny Hausinger, Mattias Göransson, Guillaume Leclerc and Ryan Lohin all pulled on the River Hawk sweater for the season opener.  Göransson made it into the box score with a goal and an assist.  Two more made their debut the following night as James Winkler played on the wing and Tyler Wall made 40 saves in nets.  A seventh freshman made his debut two weeks ago when Colin O'Neill skated against Colorado College.  Nick Marin was added to the list last Saturday at Omaha.
 
Five Countries/16 States:  UMass Lowell's roster reflects a dramatic growth in the points of origin from which people have come to play college hockey.  The roster finds players from five different countries and 16 different states.  Both numbers are the highest in college hockey.  Twenty-one of the River Hawks 30 players were born in the United States, five hail from Canada, two are from Sweden and one each from Finland and France.  Massachusetts and Pennsylvania top the list of states with three players each calling those states home.
 
THREE IN A ROW..? NOPE!: UMass Lowell avoided a three-game losing streak when it defeated Omaha on Oct. 29th, 4-2.  The River Hawks have not had a three-game losing streak in more than a year.  The last time the team experienced a losing streak as long as three games was in January of 2015 when it lost four in a row.  UMass Lowell lost two in a row just twice during the 2015-16 season.