Friday, February 19th vs. Massachusetts (7:15pm; NL)
(Tsongas Center; Lowell, Mass.)
MARTY MEEHAN BOBBLEHEAD GIVEAWAY
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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); Alex Salucco (Engineer)

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is ranked 11th in the USCHO and 12th in the USA Hockey Magazine poll and has been nationally ranked for 86 consecutive weeks. The River Hawks are 19-7-5 (11-5-4, HEA) through 31 games. Eighteen different players have scored goals; Sophomore C.J. Smith and senior Adam Chapie lead the team with 13 goals and 30 points.  Senior goalie Kevin Boyle has started 30 of 31 games for the River Hawks and has a 1.86 GAA and a .932 Sv%.  
 
SCOUTING THE MINUTEMEN: Massachusetts is 8-19-4 (2-14-4, HEA) after dropping a pair of games to Northeastern last weekend.  The Minutemen were picked for a 12th place finish in the Hockey East Pre-season Coaches' Poll.  Nineteen different players on the roster have scored goals for the Minutemen, two have hit double digits.  Shane Walsh leads the team with 16 goals.  Ray Pigozzi tops the points chart with 27 (8g, 19a.)  Goalie Nic Renyard carries a 3.74 GAA and a .893 save percentage into tonight's contest.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MASSACHUSETTS:  This is the 75th meeting between the two Division I hockey programs in the University of Massachusetts system.  UMass Lowell leads the all-time series 43-25-7 and is 12-1-1 during the last five years.  Massachusetts won the first ever meeting 11-2, Nov. 26, 1968.  The River Hawks won two meetings earlier this season, 4-1 and 5-0. 
 
LAST TIME OUT:  UMass Lowell came from behind in the third period to defeat AIC, 5-4, at the Olympia Ice Center in West Springfield.  Freshman Nick Master scored three goals including the tying and winning goals in the third period. Goalie Kevin Boyle made 25 saves to earn the win. 
 
JUST A MONTH AGO:  UMass Lowell swept a weekend series from Massachusetts January 15th and 16th by scores of 4-1 and 5-0.  Seven different players scored goals for the River Hawks, Gage Hough had three.  Shane Walsh had the lone Minuteman marker.
 
ALUMNI CUP:  UMass Lowell clinched the Alumni Cup for the fifth consecutive year and the 16th time in 22 years.  The River Hawks won the first two meetings between UMass Lowell and Massachusetts, 4-1 and 5-0.  The Alumni Cup is awarded to the winner of the season series between the only Division I hockey programs in the University of Massachusetts state system. 
 
BOBBLE MARTY: University of Massachusetts system President Marty Meehan is being honored tonight with a Bobble Head doll.  Meehan is the university's 27th president and the first undergraduate alumnus to lead the five-campus system.  Meehan, a Lowell native, served in congress for 14 years before accepting the position of Chancellor at UMass Lowell.  He became the system President in July of 2015.  The first 1,000 fans entering the Tsongas Center will receive a Marty Meehan Bobble head doll and fans are asked to be in their seats by 7:05 for a special ceremonial puck drop.

FIVE YEAR RUN?: The 2015-16 edition of the River Hawks, with 19 wins to their credit, 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.  A fifth straight 20-win season would match 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.
 
SENIOR CLASS:  The current UMass Lowell senior class is the second winningest senior class in the school's Division I hockey history.  With three games remaining in the regular season the senior group has a record of 94-41-17, a .674 winning percentage.  Only the 2015 class totaled more wins; that class went 99-47-13, .664.
 
STAND ALONE: UMass Lowell is playing only its fourth "stand alone" game this season.   The River Hawks defeated RPI, 3-0, in the season open, knocked out UNH, 1-0, and defeated AIC, 5-4 in its previous one-game scenarios.  The club has played 14 two-game weekend series this season.  The River Hawks are 7-4-3 on the first night of back-to-back games and 9-3-2 in the second game.  The River Hawks have four weekend sweeps to their credit.
 
DOUBLE DIGIT D:  Dylan Zink is the first UMass Lowell defenseman to have two ten-plus goal seasons during the Division I era.  Zink scored his tenth goal of the season, Tuesday, at AIC.  Zink also had an even ten goals a year ago.  Division II ULowell defenseman Paul Lohnes had three ten-plus goal scoring seasons and had 27 goals during the 1981-82 campaign.
 
A TWENTY YEAR WAIT: When Dylan Zink scored three goals against Boston University, it was the first time in twenty years that a River Hawk defensemen had turned a hat trick.  The last D-man to do it was Dave Barozzino who found the back of the net three times, March 26, 1996, against Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
 
HOCKEY EAST HONORS: UMass Lowell defenseman Dylan Zink was honored as the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week after scoring three times in the UMass Lowell, 6-3 win against Boston University.
 
HAT TRICK TIMES THREE: Three different River Hawks (C.J. Smith, Dylan Zink and Nick Master) have scored hat tricks this season.  That's the most since the 1992-93 season when seven different players found the back of the net three times in a game.
 
TICK, TICK, TICK: Adam Chapie's two goals in nine-seconds are the two fastest by a single player in UMass Lowell's 33-year Division I history.  Gary Bishop, who scored goals :08 apart in 1968, holds the school record.
 
NON-CONFERENCE UMASS LOWELL: The River Hawks have played eleven non-conference games this season holding a record of 8-2-1.  UMass Lowell has 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 members RPI, 3-0, in the season opener and Clarkson, 3-0, and tied Brown, 5-5.  UMass Lowell has split two games with Atlantic Conference teams, losing to Robert Morris, 5-3, and defeating AIC, 5-4..  The River Hawks have also swept a weekend series from Division I Independent, Arizona State.
 
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY:  UMass Lowell has been a model of consistency, losing back-to-back games only twice this season.   The River Hawks have only had two losing streaks of three or more games since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season and that has happened just twice.
 
WHO'S NEXT?: Next weekend UMass Lowell wraps up the regular season with a home-and-home series with Boston College.  The Eagles lead the all-time series 62-35-9, but the River Hawks took three out of four points a year ago.  Friday's game will be at the Conte Forum, Saturday the two will meet at the Tsongas Center.
 
ON THE NATIONAL STAGE: UMass Lowell is ranked 11th in the USCHO and 12th in the USA Hockey Magazine Polls.  The River Hawks have been nationally ranked, in either the USCHO or USA Today poll, for 86 consecutive weeks.  The stretch began when UMass Lowell appeared at #20 in the USCHO Poll on January 7, 2013.  Of those 86 weeks more than half, 55, have been spent in the top ten.
 
ROAD WARRIORS: UMass Lowell has the nation's 10th best winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center.  The River Hawks have a combined Away/Neutral Site record of 9-5-2, good for .625 winning percentage. 
 
FREINDLY CONFINES: UMass Lowell has the tenth best home winning percentage in the nation.  The River Hawks are 10-2-3 at home, good for a .767 winning percentage.  Their 1.40 GAA at home is the best in the nation.
 
AMONG THE NATION'S BEST:  UMass Lowell is the second best defensive team in the country.  That's what the stats say.  The River Hawks have allowed 1.84 goals per game, just a couple of ticks behind Yale (1.60.)
 
TIGHTENING UP THE D:  Through the first 31 games of the season Mass Lowell has allowed 25 fewer goals than it did a year ago.  That translates to .81 goals per game.  A year ago the River Hawks had a 2.65 GAA at this point in the season.  The team carries a 1.84 GAA into tonight's game.
 
WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER: Twelve different players have scored game winning goals for the River Hawks this season.  Ryan McGrath leads the team with three.  Joe Gambardella, Adam Chapie, C.J. Smith, Nick Master and Michael Kapla each have two.  Chapie has ten career GWG, third most bin the school's DI history.
 
MORE TV:  UMass Lowell and NESN have announced that the Saturday, February 27th, UMass Lowell Hockey game against Boston College, at the Tsongas Center, will be aired live on NESN.  It is the regular season finale.
 
IN THE CLUTCH: For the second consecutive season defenseman Dylan Zink is proving to be Mr. Clutch.  Seven of his ten goals this season have either given the River Hawks the lead or tied the score.  14 of his 20 career goals are defined as "clutch."  Forwards Nick Master is second with six "clutch" goals.  Four of Master's eight goals have given UMass Lowell the lead, two have tied the score.     
 
WHO'S HOT:
Nick Master, ten points in his last six games, (5g, 5a, 10pts.)
Dylan Zink, five points in his last two games, (4g, 1a, 5pts.)
A. J. White, points in nine of last ten games, (6g, 7a, 13pts.)
Adam Chapie, points in six of last seven games (3g, 6a, 9pts.)
Joe Gambardella, points in 19 of last 25 games (5g, 21a, 26pts.)
 
SETTING RECORDS: When UMass Lowell goalie Kevin Boyle shutout Massachusetts Saturday, January 16, 2016, it was his school record tying sixth shutout of the season.  The six shutouts ties Boyle with Connor Hellebuyck, who did it twice (2012-13 and 2013-14), and Cam McCormick (2001-02.)  Furthermore Boyle has given up no more than two goals in 21 of 30 starts.  In 14 of those starts he has allowed one goal or less.  The senior has a 1.86 GAA, seventh best in the country, and a 12th in the nation .932 Sv%.  His UMass Lowell career .670 winning percentage is second among UML Division I goalies.  He trails only Connor Hellebuyck who had a .750 winning percentage.  Boyle's six shutouts places him third in the nation.  He has nine career shutouts in just 61 career starts.
 
BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS: Seventeen of UMass Lowell's first 31 games this season have been decided by one-goal.  The team is 7-5-5 in those games and 37-23-18 (.590) since Norm Bazin took over the program for the 2011-12 season. 
 
CIRCLE OF DOMINANCE: UMass Lowell has the 17th best face-off win percentage in college hockey (51.6%) and the fifth best in Hockey East.  With three centermen winning more often than not, the River Hawks have won 1032 of 1,999 puck drops.   Entering tonight's contest senior Michael Fallon (172 of 312, 55.1%) and freshman Nick Master (254 of 471, 53.9%) and are the top face-off men.  Junior Evan Campbell (191-169, 53.1%)is also over the .500 mark.
 
MODEL OF CONSISTENCY:  UMass Lowell has been a model of consistency, losing back-to-back games only twice this season.   The River Hawks have only had two losing streaks of three or more games since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season and that has happened just twice.
 
STAYING OUT OF THE BOX: UMass Lowell is the fourth least penalized team in Hockey East averaging just 9.2-penalty minutes per game.  That number places the River Hawks as the 19th least penalized team in the country.  Massachusetts averages 11.0-minutes in the box per game ranking the Minutemen as the 20th most penalized team in the country. 
 
PENALTY KILLING:  The River Hawks have the 13th ranked penalty killing unit in the country and second in Hockey East with a 85.0% success rate (91-for-107.)   UMass Lowell has killed 38 of 44 (86.4%) shorthanded situations in the twelve games since the winter break.
 
DID YOU KNOW?:
UMass Lowell has given up only 14 goals in the first period; the fourth fewest first period goals allowed in the country... Goalie Kevin Boyle is 8-2-3 with a 1.41 GAA and a .944 Sv% at the Tsongas Center...A.J. White has played in 137 straight UMass Lowell games...Michael Kapla has never missed a game in his UMass Lowell career, he has played in 111 straight games... UMass Lowell has been limited to just one goal seven times this season but that has resulted in just three losses... When UMass Lowell lost to Robert Morris 5-3, it was the first time all season that the River Hawks have trailed two goals at any point in a game... The River Hawks have had their bags packed for much of the season.  With trips to Duluth, Pittsburgh and Belfast, Northern Ireland UMass Lowell has logged more than 11-thousand miles this season... The only Division I teams that UMass Lowell has never played are Bemidji State and Mercyhurst... Five former River Hawks have played in the NHL this season; Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), Scott Wilson (Pittsburgh), Christian Folin (Minnesota), Carter Hutton (Nashville) and Ron Hainsey (Carolina.)... UMass Lowell was the first Hockey East school ever to play in the Olympia Ice Center when the River Hawks topped AIC, 5-4.
 
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 90-5-7 when leading after two-periods.  They are also 20-10-5 when the score is tied after two periods.  UMass Lowell is 37-23-18 in games decided by one goal.  Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 10-6-18 in games decided in overtime.  When UMass Lowell has a two-goal lead at any point in the game they are 93-4-2 and 44-0-2 at the Tsongas Center.
 
FILLING THE SEATS: UMass Lowell leads Hockey East and is 8th in the nation in average home attendance with two weekends left in the 2015-16 season.  More than 54,000 fans have filled the Tsongas Center for the team's first 15 home games.  UMass Lowell is averaging 5,452 per game (90.0% of capacity), one of three HEA schools drawing more than five-thousand 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.