SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is ranked 8th in the USCHO and USA Hockey Magazine polls and has been nationally ranked for 84 consecutive weeks. The River Hawks are 17-5-4 (10-3-3, HEA) through 26 games. Eighteen different players have scored goals; Sophomore C.J. Smith leads the team with 13 goals and 28 points. Senior goalie Kevin Boyle has started 25 of 26 games for the River Hawks and has a 1.67 GAA and a .938 Sv%.

SCOUTING THE HUSKIES: Northeastern is 9-13-4 (4-8-3, HEA) through 26 games. Monday's loss in the Beanpot opener broke an eight game (7-0-1) unbeaten streak. The Huskies were picked for fifth in the Hockey East pre-season Coaches' Poll. Fifteen different players have scored goals with forward Nolan Stevens leading the team with 10 goals. Forward Zach Aston-Reese tops the points list with 23. Goalie Ryan Ruck has appeared in 22 contests and carries a 2.45 GAA and a .908 Sv% into tonight's game.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTHEASTERN: This is the 111th meeting between the two schools and Mass Lowell appears to have history or its side. The River Hawks lead the all-time series 59-42-9. Northeastern won the first ever contest, 5-2, on Dec. 17, 1983. UMass Lowell's first win came a nearly year later on an overtime goal from Mike Opre. The two have evenly split the last five meetings, 2-2-1.

THANKSGIVING IN BELFAST: UMass Lowell and Northeastern battled one another earlier this season in the opening round of the Friendship Four Tournament in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The River Hawks won that Hockey East contest, 3-2, in overtime. Dylan Zink had two goals in the game including the game winner 1:13 into the extra period. UMass Lowell went on to win the tournament with a shootout win against Brown.

FRIENDLY CONFINES: UMass has the second best home winning percentage in the nation. The River Hawks are 9-1-2 at home, good for a .833 winning percentage. Those number are matched by Providence and Boston College and one win short of Clarkson's 10-1-2, .846% mark.

LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: UMass Lowell and Northeastern have faced one another on eight different ice surfaces. The two have battled at the Tsongas Center, Matthews Arena, Tully Forum (Billerica, Mass.), Fenway Park, Thompson Arena (Hanover, N.H.), Boston Garden, TD Garden and most recently SSE Arena in Belfast, Northern Ireland.

BONUS HOCKEY: Overtime has become a bit of a habit when these two teams meet. Five of the last nine and six of the last twelve games between UMass Lowell and Northeastern have gone to OT. The River Hawks hold a 3-1-2 edge in the last six and a 10-3-9 advantage in 22 overtime battles all-time.

LAST TIME OUT: UMass Lowell defeated Arizona State, 8-1, Saturday night at the Tsongas Center. C.J. Smith led the way with a hat trick, Jake Kamrass added two goals and two assists. UML goalie Kevin Boyle made 11 saves to pick up his 50th collegiate win.

BETWEEN BEANPOT GAMES: When UMass Lowell has played one of the four Beanpot teams on the weekend between Beanpot Mondays the River Hawks have not fared well. UMass Lowell is 2-13-1 in such games. They are 1-3-1 against Northeastern. The River Hawks do hold a 1-0-0 edge when playing the Huskies at the Tsongas Center between Beanpot games when Northeastern has lost the semifinal. That was a 1-0 win on a Cleve Kinley goal on February 8, 2007.

WHO'S NEXT?: UMass Lowell hosts the University of New Hampshire on Saturday night at the Tsongas Center. The River Hawks have won the last seven games against UNH including a 1-0 nail biter earlier this season. The Wildcats lead the all-time series 58-39-15.

THE NATION'S BEST: UMass Lowell is the top defensive team in the country. That's what the stats say. The River Hawks have allowed 1.65 goals per game, just a couple of ticks ahead of North Dakota (1.68) and Yale (1.71.)

ROAD TO THE GARDEN: The Lamoriello Trophy, awarded annually to the Hockey East Tournament Champion, will be at the Tsongas Center on Friday night. Fans will have the opportunity to have their picture taken with the trophy and enter a contest to win tickets to the 32nd Annual Hockey East Championship.

SECOND PLACE?!: UMass Lowell has fallen out of first place in Hockey East for the first time since grabbing the top spot after a weekend sweep of Vermont on November 6th and 7th. Boston College's Friday night win at Notre Dame while the River Hawks were playing a non-conference opponent this past weekend allowed BC to move into the top spot. UMass Lowell is second with 23 points, one behind the Eagles.

ON THE NATIONAL STAGE: UMass Lowell is ranked eighth in both the USCHO and the USA Hockey Magazine Polls. The River Hawks have been nationally ranked, in either the USCHO or USA Today poll, for 84 consecutive weeks. The stretch began when UMass Lowell appeared at #20 in the USCHO Poll on January 7, 2013. Of those 84 weeks more than half, 55, have been spent in the top ten.

HITTING FOR THE CYCLE: When River Hawk sophomore C.J. Smith scored three goals in Saturday night's 8-1 win against Arizona State, it was the first "cycle" hat trick (a shorthanded, even-strength and power play goal) by a UMass Lowell player in more than a decade. The last player to do that was Ed McGrane in 2002.

SHOT, SHOTS AND MORE SHOTS: When UMass Lowell peppered the Arizona State end of the ice for 57 shots on goal on Saturday it was the second most shots fired on an opposing net in the River Hawks Division I history. UMass Lowell had 59 shots on goal in a 7-4 loss to UNH March 1, 1986. It was also the second time this season that UMass Lowell has had more than 50 shots on goal in a game. They fired 55 at the Colorado College net in a 3-2 in October.

BACK-TO-BACK: The club is playing its 13th two-game weekend series this season. The River Hawks are 7-3-2 on the first night of back-to-back games and 8-2-2 in the second game. The River Hawks have four weekend sweeps to their credit. UMass Lowell has also played two stand-alone games winning both by shutout.

WALTER BROWN AWARD: UMass Lowell senior goalie Kevin Boyle and junior Defenseman Dylan Zink have been named semifinalists for the 64th Walter Brown Award, presented annually to the best American-born college hockey player in New England. The award, established by the Gridiron Club of Greater Boston, in 1953, is named for Walter Brown who coached the 1933 Massachusetts Rangers to the World Championship in Prague Czechoslovakia. Both Boyle and Zink have been key members of a River Hawk team which is statistically the best defensive unit in the country. The River Hawks carry a nation's best 1.65 goals allowed per game.

HOBEY WATCH: Two River Hawks are on the list of candidates for college hockey's top honor, the Hobey Baker Award. UMass Lowell leading goal scorer senior forward Adam Chapie and Hockey East's top goalie senior Kevin Boyle have been nominated for the award. Chapie is second on the River Hawks roster with 11 goals and 26 points. Boyle's 1.67 goals against average is the best in Hockey East. The Hobey Baker Award is chosen by a ten member panel and through fan voting.

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.)

KEVIN BOYLING HOT: UMass Lowell goalie Kevin Boyle has given up no more than two goals in 19 of 25 starts. In 14 of those starts he has allowed one goal or less. Boyle has a school single-season record tying six shutouts and has allowed three goals or more just six times. The senior has a 1.67 GAA, fifth best in the country, and a fourth in the nation .938 Sv%. His UMass Lowell career .673 winning percentage is second among UML Division I goalies. He trails only Connor Hellebuyck who had a .750 winning percentage. Boyle's six shutouts ranks him third in the nation. He has nine career shutouts in just 57 career starts.

CAREER MILESTONES FOR BOYLE: When UMass Lowell defeated Arizona State, 8-1, on January 30th, it was goalie Kevin Boyle's 100th game and 50th win of his collegiate career. In 59 games at UMass Lowell, Boyle is 34-14-10 with a 2.10 GAA and a .924 save percentage. Including games played for Massachusetts his GAA comes in at 2.41 with a .913 save percentage.

TIGHTENING UP THE D: Through the first 26 games of the season Mass Lowell has allowed 24 fewer goals than it did a year ago. That translates to .93 goals per game. A year ago the River Hawks had a 2.58 GAA at this point in the season. The team carries a 1.65 GAA into tonight's game.

SENIOR CLASS: The current UMass Lowell senior class is the second winningest senior class in the school's Division I hockey history. With eight games remaining in the regular season the senior group has a record of 92-39-16, a .680 winning percentage. Only the 2015 class totaled more wins. That class went 99-47-13, .664.

FIVE YEAR RUN?: The 2015-16 edition of the River Hawks, with 17 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.

RED HOT: C.J. Smith continues to pace the River Hawk offense scoring 27 points in his last 20 games. That includes a ten game scoring streak, the first double digit scoring streak by a UMass Lowell player since Ed McGrane scored points is 16 consecutive games during the 2002-03 season. Smith accumulated six goals and ten assists during that stretch and the team has only lost one of the ten games.

WHO'S HOT:
Jake Kamrass, five points in last three games, (3g, 2a, 5pts.)
A. J. White, five game point scoring streak, (4g, 4a, 8pts.)
C. J. Smith, points in 16 of last 20 games (12g, 15a, 27pts.)
Adam Chapie, points in 15 of last 20 games (9g, 14a, 23pts.)
Joe Gambardella, points in 14 of last 17 games (3g, 15a, 18pts.)
Kevin Boyle, has allowed one goal or less in 5 of last 6 games (4-1-0, 1.13, .947)

PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 88-5-6 when leading after two-periods. They are also 20-10-5 when the score is tied after two periods. UMass Lowell is 36-21-17 in games decided by one goal. Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 10-6-14 in games decided in overtime. When UMass Lowell has a two-goal lead at any point in the game they are 92-4-2 and 43-0-2 at the Tsongas Center.

FILLING THE SEATS: UMass Lowell leads Hockey East in average home attendance more than halfway through the 2015-16 season and is ranked eighth in the nation in home attendance. More than 54,000 fans have filled the Tsongas Center for the team's first twelve home games. UMass Lowell is averaging 5,455 per game (90.9% of capacity), one of three 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. The River Hawks ranked second in Hockey East in home attendance behind Notre Dame who drew 103,008 in 23 home games.

MODEL OF CONSISTENCY: UMass Lowell has been a model of consistency, losing back-to-back games only once 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.

OVERTIME WINNERS: UMass Lowell's 3-2 win, November 28th, was the River Hawks first overtime win since defeating Maine, 3-2, on December 6, 2014. Michael Louria had the game winner in that one. UMass Lowell had gone seven overtimes (0-1-6) without a win.