Sunday, March 27th vs. No. 1 seed Quinnipiac (7:30pm)
(Times Union Center; Albany, N.Y.)
NCAA TOURNAMENT CENTRAL
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Television: ESPNU
ESPN: Kevin Brown (Play by Play); Billy Jaffe (Analyst)

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 8th in both the USCHO and the USA Hockey Magazine polls. The River Hawks are 25-9-5 through 39 games and are playing for an NCAA Regional title the fourth time in five years. UMass Lowell was 12-6-4 in conference play which earned the River Hawks the fourth seed in the Hockey East Tournament. UMass Lowell defeated Boston University in the quarterfinals two-games to one and knocked off Providence, 2-1, in triple overtime before losing the Championship Game to Northeastern, 3-2. Nineteen different players have scored goals, five are in double digits; C. J. Smith tops the leader board 17 goals and 39 points. Goalie Kevin Boyle has started 38 of 39 games and has a 1.77 GAA and a .936 Sv%.

SCOUTING THE BOBCATS: Quinnipiac University is 30-3-7 and finished atop the ECAC. The Bobcats defeated Harvard, 4-1 to win the ECAC Tournament. They are the number one seed in the NCAA East Regional and the National Tournament. Quinnipiac defeated RIT, 4-0, in Friday's regional semifinal. Twenty different players on the roster have scored goals, five are in double digits and two topped the 20-goal mark. Sam Anas leads the team with 23 goals and 49 points. Goalie Michael Garteig carries a 1.85 GAA and a .926 save percentage into tonight's contest.

LAST NIGHT: UMass Lowell earned the chance to play for a trip to the Frozen Four with a 3-2 come-from-behind overtime victory against Yale in the East Regional semifinal. Joe Gambardella scored the tying goal in the third period and then added the winner just 1:37 into overtime. Michael Fallon also scored for the River Hawks who won for the first time after trailing through two periods. Goalie Kevin Boyle made 35 saves to pick up his 24th win of the season.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. QUINNIPIAC: This is only the 6th meeting between the two schools, in a series that dates back to 2008, and the first since 2014. The two teams have split the five previous meetings evenly, 2-2-1. This is the first time the two have met in the post season. UMass Lowell and Quinnipiac both made it to the Frozen Four in 2013 and both fell victim to eventual National Champion Yale. The last time these two teams met during the regular season was 2014 when The River Hawks won in Lowell, 6-3, and battled Quinnipiac to a 3-3 tie in Hamden, Conn.

IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: UMass Lowell is making its seventh appearance in the NCAA Division I Championship Tournament and its 12th NCAA appearance all time. UMass Lowell has made just one visit to the Frozen Four; that was in 2013. The River Hawks have a 7-6-1 record in NCAA Division I Tournament play and a 19-9-1 record, including five Division II Tournament appearances. It is the fourth time in the five years since Norm Bazin was named to lead the River Hawk hockey program that the school has been invited to the national tournament. As a Division II program UMass Lowell captured the national title in 1979, 81 and 1982.

THE REGIONALS: As a Division I program UMass Lowell has advanced to the regional final six times. The River Hawks defeated Michigan State in the first game of the regionals, in East Lansing, Mich., in 1994 and in 1996. UMass Lowell defeated Miami in overtime, 4-3, in the 2012 tournament, Wisconsin, 6-1, in the 2013 tournament in Manchester, N.H. and Minnesota State, 2-1, in the 2014 Tournament in Worcester, Mass. This year the hockey club defeated Yale, 3-2, in overtime to get to the East Regional final and a meeting with Quinnipiac. UMass Lowell earned a trip to the Frozen Four by winning the 2013 NCAA Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H. with victories against Wisconsin and New Hampshire.

THE TOURNAMENT NORM: Since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench, UMass Lowell is 20-9-0 in the post season, including both the Hockey East and NCAA Tournament play. Bazin is 5-3-0 in the NCAA Tournament and 15-6-0 in the HEA Tournament. The River Hawks won the Hockey East Tournament in both 2013 and 2014 and reached the NCAA Frozen Four in 2013.

COACHING THE HOME TEAM: UMass Lowell Coach Norm Bazin is one of nine coaches in the NCAA Tournament who are coaching at their Alma Mater. Bazin played for UMass Lowell 1990-94 and played in the 1994 NCAA Tournament.

VERSUS TOURNAMENT TEAMS: UMass Lowell was 9-5-2 during the regular season and league playoffs against teams in the 2016 NCAA Tournament. Six River Hawk opponents made the tournament including Hockey East rivals Boston College (1-1-0), Boston University (3-1-0), Providence (2-1-0), Notre Dame (1-0-1) and Northeastern (1-1-1). UMass Lowell was also 1-1-0 against Minnesota-Duluth.

NON-CONFERENCE UMASS LOWELL: The River Hawks wrapped up their non-conference regular season schedule with a 9-2-1 record. UMass Lowell went 2-0-1 against schools from the ECAC and then defeated Yale, 3-2, in overtime in their NCAA opener.. They topped RPI, 3-0, and Clarkson, 3-0, at the Three Rivers Classic and tied Brown, 5-5, in the Championship Game of the Friendship Four Tournament. UMass Lowell took the Belpot with a 1-0 shootout win. The River Hawks have also taken three of four from the NCHC. They swept a two from Colorado College and splitting two games with Minnesota-Duluth. UMass Lowell split two games with Atlantic Conference teams, losing to Robert Morris, 5-3, and defeating AIC, 5-4. The River Hawks defeated Massachusetts, 4-2, in a non-conference meeting and swept a weekend series from Division I Independent, Arizona State.

ON THE NATIONAL STAGE: UMass Lowell is ranked 8th 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 90 consecutive weeks. The stretch began when UMass Lowell appeared at #20 in the USCHO Poll on January 7, 2013. Of those 90 weeks more than half, 57, have been spent in the top ten.

FIVE YEAR RUN: For the first time in UMass Lowell's Division I hockey history the team has won 20 games or more in five consecutive seasons. The five straight 20-win seasons match the Division II run of the ULowell Chiefs who won 20-plus games per season from 1978-79 through the 1982-83. UMass Lowell has averaged more than 24 wins per season during this five year stretch. The hockey program has 14 20-win seasons in their history.

SENIOR CLASS: The current UMass Lowell senior class is the winningest senior class in the school's Division I hockey history. Entering tonight's contest, the senior group has a record of 100-43-17, a .678 winning percentage. Last night's win moves this class ahead of the 2015 class which won 99 games. That class went 99-47-13, .664. The class of 2016 has the third most wins in the country during the four year period.

NO PENALTIES: When UMass Lowell and Providence met in the Hockey East semifinal, it was the first time since 2008 (and fourth time ever) that the River Hawks have played a full game without being whistled for a penalty. And this was a 112:27 hockey game. The last time UMass Lowell played a game without being called for a penalty was January 12, 2008, also against the Friars.

JOEY PLAYOFFS: UMass Lowell junior center Joe Gambardella has scored 29 goals in 106 games as a River Hawk, but nine of those goals have come in just fifteen post season games. He also has five assists for 14 points in 15 post season games.

SETTING RECORDS: When UMass Lowell goalie Kevin Boyle shutout Boston University Saturday night, March 12, 2016, it was his school record seventh shutout of the season. The seven shutouts moves Boyle ahead of Connor Hellebuyck, who had six shutouts in both 2012-13 and 2013-14, and Cam McCormick who turned in six blank sheets in 2001-02. Furthermore Boyle has given up no more than two goals in five of six and 26 of 36 starts. In 16 of those starts he has allowed one goal or less. The senior has a 1.73 GAA, third best in the country, and an third in the nation .937 Sv%. His UMass Lowell career .669 winning percentage is second among UML Division I goalies. He trails only Connor Hellebuyck who had a .750 winning percentage. His 42 wins is tied for third most during the Division I era and sixth all-time.

AMONG THE NATION'S BEST: UMass Lowell is the second best defensive team in the country and tops among those still playing hockey. That's what the stats say. The River Hawks have allowed 1.82 goals per game, just a couple of ticks behind Yale (1.74) whose season ended last night.

TIGHTENING UP THE D: Through 39 games, UMass Lowell has allowed 30 fewer goals than it did a year ago. That translates to .77 goals per game. A year ago the River Hawks had a 2.59 GAA at this point in the season. The team carries a 1.82 GAA into tonight's game.

BACK-TO-BACK: UMass Lowell is playing its 18th two-game weekend series this season. The River Hawks are 10-5-3 on the first night of back-to-back games and 11-4-2 in the second game. The River Hawks have five weekend sweeps to their credit. The club has played only four "stand alone" game this season and won all four.

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.

VERSUS RANKED TEAMS AT THE TSONGAS: UMass Lowell is 7-0-3 in their last ten at home against ranked teams. This is their longest streak on record since the USCHO poll started in 1998.

FREINDLY CONFINES: UMass Lowell has the sixth best home winning percentage in the nation. The River Hawks are 14-2-3 (.816) at home. Their 1.37 GAA at home leads the nation. The 14 home wins is a Tsongas Center single season record and equals the school record set at the Tully Forum in the 1995-96 season.

ROAD WARRIORS: UMass Lowell has the nation's 9th best winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center. The River Hawks have a combined Away/Neutral Site record of 11-7-2, good for .600 winning percentage.

WHO'S HOT:
A. J. White, 18 points in his last 18 games, (8g, 10a, 18pts.)
Team Depth, 13 different players have produced 28 goals over an nine game span
Kevin Boyle, allowed two goals or less in seven of eight games(6-2-0, 1.47, .949)
Joe Gambardella, points in six straight games (4g, 4a, 8pts.)
Adam Chapie, 14 points in his last 15 games (6g, 8a, 14pts.)
C. J. Smith, 16 points in his last 15 games (8g, 8a, 16pts.)
John Edwardh, 7 points in his last eight games (4g, 3a, 7pts.)

FIRST OF ALL: UMass Lowell has given up the third fewest first period goals in the nation and the fewest of those still playing hockey; 20. Only Providence (14) and Notre Dame (18) have allowed fewer goals in the opening period. Quinnipiac has also allowed just 20 first period markers.

FILLING THE SEATS: For the second year in a row UMass Lowell has drawn more than 100,000 fans to the Tsongas Center. The River Hawks claimed the top attendance in Hockey East and are 8th in the nation in average home attendance with the 2015-16 home season at an end. The March 12th crowd of 5,987 was the top Hockey East post season campus site turnout and pushed the season attendance numbers to 106,256. UMass Lowell is averaging 5,592-per game (93.2% of capacity), one of three HEA schools drawing more than five-thousand per game.

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, February 16th, 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, February 13th, 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.

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. The River Hawks trail only Michigan who saw three players register a total of four hat tricks.

TICK, TICK, TICK: Adam Chapie's two goals in nine-seconds, against BU on February 13th, 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.

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER: Fifteen different players have scored game winning goals for the River Hawks this season. Joe Gambardella, Ryan McGrath and Adam Chapie lead the team with three a piece. C.J. Smith, Nick Master and Michael Kapla each have two. Chapie has eleven career GWG, third most in the school's DI history and fifth all-time.

IN THE CLUTCH: For the second consecutive season defenseman Dylan Zink is proving to be Mr. Clutch, but he does have some company. Seven of Zink's 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 Joe Gambardella and C. J. Smith also has seven "clutch" goals. In each case, four have given UMass Lowell the lead, three have tied the score. Forward Nick Master is fourth with six "clutch" goals. Four of Master's eight goals have given UMass Lowell the lead, two have tied the score.

MIKE RICHTER AWARD: UMass Lowell goaltender Kevin Boyle was name one of five finalists for the 2016 Mike Richter Award, which honors the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men's hockey. The third annual award will be presented by Mike Richter at the 2016 NCAA Men's Frozen Four in Tampa, Fla. Boyle, who was crowned the Hockey East Goaltending Champion, ranks second in the nation with seven shutouts, third in goals-against average (1.77), fourth in save percentage (.935) and fifth in wins (23). Former UML goalie Connor Hellebuyck won the inaugural Richter Award.

HOCKEY EAST HONORS: UMass Lowell senior goaltender Kevin Boyle and junior forward Joe Gambardella were honored by Hockey East at the annual awards banquet. Boyle was honored as the co-winner of the Player of the Year award and was named the Stop It Goaltending Champion and the winner of the Army ROTC Three Star award. Boyle had a 1.62 GAA in league play. Gambardella was named the recipient of the Len Ceglarski Sportsmanship Award. Gambardella has 8 goals and 33 points and just two-minutes in penalties.

STAYING OUT OF THE BOX: UMass Lowell is the least penalized team in Hockey East averaging just 8.5-penalty minutes per game. That number places the River Hawks as the 13th least penalized team in the country. Quinnipiac averages 11.0-minutes in the box per game ranking the Bobcats as the 23rd most penalized team in the country.

CIRCLE OF DOMINANCE: UMass Lowell has the 20th best face-off win percentage in college hockey (51.0%) and the fifth best in Hockey East. With three centermen winning more often than not, the River Hawks have won 1,299 of 2,545 puck drops. Entering this evening's contest senior Michael Fallon (246 of 449, 54.8%.) Junior Evan Campbell is second, (191-169, 53.1%) and freshman Nick Master (344 of 655, 52.5%) is also over the .500 mark.

BY THE SLIMMEST OF MARGINS: Twenty-one of UMass Lowell's 39 games this season have been decided by one-goal. The team is 10-6-5 in those games and 40-24-18 (.598) since Norm Bazin signed on for the 2011-12 season.

THE LEADERSHIP: Senior forward A.J. White and junior defenseman Michael Kapla have been chosen to wear the "C", as co-captains, on the front of their jerseys. Senior Adam Chapie and junior Joe Gambardella are alternate captains.

DID YOU KNOW?:
Goalie Kevin Boyle is 13-2-3 with a 1.38 GAA and a .946 Sv% at the Tsongas Center this year...A.J. White has played in 145 straight UMass Lowell games...Michael Kapla has never missed a game in his UMass Lowell career, he has played in 119 straight games... UMass Lowell has been limited to just one goal eight times this season but that has resulted in just four losses... When River Hawk sophomore C.J. Smith scored three goals in the January 30th 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. Ed McGrane was the last to do so in 2002... UMass Lowell is 14-7-0 at neutral site games when both teams are nationally ranked...

SUCCESS IS THE NORM: Norm Bazin is in his fifth season at UMass Lowell with a 124-56-18 record (.672) in 198 games. He owns a 162-87-25 mark (.637) in 274 games now in his 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 four NCAA tournament appearances, back-to-back Hockey East Tournament Championships (2013, 2014) and one Frozen Four appearance (2013).

PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 93-5-7 when leading after two-periods. They are also 22-10-5 when the score is tied after two periods. UMass Lowell is 40-23-18 in games decided by one goal. Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 12-6-18 in games decided in overtime. When UMass Lowell has a two-goal lead at any point in the game they are 98-4-3 and 49-0-2 at the Tsongas Center.