SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is 8-7-0/5-5-0 after dropping a 3-2 OT decision against Bentley November 28. The loss put an end to a season longest four-game winning streak. The River Hawks are 4-5-0 at the Tsongas Center and 4-2-0 on the road. UMass Lowell, currently sitting in sixth place, was picked for a second place finish in the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll. Ryan Lohin leads the team in scoring with 14-points. Lohin, Kenny Hausinger and John Edwardh top the goal scoring chart with five-goals apiece. Hausinger is second in points with 12. Seventeen different players have scored goals, eleven have more than one. Christoffer Hernberg has started in ten games and played in twelve and has a 1.64 GAA and a .939 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS:  Boston University is 7-9-1/5-5-1 after splitting a weekend series against Boston College. They are 4-3-0 on the road and 3-5-1 at the Agganis Arena. The fourth place Terriers were picked to finish first in the Hockey East Coaches' Preseason Poll. Thirteen different players have scored goals, eleven have more than one. Bobo Carpenter leads the team, and is second in Hockey East, with nine. Patrick Harper tops the points chart with 19 (6g, 13a). Jake Oettinger has started 15 of the team's 17 games in nets. He has a 2.89 goals against average and a .905 save percentage.
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. BU: This is the 112th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1983. BU leads the series 73-29-9. These two teams split the season series a year ago, each winning at home. BU holds the edge in post season play. The Terriers have a 9-4-0 edge in Hockey East Tournament games, but UMass Lowell swept the Terriers out of the Hockey East tournament, two-games-to-none, in the 2016 Tournament. The two teams have met four times in the Hockey East Championship Game. BU has won three of the four. The River Hawks hold a 11-6-1 edge since Norm Bazin became the head coach.
A YEAR AGO: UMass Lowell and Boston University each won on home ice as the two teams split the regular season series a year ago. Bobo Carpenter scored twice, including an empty net goal, in BU's 4-2 win at the Agganis Arena on January 28, 2017. Ryan Lohin and CJ Smith scored goals for UMass Lowell. The River Hawks won the Tsongas Center match up between the teams 3-2. Kenny Hausinger had the third period game winner. Lohin and Joe Gambardella also had goals. Patrick Harper and Carpenter had goals for the Terriers.
NOT RANKED: This is the first time the two teams have faced one another and neither is ranked in either of the two national polls since the 2007-08 season. UMass Lowell overcame a 2-0 deficit and went on to a 4-3 win on December 7, 2007. Ryan Blair's third period goal gave the River Hawks the lead for good and Kory Falite had the eventual game winner 16 seconds later. The following Monday UMass Lowell appeared at number 20 in the USCHO poll. Since that time UML and BU have met 32 times with one or both ranked. BU holds an 18-13-1 edge in those 32 games.Â
LAST TIME OUT: UMass Lowell lost to Bentley in overtime, 3-2, on November 28. The River Hawks led 1-0 and 2-1 on goals from Jake Kamrass and Nick Master. After being held without a shot on goal in the third period, the visitors got the game winner off the stick of Ryner Gorowsky at the 3:24 mark of overtime.
HONORS FOR HERNBERG: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg has been named the Hockey East Goaltender of the month for November. Hernberg went 5-1-0, with a 1.84 goals against average and a .933 save percentage, in six starts and seven appearances during the month.Â
HEATING UP: UMass Lowell junior center Nick Master has been turning up the heat with some offensive contributions. Master has seven points, two-goals and five-assists, in his last six games. That's after earning just a single assist in the team's first eight games.
NO SHOT: UMass Lowell held Bentley without a shot in the third period November 28. It had been more than four decades since that had happened. The last time the River Hawks held a team without a shot on goal for a period was the second period of a 10-1 win against Bridgewater State, January 1, 1976. Mason Legge was the UML goalie. The River Hawks nearly did it last season holding UNH to just one shot in the first period of a 3-1 win in the second game of the Hockey East quarterfinals, March 11, 2017.
A WIN TONIGHT WOULD...: move UMass Lowell ahead of Boston University and UConn and into fourth place in the Hockey East standings. It would also put the River Hawks two games above the .500 mark for the second time this season.Â
WHO's NEXT?: UMass Lowell faces Boston University again tomorrow night in Back Bay Boston and then goes on break for final exams and the winter holidays. The River Hawks are 6-11-3 at the Agganis Arena. UMass Lowell will resume play December 29th against Harvard in the opening round of the Catamount Cup in Burlington, Vermont. The River hawks are 2-1-0, all-time, against the Crimson.
WHO'S IN THE BUILDING?: Both Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito and Santa Claus are in the building tonight. Polito will officiate the ceremonial puck drop at the start of the game. Santa Claus, taking time out of a busy schedule, will pose for photos with children attending the game. Ugly sweater T-Shirts will also be given to the first 500 people entering the building.
HEADED FOR THE BREAK: This is the final weekend of action for UMass Lowell prior to the winter break for final exams and the holidays. The River Hawks have eight wins and a chance to reach double digits for the fifth consecutive year. The most wins UMass Lowell has ever had going into the break was 12. The River Hawks did that in both 1986-87 and 2001-02. The last time the River Hawks did not reach double digits was 2012-13 when UML was 6-7-1 at the break. The River Hawks proceeded to go 22-4-1 after the break and earned a spot in the Frozen Four.
LET'S PLAY HOCKEY: Tonight's game against Boston University is only the second for the River Hawks during a span of 19 days, and only the second of three games to be played during a 40-day period. UMass Lowell defeated UConn on November 18th, lost to Bentley ten days later and after playing BU Saturday night at the Agganis Arena will not play again until December 29th against Harvard in the opening round of the Catamount Cup in Burlington, Vermont.
BACK-TO-BACK: This is the eighth of 16 weekends during which the River Hawks will play back-to-back games. The River Hawks have three sweeps to their credit, two splits and also have been swept twice this season. UMass Lowell is 4-3-0 on the first night, 4-3-0 on the second. A year ago the River Hawks went back-to-back 18 times. The River Hawks were 11-6-1 on the first night and 11-5-2 on the second. UMass Lowell authored seven sweeps and were swept just twice.
HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell is 76-31-12 (a .689 winning percentage) at the Tsongas Center since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season. The last time the River Hawks had a losing record at home was 2010-11 when the home team went 4-12-0.
HOME COOKING: UMass Lowell forward John Edwardh has scored all of his five goals and seven of his nine points at the Tsongas Center this season. Defenseman Tommy Panico has scored all of his points, three-goals and added four-assists, at home. Defenseman Tyler Mueller has scored both of his goals at home and Nick Master has added both of his goals and five assists on home ice as well.
ON THE ROAD: UMass Lowell is 82-43-9, a .646 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the six-plus years that Norm Bazin had led the program. That .646 winning percentage is the best in the nation during that period. BC's .644 is number two. The River Hawks are 59-33-8, .630, as the road team and 23-10-1, .691, in games played at a neutral site.
ROAD WARRIORS: UMass Lowell forwards Ryan Lohin and Kenny Hausinger appear to be comfortable on foreign ice. Four of Hausinger's five goals and nine of his 12-points have come on the road. Ten of Lohin's 14-points (3g, 7a) have come on the road. Lohin and Hausinger lead Hockey East in scoring on the road.
FIRST 5/LAST 5?: UMass Lowell has finished periods far better than they have started them. The River Hawks have outscored their opponents 16-9 during the final five minutes of a period. The 16 goals in the final 5:00 is the third most in Hockey East and tenth best in the country. The 16 goals represent 37.2% of the River Hawks offense this season. Conversely, UMass Lowell has been outscored 9-6 in the first five minutes of a period. The six goals in the first five minutes is 53rd in the country.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: UMass Lowell has scored first in more than half of its 15 games this season. That has not always translated into a win. The River Hawks have only won five of those eight games.
OFFENSE FROM DEFENSE: UMass Lowell is among the Hockey East leaders in goals from the defense with 11 in the team's first 15 games. Only one team in the conference has more goals from the defense. Their 39-points from the blue line is fourth in the league. Six different Dmen have scored goals, four, Tommy Panico, Tyler Mueller, Mattias Goransson and Chris Forney have two or more. Mueller leads River Hawk defensemen with ten-points and Panico leads with three-goals.
SCORING TWO or FEWER AND WINNING: UMass Lowell's 2-1 win at New Hampshire November 10th was the first time this year the team has won a game when scoring two goals or fewer. The River Hawks followed that up with a 1-0 win November 18th with a 1-0 win at UConn. Prior to this season. The last time the team was held to just two goals or fewer and won a game was January 14, 2017 at UMass. It had been 28 games in between goals-at-a-premium win.
BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 48-33-21 in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season. Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 12-11-21 in games decided in overtime.
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 120-5-9 when leading after two-periods. They are also 30-18-9 when the score is tied after two periods. The River Hawks were 22-1-2 when leading after two periods a year ago.
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 133-19-6, .861 during the last six-plus years. The River Hawks were 25-3-1 a year ago. When scoring two goals or less in a game the River Hawks are 25-56-15, .339, since 2011-12.
CLUTCH AND IMPORTANT GOALS: Sophomore Ryan Lohin leads the River Hawks in clutch goals. All five of his goals are defined as "clutch" either tying the score or giving the UML the lead. Lohin has four tying goals and one that gave UML the lead. John Edwardh, Connor Wilson and Jake Kamrass have three and Kenny Hausinger has two clutch goals this season. Edwardh led the team a year ago. Thirteen of his 19-goal came in the clutch.
BONUS TIME - NO BONUS: It has been a while since UMass Lowell won a game in overtime. The River Hawks' last OT win came on March 26, 2016 when they defeated Yale, 3-2, in the NCAAs, a span of 57 games. UML is 0-3-3 in OT since then.
ON THE PP AGAIN: UMass Lowell has the second busiest power play in Hockey East. The River Hawks have been on the power play 70 times in their first fifteen games. That's an average of 4.67 power plays per game. Only Providence averages more man advantage situations per game, 5.00. Â
THE POWER PLAY: The UMass Lowell power is looking to find a bit of consistency. The River Hawk power play is just 2-for-22, 9.1%, over a five game period. On the season the River Hawks are 11-for-70, 15.7%, with the man advantage.
OK ON THE PK: UMass Lowell penalty killers have stepped it up killing off the last nine man-down situations over a three game stretch. The unit has an 85.7% success rate, 24-for-28 over the last eight games and shows an 82.5% success rate for the season.
GOING TO THE BOX, OR NOT: UMass Lowell has spent less time, on average, in the penalty box than any other team in Hockey East. The River Hawks have been whistled 63 times for an average of 9.13 minutes per game. UMass Lowell is the fifth least penalized team in the country. Boston University is the ninth most penalized team in the country averaging 14.88 minutes in the box per game.Â
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg is third in the nation in goals against average, 1.64, and fifth in save percentage, .939. Hernberg has started ten and appeared in twelve of the River Hawks 15 games this season and leads Hockey East in both categories. Forward Ryan Lohin is sixth in Hockey East in points with 14.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Forward Kenny Hausinger has gotten off to a quick start scoring five goals and 12-points in the River Hawks first 15 games. Last year, Hausinger had just four-points, two goals and two assists, after 15 games. That is far ahead of the pace he set last year. Hausinger did not score his fourteenth point of the 2016-17 season until the team's 36th game March 12th against New Hampshire.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES-Part II: Forward Ryan Lohin has picked up nine-assists and fourteen points in just 15 games this season. A year ago Lohin picked up his ninth assist on January 14th at UMass, his 23rd game of the year and reached the 14-point total on January 20th against Providence.Â
PLUS-84: UMass Lowell Head Coach Norm Bazin is 84 games over .500 behind the River Hawk bench in six-plus seasons and that has moved the program above the .500 mark for the first time in the school's 35-year Division I history. UMass Lowell is 598-588-109 since beginning Division I play in 1983-84. Bazin is 159-75-21 in Lowell.
STINGY STARTS:Â UMass Lowell has allowed only eight first period goals in 15 games this season, an average 0.53 goals per game. That puts the River Hawks third in Hockey East and ninth in the country. Boston University has allowed 17, placing them 42nd in the nation.
100 GAMES CLUB: Three members of the UMass Lowell hockey team have played at least 100 games in their collegiate careers. Tyler Mueller (133), John Edwardh (116) and Chris Forney (115) have all reached the century mark. Mueller is tenth in the country among active players in games played and number one in Hockey East.  Tommy Panico (94) and Nick Master (93) are next on the list.
ATTENDANCE LEADERS: UMass Lowell is second in Hockey East in average attendance. The River Hawks are averaging 4,876 per game through first nine home contests. UMass Lowell led Hockey East in average attendance, a year ago, drawing 5,542 per game. The club closed out the 2016-17 regular season with crowds of 6,000 or better in each of its last six home games. The River Hawks averaged nearly 900 more people than its nearest competitor.Â
SEEN IT ALL AND COUNTING: UMass Lowell Head Athletic Trainer Artie Poitras is the longest serving hockey athletic trainer with one team and the second longest serving in the country. Poitras has been on the bench, in his role as athletic trainer, for 37 years since starting his UMass Lowell career in 1981. He has been witness to a National Championship, three Hockey East Tournament Titles and ten NCAA Tournament visits. The athletic trainer has worked 1,361 games including 1,294 Division I games. He has missed only one game. Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 885.
The NHL and UML: Former River Hawk goalies Connor Hellebuyck and Carter Hutton have been putting up impressive numbers in the early going in the NHL. Hellebuyck defending the nets for the Winnipeg Jets is 15-3-2 with a 2.44 GAA and a .921 Sv.%. Hutton is 4-2-0 in five starts for St. Louis with a 1.88 GAA and a .937 save percentage.
