Friday, January 12th at Arizona State (7pm MT/9pm ET)
(Oceanside Arena; Tempe, Ariz.)
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Listen Live |
Live Stats |
Game Notes
Follow on Twitter:
@RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey Â
Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: (WCAP 980AM)/UMass Lowell Game Day App
Talent:
Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Andy Merritt (Analyst)
Saturday, January 13th at Arizona State (7pm MT/9pm ET)
(Oceanside Arena; Tempe, Ariz.)
Watch Live |
Listen Live |
Live Stats |
Game Notes
Follow on Twitter:
@RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey Â
Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: (WCAP 980AM)/UMass Lowell Game Day App
Talent:
Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Andy Merritt (Analyst)
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is 12-9-0/8-6-0 after winning games against Vermont, 6-0, and Massachusetts, 8-3, last weekend. The River Hawks have won eight of their last eleven games. The River Hawks are 7-5-0 at the Tsongas Center and 5-4-0 on the road. UMass Lowell, currently sitting in third place, was picked for a second place finish in the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll. Ryan Lohin leads the team with 20-points (7g, 13a). He is sixth in scoring among Hockey East players. John Edwardh tops the goals scored list with eight. Kenny Hausinger and Lohin are second with seven apiece. Ryan Dmowski has six. Ninteen different players have scored goals, 15 have more than one. Christoffer Hernberg has started in 15 games and played in 18 and has a 1.89 GAA and a .929 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE SUN DEVILS:  Arizona State, playing as an independent, is 6-12-4 after beating Northern Michigan, 7-3, and Michigan Tech, 3-2, to win the Ice Vegas Tournament. They are 4-4-2 in their last ten games. Brinson Pasichnuk (6g, 8a) and Brett Gruber (4g, 10a) lead the team is scoring with 14 points. Tyler Busch is the leading goal scorer with seven. Sixteen players have scored goals, eleven have more than one. Joey Daacord has started 20 of the team's 22 games in nets. He's got a 3.32 Goals Against Average and a .911 save percentage.Â
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. ARIZONA STATE: This is just the third meeting between these two teams and the first time they have played at Arizona State. The River Hawks and Sun Devils played a two-games series in Lowell in January of 2016. UMass Lowell won those games 4-1 and 8-1. This is the Sun Devils third year as a Division I hockey program. The move to Division I was announced on November 18, 2014.
TWO YEARS AGO IN LOWELL: UMass Lowell swept the two game series against Arizona State on January 29 and 30, 2016. Adam Chapie, Evan Campbell, A.J. White and C.J. Smith scored goals in a UMass Lowell 4-1 win the first night. Goalie Christoffer Hernberg picked up his first collegiate win stropping 19 of 20 shots that night. The River Hawks took the series finale, 8-1, while outshooting ASU 57-12. C.J. Smith had the hat trick, Jake Kamrass had two-goals and two-assists.
HOCKEY IN THE DESERT?: While this weekend's games are the first ever meetings, in Arizona, between UMass Lowell and Arizona State it is not the first time that UMass Lowell has played a team from the Grand Canyon State on its home ice. The River Hawks and Northern Arizona split four games during the 1983-84 season. UMass Lowell defeated Northern Arizona at the Rensselaer Tournament and at the Tully Forum, but lost twice in Flagstaff.
A LONG ROAD: The UMass Lowell hockey team is 2,639.3-miles from the Tsongas Center. This trip is the longest the River Hawks have strayed from home since travelling to Belfast, Northern Ireland to play in the Friendship Four Tournament in November of 2015. That trip was 2,979-miles, only 340 miles further.
FAMILIAR FACES: Two members of the Arizona State hockey team once wore UMass Lowell sweaters. Dylan Hollman played one game for UMass Lowell during the 2014-15 season before suffering a season ending injury. Graduate student Gage Hough played 40-games as a River Hawks scoring six-goals and ten-points before graduating. He resumed his collegiate career while doing graduate work at ASU.
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND: Eleven different players scored goals, 15 had points, as UMass Lowell had its biggest offensive weekend of the season defeating Vermont, 6-0, and Massachusetts, 8-3. Christoffer Hernberg earned his third shutout of the season with 21 saves in the opener. The weekend sweep moved the River Hawks into sole possession of third place in Hockey East.Â
EIGHT GOALS:Â When UMass Lowell scored eight goals Saturday night against Massachusetts it was the first time the River Hawks had found the net eight times in a game since March 12, 2017 when they scored eight in an 8-2 win against New Hampshire in the decisive third game of the quarter final round of the Hockey East Tournament.
SHORTHANDED GOALS: UMass Lowell scored three shorthanded goals, two into an empty net, in last Saturday's 8-3 win against Massachusetts. It was the first time the River Hawks had scored three shorties in a game since February 12, 1971 when they scored three against Bridgewater State in a 13-3 win. Bob Kearin had two in that one.
SHORTHANDED GOALS - PART II: Ryan Lohin became the eighth River Hawk to score two shorthanded goals in a game when he turned the magic against UMass January 6, 2018. The last person to do that was Ed McGrane in a 3-1 win at Maine February 17, 2001.
200 WINS: Friday night's 6-0 win against Vermont was the 200th victory in Norm Bazin's coaching career. His first win was as the Head Coach at Hamilton College November 21, 2008, a 5-4 win against Wesleyan. His first UMass Lowell coaching win came at Minnesota State, 4-2, on October 14, 2011. Bazin has 162 wins behind the UML bench and 38 at Hamilton.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg has been named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week after backstopping UML to a weekend sweep of Hockey East opponents. Hernberg kicked aside 47 of 50 shots, a .940 save percentage, as UMass Lowell defeated Vermont, 6-0 Friday night, and Massachusetts, 8-3, on Saturday. The junior netminder has started allowed two or fewer goals in 11 of his 15 starts this season. His 1.89 goals against average leads Hockey East and is fifth best in the country. He has a .929 save percentage, second in the conference and sixth in the nation. Hernberg has a 12-3-0 record. That .800 winning percentage is fourth in the country and first in Hockey East. This is the fourth time that Hernberg has been honored by Hockey East this season.
DMOW HOT: Forward Ryan Dmowski has quietly become an offensive force. After scoring just one point, an assist, in his first five games Dmowski has become a point-a-game scorer. He has 15 points (6g, 9a) in his last 15 games. He has two-goals and seven-points in his last four games.
HE SCHUTZ, HE SCORES: Forward Chris Schutz scored his first collegiate goal after a long wait, but in only his fourth collegiate game. He found the back of the net with a one-timer January 6, 2018 in an 8-3 win against Massachusetts. For Schutz, a transfer student, the goal also came after a one-year wait. Schutz, after sitting out a year under NCAA transfer rules, skated in his first collegiate game December 29th against Harvard. Schutz began his collegiate career at Robert Morris, but never played a game before transferring last January. Schutz amassed 102 points in 106 games, over two seasons, for Alberni Valley of the BCHL.
FINALLY: It took 58 games, but junior defenseman Niklas Folin found the back of the net for the first time in his collegiate career Last Friday night when his slap shot from the right point found the 5-hole on Vermont's Stephanos Lekkas in the first period. The goal gave UMass Lowell a 1-0 lead and proved to be the game winner.
NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: UMass Lowell has more than held its own in non-conference play over the last six-plus years. UMass Lowell is 74-27-6 (.720) in non-conference games since the 2011-12 season. The River Hawks are 4-3-0 this season playing out of conference.
THE CENTURY CLUB: When Tommy Panico stepped on the ice January 6, 2018 against UMass he will become the fourth current River Hawk to play in 100 games in his career. Panico joined teammates Tyler Mueller (139), John Edwardh (122) and Chris Forney (120). Nick Master (98) and Jake Kamrass (96) are next on the list.
BACK-TO-BACK: This is the 11th of 16 regular season weekends during which the River Hawks will play back-to-back games. The River Hawks have four sweeps to their credit, four splits and also have been swept twice. UML is 7-3-0 on the first night, 5-5-0 on the second. A year ago the River Hawks were 11-6-1/11-5-2. UMass Lowell authored seven sweeps and were swept just twice.
A WIN TONIGHT WOULD...: Move the team four games over the .500 mark for the first time this season. It would also be the 202nd win in Norm Bazin's coaching career.
AMONG THE NATIONAL LEADERS: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg is fifth in the nation in goals against average, 1.89, sixth in save percentage, .929 and fourth in winning percentage, .800. Hernberg has started 15 and appeared in 18 of the River Hawks 21 games this season and leads Hockey East in both GAA and winning percentage. He is second in save percentage.
THE ROAD AHEAD:   There are 13 games remaining on the UMass Lowell regular season schedule. Just three of their remaining seven opponents have records over .500. Combined their winning opponents (UMass, Boston College and Providence) are 33-24-4 while the other four (Vermont, Arizona State, AIC and Merrimack) are just 24-48-13.
STARBUYCK: Former UMass Lowell Hockey All-American goaltender Connor Hellebuyck of the Winnipeg Jets was named to the National Hockey League All-Star Game, as announced by the league office on Wednesday afternoon. Hellebuyck ranks third in the league in wins (23) and tied for fourth in shutouts (3). Among goaltenders with a minimum of 15 games played, he ranks second in winning percentage (.788), seventh in GAA (2.36) and 10th in save percentage (.923). Hellebuyck is the third UMass Lowell alum in school history to be selected to the game. Former River Hawk goaltender Dwayne Roloson earned an Western Conference All-Star appearance in 2004 playing for the Minnesota Wild, while forward Craig MacTavish earned a spot in 1996 with the St. Louis Blues.
OFFENSE FROM DEFENSE: UMass Lowell is first in Hockey East in goals from the defense with 16 in the team's first 21 games. Their 61-points from the blue line is tied for the league lead with Northeastern. Seven 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 12-points. Forney and Mueller top the goal scoring with four.
LAST CHANCE: UMass Lowell has been a strongest third period team in the country this season. The River Hawks have outscored opponents 28-10 in the final 20-minutes, a goal differential of +18. That plus-18 is the largest in the country. Four of UMass Lowell's last nine wins have come on third period goals.
BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 49-33-21, .578, 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 123-5-9 when leading after two-periods. They are also 30-19-9 when the score is tied after two periods. The River Hawks are 8-0-0 when leading after two periods and were 22-1-2 when leading after two periods a year ago.
FIRST 5/LAST 5?: UMass Lowell has finished periods far better than they have started them. The River Hawks have outscored their opponents 23-13 during the final five minutes of a period. The 23 goals in the final 5:00 is the second most in Hockey East and sixth best in the country. The 23 goals represent 33.8% of the River Hawks offense this season. Conversely, UMass Lowell has been outscored 14-12 in the first five minutes of a period. The 12 goals in the first five minutes is 39th in the country.
STINGY STARTS:Â UMass Lowell has allowed only 15 first period goals in 21 games this season, an average 0.71 goals per game. That puts the River Hawks third in Hockey East and 15th in the country.
GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START: UMass Lowell has scored first in just ten of its 21 games this season. That has translated, more times than not, into a win. The River Hawks have won seven of those ten games.
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 137-20-6, .859 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 26-57-15, .342, since 2011-12.
ON THE ROAD: UMass Lowell is 83-45-9, a .639 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the six-plus years that Norm Bazin had led the program. That .639 winning percentage is the second best in the nation during that period.   The River Hawks are 59-34-8, .624, as the road team and 24-11-1, .681, in games played at a neutral site. UML has won five of nine road games this season.
ROAD WARRIORS: UMass Lowell forwards Ryan Lohin and Kenny Hausinger appear to be comfortable on foreign ice. Six of Hausinger's seven goals and 12 of his 16-points have come on the road. He is fourth among Hockey East players in road scoring. Eleven of Lohin's 20-points (3g, 8a) have come on the road.
VERSUS BIG TIME FOOTBALL SCHOOLS: UMass Lowell is 47-18-6 against schools with big time football programs since Norm Bazin took over the coaching responsibilities. That includes an 9-3-2 record against Notre Dame, 3-1-0 record against Penn State and a 16-1-1 mark against Massachusetts. The Bazin-led River Hawks also have winning records against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Arizona State and have split two games against Michigan. The River Hawks are also 7-7-2 against Boston College and 5-5-1 against UConn.
HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell is 80-32-12 (a .711 winning percentage) at the Tsongas Center since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season. This year the River Hawks are 7-5-0 on home ice. 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 seven of his eight goals and ten of his 16 points at the Tsongas Center this season. Defenseman Tommy Panico has scored all of his points, three-goals and added nine-assists, at home. Forward Ryan Dmowski has four-goals and 12 of his 16 points at home.
STALLED OFFENSE..???: When UMass Lowell was held off the score sheet by St. Lawrence December 30th it ended a streak of 119 games in which the River Hawks had scored at least one goal. The last time they had been held without a goal was a 2-0 loss at Connecticut on January 10, 2015. The 119 games is their longest streak since a school record 154-game streak that started after a 7-0 loss to Vermont on March 4, 1972, and ended with a 4-0 loss at Salem State on January 7, 1979. The previous Division I-era record was a 106-game streak that started after a 7-0 loss at Providence on March 6, 1992 and ended with an 8-0 loss at Northeastern on January 28, 1995. Since being shut out by St. Lawrence the River Hawks un loaded with 14 goals in a two-game weekend.
FINDING THE TWINE: UMass Lowell forward Kenny Hausinger broke a ten game goal scoring drought with a third period marker December 9 at Boston University and followed that up with a goal against Harvard December 29th. Hausinger, one the team's top scorers, had not scored since October 21st at St. Lawrence. The right hand shot had scored five goals in the team's first six games.
ON TARGET: Kenny Hausinger leads UMass Lowell and all of Hockey East in shooting percentage. He has scored seven goals on just 23 shots on goal, a percentage of 30.4%. Connor Wilson is second on the team and fourth in the conference with five goals on 22 shots, 22.7%. As a team UMass Lowell scores on 12.4% of its shots. That's the best in the league, but the River Hawks are last in the league in shots on goal averaging 26.14 per game. A year ago UMass Lowell led Hockey East scoring on 12.6% of its shots.
MORE THAN ONE: Six different UMass Lowell players have had multi-goal games this season. Tommy Panico, Ryan Dmowski, Kenny Hausinger, Jake Kamrass, John Edwardh and Ryan Lohin have each found the back on the net twice in a game. Lohin has done it twice.
CLUTCH AND IMPORTANT GOALS: Sophomore Ryan Lohin leads the River Hawks in clutch goals. All five of his seven 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 and Jake Kamrass have four clutch goals. Nick Master and Connor Wilson 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.
ON THE PP AGAIN: UMass Lowell has the third busiest power play in Hockey East. The River Hawks have been on the power play 98 times in their first 21-games. That's an average of 4.67 power plays per game. Only Providence, 5.23, and Northeastern, 4.75, averages more man advantage situations per game. Â
THE POWER PLAY: The UMass Lowell power is looking to find a bit of consistency and last weekend may have been a step in the right direction. The River Hawk went four-for-six with the man advantage in two games against Vermont and UMass. That's after UML was 0-for-10 last weekend. On the season the River Hawks are 18-for-98, 18.4%, with the man advantage.
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 91 times for an average of 9.57 minutes per game. UMass Lowell is the seventh least penalized team in the country. Arizona State is the 17th most penalized team in the country averaging 13.36 minutes in the box per game.Â
600 Wins: Last Friday night's win against Harvard was the 600th in UMass Lowell's Division I history. The River Hawks are one of eight Hockey East schools to have reached that number. They added #601 on Saturday night.
