SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS:  UMass Lowell coming off of a 17-19-0/11-13-0 season was picked for seventh place finish by Hockey East Coaches and was placed sixth in the Media Poll.  Ryan Lohin is the team's top returning scorer after putting up 25-points (9g, 16a) a year ago.  Christoffer Hernberg saw the bulk of the action a year ago and finished with a 2.08 GAA and a .921 save percentage in 28 games. 

SCOUTING THE TIGERS:  R I T was picked for a seventh place finish in the Atlantic Hockey Association Coaches' Pre-Season Poll after finishing the 2017-18 season with a 15-20-2 record.  Erik Brown is the team's top returning scorer.  He led the Tigers a year ago with 29-goals and 42-points.  Logan Drackett started 19 of the team's 37 games in nets posting a 3.44 Goals Against Average and a .869 save percentage.   RIT defeated Wilfrid Laurier, 5-2, in an exhibition contest last Saturday.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. R I T:  The series between the two schools goes back to the very early days of UMass Lowell hockey, but the two teams have only met seven times.  UMass Lowell won that first meeting in 1969 and owns a 5-1-1 series lead.  The most recent meeting was at the Mariucci Tournament in January of 2015.  UMass Lowell won that game, 7-3, and went on to win the tournament.  R I T's lone victory in the series came in the NCAA Div. II National Semifinal; a 4-1 win at the Tully Forum.  

NOTE THE TIME:  The start time for the UMass Lowell-RIT game on Saturday has been moved up an hour in an effort to accomodate those who are both River Hawk and Boston Red Sox fans.  The UMass Lowell-RIT match up will start at 6:05 p.m. and the Red Sox-Houston Astros ALCS game one starts at 8:09 p.m.  

VERSUS ATLANTIC HOCKEY:  UMass Lowell has had a good deal of success against teams in the Atlantic Hockey Association and its evolutionary predecessor, the MAAC.  The River Hawks hold a 20-4-3 edge all-time against teams representing the AHA.  They are 75-24-5 against teams currently in the league.

SEASON, HOME AND HOCKEY EAST OPENERS:  UMass Lowell is 26-20-5, all-time, in season openers and 2-2-1 in the last five.  The River Hawks are 29-18-4 in home openers but are under the .500 mark when they open the season at home, 9-10-3.  UMass Lowell is 16-13-5 in Hockey East openers and 14-16-4 in Hockey East home openers.  The River Hawks have never opened the season against RIT.

OPENING NIGHT CROWDS: UMass Lowell is looking for its 11th straight opening night crowd of more than 5,000-people.  A year ago the River Hawks opened in front of a gathering of 5,426. It was the tenth consecutive opening night crowd of more than five-thousand people.  The streak started with a crowd of 6,193 to see UMass Lowell beat Providence, 4-1, at the Tsongas Center in 2008.  During the ten-year streak opening night crowds have averaged 5,907.  The last sub 5,000 opening night crowd was in 2007 when the River Hawks opened against Alabama-Huntsville. 

LOOKING TO BREAK A RECORD:  The UMass Lowell single game student attendance record is 2,351 and the university is hoping to break that record on Friday night.  There will be a post-game skate for all students in attendance following the game.

52nd SEASON OF UMASS LOWELL HOCKEY: This is the 52nd season of hockey at UMass Lowell. The program began at Lowell Tech with the 1967-68 season. That first team went 7-7-1. After winning three Division II National Championships the program moved to Division I as an Independent for the 1983-84 season and joined Hockey East for its inaugural season of 1984-85. The River Hawks are 867-721-116 all time with a winning percentage of .543 and 607-601-109 record (.502) as a Division I program.

LAST WEEKEND:  UMass Lowell defeated Acadia 4-3, Sunday afternoon, in its season opening exhibition game.  The River Hawks got goals from Colin O'Neill, Chris Schutz, Charlie Levesque and Ryan Lohin.  Tyler Wall made 24 saves in nets.  It was the fourth time UMass Lowell has beaten Acadia in an exhibition game and extended the River Hawk exhibition unbeaten streak to 17 games (14-0-3).

TONIGHT'S PROMOTIONS:  There are a variety of promotions scheduled to for Friday night's season opener.  The first 1,500 fans in attendance will receive a UMass Lowell hockey schedule magnet, courtesy of Enterprise Bank.  Also, this year's design for "THE CAGE," the Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union Student Section will be unveiled and the event will be commemorated with T-Shirts for the first 1,500 students courtesy of Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union.

WHO'S NEXT:  Next weekend the River Hawks will make their first ever trip to the Goggin Ice Center in Oxford, Ohio for a two-game series with Miami.  The two teams have only faced one another twice and both at neutral sites.  The two battled to a 4-4 tie at the NYE Frontier Classic in Anchorage, Alaska in 2003.  The River Hawks won a shootout to advance to the Tournament Championship Game.  The River Hawks also defeated Miami, 4-3, in overtime in the opening round of the 2012 NCAA East Regional.

BACK-TO-BACK:  UMass Lowell will play games on back-to-back nights 15 times this year.  The River Hawks played back-to-back games on 17 weekends during the 2017-18 season.  UML had four sweeps to its credit, eight splits and also were swept five times.  UML was 10-7-0 on the first night, 5-12-0 on the second.  In 2016-17 the River Hawks were 11-6-1/11-5-2.  UMass Lowell authored seven sweeps and were swept just twice.

THE 19th MAN:  College hockey teams will be allowed to dress one additional skater this season; 19 skaters instead of 18.  The NCAA made the change citing a desire to give more student-athletes a playing opportunity.  UMass Lowell is expected to use the rule change to dress a seventh defenseman.

NEW PLAYOFF HOCKEY EAST FORMAT:  For the first time since the 2012-13 season just eight of the league's 11 teams will qualify for the Hockey East Tournament.  During the last five years the conference had used a playoff format which included all of the league's teams. 

THE LEADERSHIP: Forwards Ryan Lohin and Connor Wilson will serve as co-captains for the River Hawks this season. Lohin, a junior, led the team in scoring a year ago with nine-goals and 25-points.  Wilson, a senior, is coming off his best offensive season with eight-goals and 16-points.  Junior defenseman Mattias Göransson will serve as the alternate captain.  With nine-goals and 36 career points, Göransson is the highest scoring defenseman on the roster.

RIVER HAWKS IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT: UMass Lowell has made 13 appearances in the NCAA Tournament; eight have been as a Division I program.  The River Hawks have made one appearance in the Frozen Four.  That was in 2013 when they were eliminated by eventual National Champion Yale.  Since the Regional Format was established, UMass Lowell has won all seven regional semifinal games that it has played, but the club is 1-6-0 in the regional final.  The ULowell Chiefs did win three Division II National Championships (1979, 1981, 1982) in a four-year period.  The team is 7-7-1 in Division I Tournament play and 18-10-1 overall.

RETURNING OFFENSE: UMass Lowell returns 64.3% of its offense including its top three scorers from a year ago.  Ryan Lohin led the team with nine-goals and 25-points.  Ryan Dmowski led the team in goals with 11 and was second in points with 22.  Kenny Hausinger was second in goals with ten and third with 20-points.

Mr. ZERO: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg had five shutouts during the 2017-18 season.  That is the third most in a single season by a River Hawk goalie and was just two shy of the school record of seven set by Kevin Boyle during the 2015-16 season.  Connor Hellebuyck and Cam McCormick each had six in a season.  Hellebuyck did it twice.

AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg was third among Hockey East goalies in goals against average, 2.08, and second in save percentage, .921.  His .583 winning percentage was fifth in the conference.  Hernberg has started 24 and appeared in 28 of the River Hawks 36 games last season.

HERNBERG WATCH: UMass Lowell netmninder Christoffer Hernberg is one of twenty goalies named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List.  The award honors the nation's most outstanding goalie.  The winner is selected by a committee of coaches, scouts and members of the media.  Hernberg posted a 2.08 goals against average and a .921 save percentage during the 2017-18 season.  UMass Lowell goalie Connor Hellebuyck won the first Mike Richter Award in 2014.

THE 2019 SENIOR CLASS: The six-member UMass Lowell senior class has accumulated a record of 69-40-8, a .624 winning percentage.  The class ranks second in Hockey East in wins and third in winning percentage.  The class which includes forwards Ryan Dmowski, Connor Wilson, Nick Master and Keith Burchett and defenseman Avni Berisha and goalie Christoffer Hernberg has won one HEA regular season title, a tournament championship, four in-season tournaments and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament.  The class ranks fourth among UML teams.  The 2016 senior class tops the list with 100 victories.

FRESH FACES: The River Hawk recruiting class of 12 is the largest in the country and the second largest during the Norm Bazin era.  The River Hawks are one of four teams in the country with an even dozen in the freshmen class.  UConn, Niagara and Quinnipiac also have 12 freshmen on the roster.  Bazin's largest freshman class was during the 2014-15 season when UMass Lowell welcomed 14 freshmen.  A year ago the freshmen class numbered just a half dozen.

POINTS OF ORIGIN: The 2018-19 UMass Lowell hockey roster is made up of players from four countries, 11 states and five Canadian provinces.  Michigan and Pennsylvania top the list of states with three players each calling those states "home."  Five players are from the province of Ontario.   

BORN TO PLAY THE GAME: River Hawk freshman Michael Dill is from Windsor, Nova Scotia.  It is Windsor, Nova Scotia which claims to be the birthplace of ice hockey.  The game evolved on the lakes and ponds in the Windsor area from "ice hurley", an ice version of the Irish sport of hurling.

GOOD BLOODLINES: Defenseman Nolan Sawchuk has an NHL Hall of Fame connection.  His Great Great Uncle was goaltender Terry Sawchuk who played for five NHL teams during a 21-year career.  The Hall of Fame goalie won three Stanley Cups with Detroit and one with Toronto.

STRIPES IN THE BLOOD: Freshman forward Austin O'Rourke has an NHL connection of a different kind.  His father Dan O'Rourke is a National Hockey League referee, who has worked three Stanley Cup Finals series (2011, 2012, 2016) and has worked over 1,000 career games in the NHL.

CARRYING THE WEIGHT:  UMass Lowell is the second biggest team in the country based on average weight.  The River Hawks tip the scales at an average 193.83-pounds.  Only Hockey East rival UConn is heavier averaging 194.23-pounds.

The NHL and UML:  Six former River Hawks have earned places on National Hockey League rosters as the league opened its 102nd season.  It matches the mark, set last year, for the most UMass Lowell players on NHL teams to start a season. Defenseman Christian Folin (Philadelphia), defenseman Ron Hainsey (Toronto), goaltender Connor Hellebuyck (Winnipeg), goaltender Carter Hutton (Buffalo), defenseman Chad Ruhwedel (Pittsburgh) and forward Scott Wilson (Buffalo) are the six former River Hawks to earn opening night roster spots.  Folin, Hellebuyck, Ruhwedel and Wilson played for Head Coach Norm Bazin.

RIVER HAWKS IN THE HEA TOURNAMENT:  UMass Lowell has appeared in the Hockey East Tournament 30 times in the league's first 34 seasons.  They have won the Lamoriello Trophy in three of the last six years.  The River Hawks are 45-48-3 in Tournament play.  UMass Lowell has played in the tournament championship game in five consecutive seasons, 2013-17, only Maine has a longer Championship appearance streak.

THE TOURNAMENT NORM:  Since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench, UMass Lowell is 25-14-0 in the post season, including both the Hockey East and NCAA Tournament play.  Bazin's teams are 19-9-0 in the HEA Tournament and is 6-5-0 in the NCAA Tournament.  The River Hawks won the Hockey East Tournament in 2013, 2014 and 2017.  The River Hawks reached the NCAA Frozen Four in 2013.

20 WINS AGAIN?: UMass Lowell has won 20-games in six of the last seven seasons.  In four of those six season the River Hawks have won at least 25 games.  Only two schools in the country, Boston College and Denver, have twenty or more wins in each of the last seven seasons.

THE CENTURY CLUB: UMass Lowell had six players on the roster with more than 100 games played in their collegiate careers on the roster during the 2017-18 season.  As the 2018-19 season begins, only Nick Master (113) is a member of the century club.  Next on the list is Connor Wilson (98) and Ryan Dmowski (95).

77 GAMES:  Forward Ryan Lohin has played in every game of his collegiate career, 77 in a row. Michael Kapla is the River Hawk record holder with 161 consecutive games played.  Forward Colin O'Neill is second on the active consecutive games list with 49.

ATTENDANCE LEADERS:  UMass Lowell led Hockey East in average home attendance for the third consecutive year during the 2017-18 season.  The River Hawks averaged 4,876 fans per game a year ago.  During the last three years an average of 5,339 fans have filled the Tsongas Center nightly to watch UMass Lowell play.

NON-CONFERENCE SCHEDULE: This season's non-conference schedule sees UMass Lowell facing teams six different teams from three separate conferences.  The River Hawks will play NCHC members Denver and Miami, Colgate and Rensselaer from the ECAC and Atlantic Hockey representatives Bentley and RIT.  The UMass Lowell non-conference opponents had a combined record of 86-112-31 a year ago.  Only Denver (23-10-8) had a winning record.  Colgate was at the .500 mark (17-17-6).

NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: UMass Lowell has more than held its own in non-conference play over the last seven years.  UMass Lowell is 76-27-6 (.725) in non-conference games since the 2011-12 season.  The River Hawks were 6-4-0 playing out of conference during the 2017-18 season.

BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 51-36-21, .569, in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season.  The River Hawks played 12 one-goal games a year ago.  The results were split down the middle 6-6-0. 

PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 127-7-9 when leading after two-periods.  They are also 30-20-9 when the score is tied after two periods.  The River Hawks were 12-2-0 when leading after two periods during the 2017-18 season and were 22-1-2 when leading after two periods two years ago.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 142-21-6, .858 during the last seven-plus years.  The River Hawks were 15-4-0, last season, and were 25-3-1 two years ago.  When scoring two goals or less in a game the River Hawks are 26-66-15, .313, since 2011-12.

NOT FIT TO BE TIED:  UMass Lowell was the only team in the country without a tie during the 2017-18 season. It is only the second time in their 35-year Division I history that the team has completed a full season without at least one tie.  It has been 61 games since UML and UConn battled to a 2-2 tie on December 3, 2016.  Only once before have the River Hawks played a full season without a tie.  That was 1998-99 when the River Hawks went 17-17-0.  During the late 1970s and early 1980s, as a Division II program, ULowell went more than five seasons, 177 games, without a tie.

CLUTCH AND IMPORTANT GOALS: Forwards Ryan Lohin and Connor Wilson led the River Hawks in clutch goals during the 2017-18 season.  Each had six goals that were defined as "clutch" either tying the score or giving the UML the lead.  Lohin has four tying goals and two that gave UML the lead.  Connor Wilson had five that gave UMass Lowell the lead and one that tied the score.

FRESHMEN SHALL LEAD:  UMass Lowell freshmen Anthony Baxter and Connor Sodergren led the team in plus/minus numbers a year ago.  Baxter, a defenseman, was a team best 12.  Sodergren ranked second on the River Hawk roster at 6.

HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell is 82-35-12 (a .682 winning percentage) at the Tsongas Center since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season.  In 2017-18 the River Hawks were 10-8-0 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.

ON THE ROAD: UMass Lowell is 85-52-9, a .613 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the seven years that Norm Bazin had led the program.  That .613 winning percentage is the third best in the nation during that period.    The River Hawks are 61-41-8, .594, as the road team and 24-11-1, .681, in games played at a neutral site.

GOING TO THE BOX, OR NOT:  UMass Lowell was the least penalized team in Hockey East during the 2017-18 season.  The River Hawks averaged 9.17 minutes per game in the penalty box.  UMass Lowell was the seventh least penalized team in the country. 

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 1,381 games including 1,314 Division I games.  He has missed only one game.  Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 905.  He is the only trainer in College Hockey to work games at both Northern Arizona and Arizona State.

SUCCESS IS THE NORM: Norm Bazin begins his eighth season at UMass Lowell with a 168-87-21 record (.647) in 276 games. He owns a 206-118-28 mark (.625) in 352 games now in his eleventh 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.  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. Bazin's 150th UML win came against Boston College in the 2017 Hockey East Championship Game.  His 200th career win came January 5, 2018 with a 6-0 shutout of Vermont.  His first UMass Lowell win came against Minnesota State, 4-2, on October 14, 2011. Bazin is a three-time Hockey East Coach of the Year and was named the 2013 Spencer Penrose Award Winner as the Division I Coach of the Year. Bazin has led the River Hawks to five NCAA tournament appearances, three Hockey East Tournament Championships (2013, '14, '17) and one Frozen Four appearance (2013).