Friday, November 2nd (7 p.m.)
(Alfond Arena; Orono, Maine)
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Game Notes (PDF)Â |
90 Seconds with Norm
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey Â
Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: 980AMÂ WCAP (JIP)/UMass Lowell Game Day App
Talent:
Bob Ellis (Play by Play)
Saturday, November 3rd (7:30 p.m.)
(Alfond Arena; Orono, Maine)
Watch Live |
Listen Live |
Live Stats |
Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey Â
Television: Fox College Sports, WVII, WPME
Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network: 980AMÂ WCAP/UMass Lowell Game Day App
Talent:
Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Andy Merritt (Analyst)
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell 3-3-0 after splitting a pair of games last weekend. The River Hawks lost to Northeastern, 4-1, on Friday night at the Tsongas Center and then rebounded with a 4-2 win at Bentley. The River Hawks were picked for seventh place finish by Hockey East Coaches and was placed sixth in the Media Poll. Connor Wilson and Ryan Dmowski lead the team in scoring with five-points through six games. Eight different players have scored goals, Wilson and Kenny Hausinger top the goal scoring list with three apiece. Tyler Wall has won two of his four starts and has a 1.50 goals against average. Ryan Lohin is the team's top returning scorer after putting up 25-points (9g, 16a) a year ago.
SCOUTING THE BLACK BEARS:  Maine is 2-3-1 after three weeks of play.  The Black Bears are 2-0-0 at home and 0-3-1 on the road. Maine was picked for a fifth place finish in both the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season and the Media Polls. Eight players have scored goals for Maine, Chase Pearson, Jacob Schmidt-Svejstrup and Tim Doherty each have three. Pearson and Schmidt-Svejstrup lead the team with five-points. Jeremy Swayman has started all six of the team's games in nets. He has a 3.33 goals against average and a .893 save percentage.
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MAINE: This is the 125th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1978. Maine holds a significant edge in the all-time record, 80-38-6, but UMass Lowell has been the more dominant team in recent years. The River Hawks are 8-3-1 in the last 12 meetings.  Maine holds a 14-3-0 edge in Hockey East Tournament play, but UMass Lowell swept Maine out of the playoffs in their last post-season meeting in 2013.Â
LAST YEAR VS. MAINE: UMass Lowell and Maine split the two game regular season series year ago. Both games were played at the Tsongas Center with the River Hawks winning the opener, 3-2, on a Chris Forney third period goal. Eduards Tralmaks had two-goals as Maine went on to a 6-2 win the second night.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: UMass Lowell and Maine have faced one another on nine different ice surfaces, the greatest variety of locations that UMass Lowell has played any one opponent. The two have battled at the Tsongas Center, Alfond Arena, Tully Forum (Billerica, Mass.), Germain Arena (Estero, Fla.), Boston Garden, TD Garden, Gutterson Fieldhouse (Burlington, Vt.), the Central Maine Civic Center (Lewiston, Maine) and at Skate 3 in Tyngsborough, Mass. UMass Lowell and Boston College have also faced one another on nine different ice surfaces.
A WIN TONIGHT WOULD...: ...move UMass Lowell back over the .500 mark and give the hockey club its first Hockey East win of the season. The River Hawks have split their first three weekend series.
HOCKEY EAST WIN #1: UMass Lowell picked is looking for its first Hockey East conference win of the season. Last year that first league win came against Maine in the River Hawks fifth conference game. That was the longest conference opening winless streak since Norm Bazin took over behind the River Hawk bench in 2011-12. It was the longest wait for the first league win since the 2004-05 season when they lost five in a row to start the Hockey East season and after two ties picked up their first Hockey East win in their eighth league game.
NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: UMass Lowell has more than held its own in non-conference play over the last seven-plus years. UMass Lowell is 80-30-6 (.716) 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 and are 3-2-0 this year.
92 AND COUNTING: UMass Lowell's visit to the Bentley Arena, a building that opened for business during the 2017-18 season, pushed the number of buildings in which UMass Lowell has played hockey to at least 92. The long list includes stops stretching from Alaska to Belfast, Northern Ireland and from Arizona to Maine.
ON THE ROAD: UMass Lowell is 87-53-9, a .614 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the seven-plus years that Norm Bazin has led the program. That .614 winning percentage is the third best in the nation during that period.   The River Hawks are 63-42-8, .593, as the road team and 24-11-1, .681, in games played at a neutral site.
HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell is 83-37-12 (a .674 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. They are 1-2-0 this season. The last time the River Hawks had a losing record at home was 2010-11 when the home team went 4-12-0.
THE CENTURY CLUB: Senior forward Ryan Dmowski become the newest member of the Century Club playing in his 100th game last Friday night against Northeastern. He added number 101 the following night at Bentley. Dmowski joins Nick Master (119) and Connor Wilson (104) as the only UMass Lowell players on the roster with at least 100 games played. Next on the list is Ryan Lohin with 81 games played. A year ago UMass Lowell had six players on the roster with more than 100 games played in their collegiate careers.Â
ABOUT LAST WEEKEND: UMass Lowell split a pair of games, losing at home against Northeastern, 4-1, and winning the following night at Bentley, 4-2.   Connor Sodergren scored the only River Hawk goal in the loss. Nick Master led the offense with two goals and an assist at Bentley. Goalie Christoffer Hernberg picked up the win the second night making 13 saves.Â
NEXT WEEKEND: Hockey East conference action will continue next weekend as UMass Lowell faces two different conference opponents. The River Hawks host New Hampshire Friday night at the Tsongas Center. The team travels to the Matthews arena for a meeting with Northeastern on Saturday. New Hampshire holds the edge in the all-time series, 62-44-15, but the River Hawks have won 11 of the last 15 meetings. Northeastern defeated UMass Lowell last Friday, but the River Hawks hold the all-time series lead 61-47-10.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: UMass Lowell forward Connor Wilson leads the team with three-goals and five-points in six games. A year ago Wilson did not get his third goal or fifth point until the 14th game of the season. Ryan Dmowski had only a single assist at this point last season. He comes into tonight's game with two-goals and five-points.
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.
WALLING OFF THE NETS: UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall made 36 saves in turning in his fourth career shutout October 19th against Miami. The 36 saves were the third most Wall has made in a game and the most he's recorded in a shutout. Wall had 40 saves in a tie against Minnesota Duluth on October 8, 2016 and 38 in a victory against Boston College in the Hockey East Championship Game, March 18, 2017. The performance was his seventh 30-plus save game of his career.
THE WALL WALL:  When Miami scored a goal at 1:05 of the third period October 27th it ended a shutout streak of 122:24 for UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall. The streak which included a 36-save 3-0 shutout of Miami the night before was the longest of Wall's career.
A WIN ON THE WALL:  UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall made 25 saves to pick up the win October 12. It was his first win since January 26, 2018 when he beat Boston College, 3-2; a period of 259 days between victories. Wall won just three games a year ago after winning 26 as a freshman. He has won two of his three starts this season.
BACK-TO-BACK: This is the fourth of 15 "back-to-back" series that UMass Lowell will play this year. A week ago the River Hawks split a pair of games with losing to Northeastern, 4-1, but beating Bentley, 4-2, on the second night. UMass Lowell is 2-1-0 on the first night, but 1-2-0 on the second after three weekend splits. 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.
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 129-8-9 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.
BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 52-39-21, .558, in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season. The team is 1-2-0 this year in one-goal games. The River Hawks played 12 one-goal games a year ago. The results were split down the middle 6-6-0.Â
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 144-22-6, .855 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 26-68-15, .307, 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 was 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 67 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.
A GOOD START: UMass Lowell has allowed just two first period goals six games into the season. Only one team that has played five or more games this year has allowed fewer goals in the opening period. Providence has not allowed a first period goal. St. Cloud State, like UMass Lowell, has allowed just two-goals in six first periods.
THE FINAL THIRD: Six games into a new season and the River Hawks have outscored their opponents seven-goals to six in the third period of play. That continues a trend seen a year ago. UMass Lowell outscored opponents by 15-goals in the third period during the 2017-18 season. That was the sixth highest goal differential in the country.
BONUS TIME - NO BONUS: Overtime has not been kind to UMass Lowell over the last two-plus seasons. The River Hawks are 1-7-3 in their last 11 overtime games dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season. The one win came on a Connor Wilson goal, Jan. 19th, at Vermont. The last OT win before Wilson's goal came on March 26, 2016 when the River Hawks defeated Yale, 3-2, in the NCAA Regional.
DOWN BUT NOT OUT:  UMass Lowell's 2-1 come-from-behind win on October 12th was the first time they had won a game in which they had trailed after two-periods since beating Vermont 3-2, in overtime, on January 19, 2018. The River Hawks were 3-14-0 last year in games in which they trailed after two-periods.
WHEN TWO IS ENOUGH:  UMass Lowell scored just two-goals but won the hockey game, October 12th. That is something the River Hawks had not done recently and rarely did a year ago. Their last win when scoring two or fewer goals came on November 18, 2017 when they beat UConn, 1-0. UMass Lowell was 2-14-0 when scoring two or fewer goals a year ago.Â
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 870-722-116 all time with a winning percentage of .543 and 610-602-109 record (.502) as a Division I program.
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 used the rule change to dress a seventh defenseman in four of the team's six games.
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.
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 71-43-8, a .615 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 13 is the largest in the country and the second largest during the Norm Bazin era. Walk on Derek Osik earned a spot on the roster during the pre-season tryouts. 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.
GETTING THE FIRST ONE: Three UMass Lowell players have already notched their first collegiate goal during the 2018-19 season. For two players first-goals came in the second game of the season against RIT. Forward Sam Knoblauch found the back of the net at the 17:51 mark of the first period to give UMass Lowell a 2-0 lead. Forward Reid Stefanson tied the game at four with a minute and 14-seconds remaining in the third period. Lucas Condotta picked up his first collegiate goal last Saturday to close out the scoring in the 4-2 win at Bentley. Here's a list of career first goals during this season.
 Player         GM#     Date    Opponent    When                   Assists           Score            Goalie
 Knoblauch    2     10/13/18      R I T       17:51 1st       Wilson, Evingson   2-0           Drackett
 Stefanson      2     10/13/18      R I T       18:46 3rd     Barton, Goransson  4-4           Drackett
 Condotta       6     10/27/18   Bentley    17:51 3rd        Master, Baxter      3-2               Pelino
POINTS OF ORIGIN: The 2018-19 UMass Lowell hockey roster is made up of players from four countries, 11 states and five Canadian provinces. Massachusetts, Michigan and Pennsylvania top the list of states with three players each calling those states "home." Five players are from the Province of Ontario.  Â
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.
81 GAMES: For the first time since he put on a UMass Lowell sweater Ryan Lohin was not in the lineup last Friday night against Northeastern. That brought to an end a streak of 81 consecutive games played. Lohin had not missed a game game in his collegiate career. Michael Kapla is the River Hawk record holder with 161 consecutive games played. Forward Colin O'Neill is the new active leader on the consecutive games list with 53.
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 1,387 games including 1,320 Division I games. He has missed only one game. Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 911. He is the only trainer in College Hockey to work games at both Northern Arizona and Arizona State.
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