SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS:  UMass Lowell is 16-14-0/10-10-0 after dropping games against Boston College, in overtime, and Massachusetts last weekend.  The River Hawks have won 12 of their last 20 games and nine of their last 14 Hockey East games.  The River Hawks are 9-5-0 at the Tsongas Center and 7-9-0 on the road.  UMass Lowell, currently sitting in seventh place, was picked for a second place finish in the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll.  Ryan Lohin leads the team with 23-points (8g, 15a).  He is 16th in scoring among Hockey East players.  Kenny Hausinger tops the goals scored list with ten.  Twenty different players have scored goals, 16 have three or more.  Christoffer Hernberg has started in 20 games and has a 2.05 GAA and a .923 save percentage.  Tyler Wall has won three of his last four starts.

SCOUTING THE FRIARS:  Providence is 18-9-4/11-6-4 and is ranked eighth in the country in both the USCHO and USA Today Polls after an overtime win last Friday night against Maine.  The Friars are 3-2-3 in their last eight.  Providence, sitting in second place in the Hockey East standings, were picked for a third place finish in the Hockey East Coaches' Pre-Season Poll.  Sixteen players have scored goals, 13 have more than one and five are in double digits.  Eric Foley leads the team with 13-goals and 32 points.  Hayden Hawkey has started all of the team's 31 games in nets.  He's got a 2.20 Goals Against Average and a .913 save percentage. 

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. PROVIDENCE:  This is the 115th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1982.  Providence leads the series 56-47-11.  The Friars swept the two-game season series a year ago and holds a 6-4-0 edge in the last ten.  The two teams have met in seven different years in the Hockey East Tournament totaling 11 games with UML holding a 7-3-1 edge and moving into the next round five times.

LAST YEAR vs. PROVIDENCE:  Providence, a year ago, swept the season series from the River Hawks winning a pair of one goal games, 4-3 and 3-2.  In the opener UML had a 2-0 lead before the first period was nine-minutes old.  The Friars scored goals in the first and second periods to knot the score and then scored twice two minutes apart midway through the third period to break the tie and go on to a 4-3 win.  The following night UMass Lowell held a 2-1 second period lead before Kasper Bjorkquist tied the game late in the second period and Scott Conway added the game winner in the third period.

NORM and NATE:  UMass Lowell Head Coach Norm Bazin and Providence Head Coach Nate Leaman took over behind their respective benches nearly seven years ago and since that time have combined for more than 300 wins.  Bazin shows a record of 167-82-21 while Leaman is 146-86-32.  Leaman holds a slight edge in head to head matches, 10-9-0.

BACK-TO-BACK:  This is the 15th 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, seven splits and also have been swept three times.  UML is 10-4-0 on the first night, 5-9-0 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.

MORE THAN ONE IN A ROW:  UMass Lowell has not won consecutive games in more than a month.  The last time the River Hawks put consecutive wins together was January 5, 6 and 12 with wins against Vermont, Massachusetts and Arizona State.  Since that time every win has been followed by a loss.

NOT FIT TO BE TIED:  UMass Lowell is the only team in Hockey East and one of just two in the country without a tie on its record.  Only once in UML's Division I history has it played a full season without a tie.  That was 1998-99 when the River Hawks went 17-19-0.  They played 11 one-goal games that year winning seven and split four overtime games.  This year UMass Lowell has played ten one-goal games, winning six and four overtime games, winning just one.  In 2011-12 the River Hawks had just one tie; that came in game number 31.

A WIN TONIGHT WOULD...:  Move the team three games over the .500 mark.  With a win UMass Lowell could jump UConn and move the team into sixth place in the Hockey East standings. It would also be the 205th win in Norm Bazin's coaching career.

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 76-27-6 (.725) in non-conference games since the 2011-12 season.  The River Hawks are 6-4-0 this season playing out of conference.

NEXT WEEKEND:  UMass Lowell will wrap up the regular season when they face Merrimack for the first time this season.  The two teams will play and home-and-home series starting Friday Night in North Andover.  UMass Lowell leads the all-time series 77-37-11.  The River Hawks have lost just one of the last eleven meetings between the two teams.

30 GAMES/16 WINS:   The River Hawks have 16 wins through their first 30 games.  That is just two games behind their win total at 30 games a year ago.  UMass Lowell is 16-14-0, a year ago they were 18-9-3.  They had played 17 Hockey East games and were 10-7-1 compared with this year's 10-10-0 record.

ON THE ROAD: UMass Lowell is 85-50-9, a .622 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the six-plus years that Norm Bazin had led the program.  That .622 winning percentage is the second best in the nation during that period.    The River Hawks are 61-39-8, .602, as the road team and 24-11-1, .681, in games played at a neutral site.  UML has won seven of sixteen road games this season.

ROAD WARRIORS: UMass Lowell forwards Ryan Lohin and Kenny Hausinger appear to be comfortable on foreign ice.  Eight of Hausinger's nine goals and 14 of his 18-points have come on the road.  He is second in Hockey East in goals on the road and is 11th in points away from home.  12 of Lohin's 23 points have come on the road.  Lohin is 16th among Hockey East players in points on the road.

HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell is 82-32-12 (a .698 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 9-5-0 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 nine goals and eleven of his 18 points at the Tsongas Center this season.  Defenseman Tommy Panico has scored 12 (3g, 9a) of his 17 points at home.  Defenseman Chris Forney has four of his five goals and 11 of 17 points at home.  Forward Ryan Dmowski has five-goals and 13 of his 17 points at home.

A CAREER YEAR:  UMass Lowell senior Defenseman Tommy Panico and junior forward Ryan Dmowski are having career years.  Panico, with six-goals and 12-assists, has put up career best numbers in both categories.  His previous personal bests were three-goals as a junior and ten-assists as a sophomore.  Dmowski has career highs in assists (10) and points (17).  His eight goals is matches last year's number.

FRESHMEN SHALL LEAD:  UMass Lowell freshmen Anthony Baxter, Connor Sodergren and Charlie Levesque lead the team in plus/minus numbers.  Baxter, a defenseman, is a team best +12.  Sodergren ranks second on the River Hawk roster at +9 while Levesque is third at +7.

OFFENSE FROM DEFENSE: UMass Lowell is second in Hockey East and seventh in the country with 78 points from the defense.  The River Hawk defense has contributed 21 goals and 57-assists.  The 21 goals is second in Hockey East trailing Boston University by just two-goals.  Seven different Dmen have scored goals, four, Tommy Panico, Tyler Mueller, Mattias Goransson and Chris Forney have two or more.  Panico leads River Hawk defensemen with six-goals and 18-points.  Forney has five-goals and 17-points, Mueller has four goals and 15-points.

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.  Hausinger and Lohin have done it twice.

DOWN, BUT DANGEROUS:  Connor Sodergren's game-tying goal January 19 was the River Hawks sixth shorthanded goal this season.  The six shorties lead Hockey East and are second in the country. 

POWERING UP: UMass Lowell defensemen Chris Forney and Tommy Panico have combined for 23 power play points.  Forney leads UMass Lowell and is sixth in Hockey East in power play points with 13 and a team leading four PP goals.  Panico has added a PP goal and nine PP assists.

ATTENDANCE LEADERS:  UMass Lowell is leading Hockey East in average attendance.  The River Hawks are averaging 5,024 per game through first 14 home contests.  The River Hawks are the only Hockey East team averaging more than 5,000-fans per game.  They are tenth in the nation.  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. 

LAST CHANCE:  UMass Lowell has been a strong third period team in the country this season.  The River Hawks have outscored opponents 35-17 in the final 20-minutes, a goal differential of +18.  That +18 is the fourth largest in the country.  Six of UMass Lowell's last 13 wins have come on third period or OT goals.

BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 51-34-21, .580, in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season.  Also, during that time period the River Hawks are 13-12-21 in games decided in overtime.

PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 126-6-9 when leading after two-periods.  They are also 30-19-9 when the score is tied after two periods.  The River Hawks are 11-1-0 when leading after two periods this season and were 22-1-2 when leading after two periods a year ago.

THE CENTURY CLUB: Jake Kamrass became the sixth member of the team to log 100 games or more in his collegiate career when he played January 20th in Vermont. Kamrass (105) joined teammates Tyler Mueller (148), John Edwardh (130), Chris Forney (129), Tommy Panico (109) and Nick Master (107) in the Century Club.  Next on the list is Connor Wilson (94).

AMONG THE LEAGUE LEADERS: UMass Lowell goalie Christoffer Hernberg is second among Hockey East goalies in goals against average, 2.05, and third in save percentage, .923.  His .650 winning percentage tops the conference.  Hernberg has started 20 and appeared in 24 of the River Hawks 30 games this season.  Ryan Lohin leads Hockey East and is tied for the national lead with three shorthanded goals

STINGY STARTS:  UMass Lowell has allowed only 22 first period goals in 30 games this season, an average 0.73 goals per game. That puts the River Hawks second in Hockey East and 17th in the country.

GETTING OFF TO A GOOD START:  UMass Lowell has scored first in less than half of its 30 games this season.  That has translated, more times than not, into a win.  The River Hawks have won ten of those 13 games.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 141-21-6, .857 during the last six-plus years.  The River Hawks are 14-4-0, this season, and were 25-3-1 a year ago.  When scoring two goals or less in a game the River Hawks are 26-61-15, .328, since 2011-12.

CLUTCH AND IMPORTANT GOALS: Sophomore Ryan Lohin leads the River Hawks in clutch goals.  Five of his eight 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.  Connor Wilson, John Edwardh and Jake Kamrass have four clutch goals.  Nick Master, Ryan Dmowski and Chris Forney have three.  Edwardh led the team a year ago.  Thirteen of his 19-goal came in the clutch.

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 1,376 games including 1,309 Division I games.  He has missed only one game.  Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 900.  He is the only trainer in College Hockey to work games at both Northern Arizona and Arizona State.

THE SENIOR CLASS: The six-member UMass Lowell senior class has accumulated a record of 89-46-14, a .644 winning percentage.  The class ranks second in Hockey East in wins and third in winning percentage.  Only Providence, 93 wins, has more victories during the period.  The class which includes forwards Ryan Collins, John Edwardh, and Jake Kamrass and defensemen Chris Forney, Tyler Mueller and Tommy Panico has won one HEA regular season title, a tournament championship, four in-season tournaments and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament.  The class has a shot at matching or surpassing the 2016 senior class which is the winningest in the school's Division I history with an even 100 wins.