Friday, November 29 vs. Rensselaer (4pm)
TURKEY LEG CLASSIC 
(Tsongas Center; Lowell, Mass.)
Watch (US/Intl $) | Listen Live | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes | 90 Seconds With Norm
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey 

Commercial Radio: River Hawk Network: 980AM WCAP
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Andy Merritt (Analyst)

Non-Commercial Radio: WUML 91.5 FM
Talent: Connor Capozzi (Play by Play); Tim Casagrande (Analyst)

Saturday, November 30 vs. No. 7 Penn State (6pm)
TURKEY LEG CLASSIC 
(Tsongas Center; Lowell, Mass.)
Watch (US/Intl $) | Listen Live | Live Stats | Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockey 

Commercial Radio: River Hawk Network: 980AM WCAP
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Andy Merritt (Analyst)

Non-Commercial Radio: WUML 91.5 FM
Talent: Connor Capozzi (Play by Play); Tim Casagrande (Analyst)

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS:  UMass Lowell is 7-3-4 / 4-1-3 after earning just one of four points in a weekend series against UConn, November 15-16.  The River Hawks are tied for second place in Hockey East.  The team is ranked 15th in the USCHO Poll and receiving votes in the USA Today Poll.  The River Hawks were picked for a sixth place finish in both the Hockey East Coaches' and the Media Pre-Season polls.  Fifteen players have scored goals this season, Carl Berglund lead the team with six, Matt Brown has five.  Kenny Hausinger has four, Andre Lee, Zach Kaiser and Chris Schutz have three goals apiece.  Brown leads the team with 16-points.  Four of the River Hawks top seven scorers are freshmen.  Goalie Tyler Wall has started thirteen of the team's fourteen games with a 1.72 goals against average and a .944 save percentage.  He appeared in 22 of the team's 37-games a year ago and posted a 2.09 goals against average and a .921 save percentage.  Wall authored four of his eight career shutouts during the campaign.

SCOUTING THE ENGINEERS:  Rensselaer is 5-6-1 / 2-4-1 after a weekend in which they lost to Harvard, 6-3, and defeated Canisius, 3-2.  RPI is 3-2-1 on the road and 2-4-0 at home.  The Engineers were picked to finish ninth in the Coaches' Pre-Season Poll and 10th in the Media Pre-Season Poll.  Thirteen of Rensselaer's top fifteen scorers are back.  Fifteen different players have scored goals, nine have more than one.  Will Reilly leads the team with six goals and twelve points.  Chase Zieky has five goals. Patrick Polino and Todd Burgess each have four.  Sophomore goalie Owen Savory has started nine of the team's twelve games.  He carries a 2.99 goals against average and a .898 save percentage into tonight's contest.

ALL-TIME SERIES vs. RENSSELAER:  This is the 27th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1982.  UMass Lowell leads the series 14-11-1.  The River Hawks have won the four of the last five meetings and seven of the last ten.  Four of UMass Lowell's 11-losses to Rensselaer came in the RPI Tournament.  The River Hawks have won four of the five games since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins in 2011-12.  Dave Smith's teams are 1-2-0 against UMass Lowell.

LAST YEAR:  UMass Lowell and Rensselaer split a pair of games, each winning in the other team's building.  The Engineers got goals from Will Reilly and Jakub Lacka and defeated UMass Lowell, 2-1, in the Friday night game at the Tsongas Center.  Goalie Owen Savory made 26 saves in his first collegiate start to earn the victory.  Two days later the River Hawks got goals from five different players en route to a 5-2 win at the Houston Fieldhouse.  Tyler Wall made 18 saves to pick up the win.

TURKEY LEG CLASSIC:  This is the inaugural edition of the Turkey Leg Classic.  The tournament is hosted jointly by UMass Lowell and Merrimack with games at both the Lawler Arena and the Tsongas Center.  On Friday Merrimack hosts Penn State and UMass Lowell hosts Rensselaer.  On Saturday Rensselaer is at Merrimack and Penn State at UMass Lowell.  The team with the greatest number of wins will be declared the tournament champion.

 

TOURNAMENT TIEBREAKERS:  In the event that the number of wins is not enough to determine a Tournament Champion the tiebreaker system will be as follows.  Head-to-head, fewest goals against, Points (3 for a regulation win, 2 for an overtime win, 1 for a shootout win) and highest goal differential over the entire tournament.

 

SHOOTOUT:  During the Turkey Leg Classic a shootout will be used to determine a winner if the game is tied following the completion of the 60-minute regulation play and a, five-on-five, five-minute overtime.  The last time that UMass Lowell was involved in a shootout was the 2015 Friendship Four Tournament.  UML defeated Brown, 1-0, in the shootout to claim the Tournament Championship.

 

HOSTING A TOURNAMENT:  The Turkey Leg Classic is the first time that UMass Lowell has hosted a tournament since the 1999-2000 season.  That was the Pepsi City of Lights Tournament in November of 1999.  The River Hawks won the tournament defeating UConn, 13-1, and Air Force, 3-1.  Air Force got to the Championships game with a 2-0 win against Yale.

 

TONIGHT'S PROMOTIONS:   Following the game, fans can get autographs from the River Hawks players in the Club Rooms. Free posters will be available.

 

SATURDAY NIGHT:  Saturday night UMass Lowell will host Penn State.  The Nittany Lions, who play at Merrimack tonight, are 10-3-0 and ranked seventh in the USCHO Poll.  It is first time the two teams have faced one another since November of 2014.  The River Hawks hold a 3-1-0 edge in the all-time series.

 

NON-CONFERENCE, NO PROBLEM: The River Hawks have more than held their own in non-conference games over the eight-plus years that Norm Bazin has been behind the bench.  UMass Lowell is 86-38-7 (.683) in non-conference games since 2011-12.  The team is 3-2-1 this year and was 6-4-0 a year ago.  Over the past 10-plus years, Lowell has the best non-conference regular season record of any team in Hockey East at 67-27-9 (.694).

VERSUS THE ECAC: UMass Lowell has played more non-conference games against ECAC schools than against any other conference in its Division I history and has had a great deal of success.  The River Hawks are 105-77-13, .572, all-time against schools representing the ECAC and 94-62-11, .596, against schools currently in the ECAC.   UMass Lowell is 14-5-2 against the conference during the last four years.

 

VERSUS THE ECAC - Part II: This will be the 27th meeting between UMass Lowell and Rensselaer.  That will equal the largest number of games against an ECAC school.  The River Hawks have played 27 games against Clarkson.  UMass Lowell is 14-11-1 against Rensselaer and 14-12-1 against Clarkson.

 

TAKING ON THE BIG TEN: It has been nearly five years since UMass Lowell has played a member of the Big Ten.  That was against Penn State, Nov.  15, 2014.  The River Hawks have done fairly well against the Big Ten and teams currently in the Big Ten.  UMass Lowell is 6-2-0 against teams representing the Big Ten.  All eight games occurred during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons.  UMass Lowell is 22-28-4, .444, record against schools currently in the Big Ten.  That includes a 9-3-2 record against former Hockey East member Notre Dame and a 6-4-0 record against Michigan State who UMass Lowell twice defeated in NCAA Tournament play.

 

NEXT WEEKEND:  The River Hawks will return to Hockey East play with a home-and-home series against the first place Providence Friars.  The two teams will play Friday night at the Schneider Arena before returning to the Tsongas Center for a Saturday evening match up.  The River Hawks beat Providence, 3-2, in overtime back on October 26th, but the Friars lead the all-time series, 60-48-11.

100 GAMES:  UMass Lowell forward Colin O'Neill has skated in 100 consecutive games. That is the longest active consecutive games streak on the River Hawk roster.  O'Neill's streak began February 4, 2017, his freshman season, in an 8-2 win against UNH.  Junior Defenseman Anthony Baxter is second on the consecutive games list with 59.  Connor Sodergren and Kenny Hausinger have seen streaks of 59 and 56 games come to an end with minor injuries during this season.  Michael Kapla is the River Hawk record holder with 161 consecutive games played. 

Vs. BIG TIME FOOTBALL SCHOOLS:  UMass Lowell is 56-24-7 against schools with big time football programs (FBS members) since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench.  That includes an 9-3-2 record against Notre Dame, 3-1-0 record against both Penn State and Arizona State and an 18-2-1 mark against Massachusetts.  The River Hawks are also 10-9-2 against Boston College and 7-6-2 against UConn.  They also have winning records against Michigan State, Wisconsin and Miami.

ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT:  UMass Lowell has played eleven games decided by one-goal or less.  Seven of those eleven came consecutively and is the most one-goal games in a row the River Hawks have ever played in their 53 years of hockey.  The team was 3-2-2 in that stretch and is 4-3-4 in one-goal games this season.

EXTRA TIME:  Six of the River Hawks first 14 games have gone into overtime.  That's more than half way to equaling the school record.  The most overtime games that the River Hawks have played in a year is nine.  That's happened three times.  The most recent was during the 2015-16 season when the club went 3-1-5 in overtime.

FIT TO BE TIED:  The November 15th 3-3 tie was the River Hawks fourth tie of the season.  That leads the nation.  UMass Lowell is one of three teams with four ties on their record.  The other two schools are Boston University (3-4-4) and St. Cloud State (2-4-4).

UNDEFEATED STREAK ENDS:  The River Hawks' eight-game (4-0-4) undefeated streak came to an end with a 2-1 loss to UConn.  It was the 10th unbeaten streak of at least eight games in UMass Lowell Division I hockey history and the fifth time the team had turned the trick under Head Coach Norm Bazin.  The last time was a ten game streak from January 4, 2019 to February 9, 2019. 

HOCKEY EAST STARTS: UMass Lowell was undefeated (4-0-3) through seven Hockey East games.  Only twice before in UMass Lowell's Hockey East history had the River Hawks been without a loss through seven games.  The longest league undefeated start is nine-games.  That happened twice.  During the 2014-15 season the club started 7-0-2 in conference play and the following year they started 6-0-3.  In each case, including this most recent seven game stretch, the first loss came against UConn.

FOURTEEN GAMES IN:  Fourteen games into the season and UMass Lowell is several steps ahead of where it was a year ago.  The River Hawks are 7-3-4 at the fourteen game mark after being 7-6-1 a year ago.  The team is 4-1-3 in league play compared with 3-2-1 a year ago.

2nd PLACE:  UMass Lowell goes into the weekend in second place in Hockey East.  The River Hawks entered last week, the bye week, in sole possession of first place.  It had been a while since the River Hawks have been able to make that claim.  The last time that Lowell had sole possession of 1st place in Hockey East was on January 28, 2016.

A CLASS ABOVE: The UMass Lowell rookie class is the second highest scoring freshmen class in the country.  Only Wisconsin has received more scoring from their freshman class.  River Hawk freshmen has scored 18-goals and 22-assists for 40-points.  Wisconsin has 48-points on 21-goals and 27-assists.  Matt Brown with five-goals and 16-points is the highest scoring first year player in the country.  Carl Berglund is fourth among rookie scorers with six goals and 13-points.

A CHILD SHALL LEAD:  Freshman Matt Brown leads UMass Lowell in scoring with 16-points.  He is the nation's top point producing rookie and Brown is also one of just seven freshmen to lead their respective teams in scoring and one of three in Hockey East.

WHEN THE GAME IS ON THE LINE:  UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall has been at his best when the game is on the line.  He is second in the country in saves in the third period and overtime.  Wall has stopped 146 of 155 shots (.944) in the final 25 minutes of hockey.

PROTECTING THE NET: UMass Lowell is the top defensive team in Hockey East.  The River Hawks have a 1.93 goals against average.  UMass Lowell has allowed no more than two-goals in ten of its fourteen games.

TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM: UMass Lowell is fifth in the country in total blocked shots.  The River Hawks have blocked 168 shots, an average of 12.00 shots blocked per game.

RIVER HAWK STRONG AT EVEN STRENGTH: UMass Lowell has outscored their opponents by a significant margin when playing even strength hockey.  The River Hawks have scored 25-goals while allowing just 17 while the teams have been playing with five skaters apiece.

STREAK: Two UMass Lowell freshmen saw six-game point scoring streaks come to an end when the River Hawks lost to UConn on November 16th, 2-1.  Matt Brown had three-goals and nine-points in that six game streak.  Carl Berglund has four-goals and eight-points during that same stretch.  The River Hawks were 3-0-3 in those six games.

IT HAD BEEN A WHILE: UMass Lowell defenseman Anthony Baxter ended a 21-game scoring drought with a goal against Maine November 9th.  It was Baxter's first goal of the season and gave UMass Lowell a 2-1 lead en route to an eventual 3-2 win.  It was just Baxter's third career goal.  All three have come in River Hawk wins.  He scored goals in wins against BU and UMass during the 2018-19 season.

IT HAD BEEN A WHILE - Part II: UMass Lowell defenseman Jon McDonald ended a 24-game scoring drought with a power play goal against UConn November 16th.  The goal cut UConn's lead down to a single goal, but the River Hawks got no closer in a 2-1 loss.  The goal was the third of McDonald's collegiate career.

WEEKLY HONORS: UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall has been honored by Hockey East four times this season as the Defensive Player of the Week.  He picked up the award first on October 14th and then again on three consecutive weeks, October 28th, and November 4th and 11th.  That was four awards in five weeks.

MONTHLY HONORS: UMass Lowell Freshman forward Matt Brown was named the Hockey East Rookie of the Month for October.  Brown, with three-goals, six-assists for nine points, was the top scoring freshman not just in Hockey East, but in the country during the first month of the season.  Brown scored points in five of the River Hawks eight games in the month.  Brown has kept up the pace in November with a goal and five assists in five games in the new month.

IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT:  UMass Lowell is receiving recognition in the polls for the fourth straight week.  The River Hawks are slotted at number 15 in the USCHO Poll and are receiving votes in the USA Hockey Magazine poll.  It is the fourth week in a row and the fifth time this season that UMass Lowell has appeared in at least one of the two polls.  The team closed out the 2018-19 season earning a spot in the USCHO poll in each of the final eleven weeks of the season and finished the year at number 19.  The River Hawks are no stranger to the polls, the team had been nationally ranked for 116 consecutive polls between January 7, 2013 and October 23, 2017.

FACING THE BEST:  UMass Lowell has responded to the challenge winning two out of three games against top-ten teams in the USCHO and USA Hockey Magazine polls.  All of those games have been on the road.  The River Hawks split a two-game series at number one Minnesota Duluth and were winners at number seven ranked Providence.

FACING THE CHAMPIONS:  After splitting a pair of games, October 11 and 12, UMass Lowell is 16-14-1 all-time when facing the defending National Champ.  That includes a 10-7-0 record on the road.  All but two of those opponents have been Hockey East schools.  The exceptions are a 6-4 win in Grand Rapids against North Dakota, the 1987 NCAA Champ, and the 3-2 win in Duluth in October.

FACING NUMBER ONE:  Until UMass Lowell's 3-2 win against Minnesota Duluth, October 11, the team had never beaten a team ranked number one in the USCHO Poll.  The USCHO Poll dates back to the 1997-98 season.  UMass Lowell is now 1-18-2 against the top ranked team in the Poll.  The River Hawks have had some success against team placed number one in other polls.  The last win against a number one team was a 4-1 win against Boston College, part of a sweep weekend, in February of 2005. 

ON THE ROAD, AGAIN: UMass Lowell is 100-58-12, a .624 winning percentage when playing away from the Tsongas Center in the eight-plus years that Norm Bazin has led the program.  That .624 winning percentage is the second best in the nation during that period.  The River Hawks are 76-47-10, .609, as the road team and 24-11-1, .681, in games played at a neutral site.  UMass Lowell was 11-5-2, a .667 winning percentage, when playing away from the Tsongas Center last season.

HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell has won three of eight with three ties at the Tsongas Center this season and is 94-46-18 (a .652 winning percentage) at the Tsongas Center since Norm Bazin took over behind the bench for the 2011-12 season.  In 2018-19 the River Hawks were 8-8-3 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.

A GOOD START: UMass Lowell allowed just six first period goals in 14 games this season.  That's just 0.43 goals per first period and that's ranks the River Hawks 9th best in the country.  On the other side of the equation UMass Lowell has scored just six first period goals and that ranks the team 55th in the country.  The team is 3-0-0 when leading after one period.

THE FIRST 5:  UMass Lowell has scored a goal in the first five minutes of play in five of their first fourteen games this season.  They did it in victories against Alabama Huntsville twice, Minnesota Duluth and Vermont but lost after taking a 1-0 lead at the 4:40 mark of the first period against Colgate.  Thirteen of the River Hawks 36 goals this season have come in the first five-minutes of a period.  That number, thirteen, is third in the nation.

THE FINAL THIRD:  The River Hawks outscored their opponents 37-goals to 26 in the third period of play a year ago.  The 0.30 per game margin was third best in Hockey East and is 11th in the country.  No Hockey East team gave up fewer third period goals.  UMass Lowell has outscored its opponents, 10-9, in the third period this season.

BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 59-46-30, .548, in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season.  The team is 4-3-4 this season and was 4-7-5 last year and 10-13-5 over the last two years in one-goal games.

THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER: When UMass Lowell scores three or more goals in a game it is 161-24-10, .853 during the last eight-plus years.  The River Hawks were 13-3-2 last season and 53-10-3, .826 over the last three seasons.  When scoring two goals or less in a game the River Hawks are 30-77-20, .315, since 2011-12.

PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 149-9-10 when leading after two-periods.  They are also 33-20-14 when the score is tied after two periods.  The River Hawks were 16-2-0 when leading after two periods during the 2018-19 season and 50-5-2 during the last three seasons.  The River Hawks were also 2-0-3, a year ago, when tied after two periods.

THE WORST LEAD IN HOCKEY?:  Not when Lowell is involved. Since Norm Bazin became head coach, when Lowell has a 2-goal lead at any point in a game, they are 158-10-4, 75-4-3 at the Tsongas Center. The club is 5-0-0, this season, with a two-goal lead.  Last season, they were 17-3-0, 7-1-0 at Tsongas. When Lowell trails by 2 goals at any point in a game, they are 5-66-7, 2-30-4 at Tsongas. Last year, they were 0-7-2, 0-6-2 at Tsongas.

HOCKEY EAST WIN #1: UMass Lowell picked up its first Hockey East conference win of the season October 26th with a 3-2 overtime win at Providence.  It was the team's second conference game and it puts the River Hawks ahead of pace the last two seasons.   A year ago that first league win came in game number three against Maine and the year before it was game five when the River Hawks put a "1" in the win column.  That was the longest conference opening winless streak since Norm Bazin took over behind the River Hawk bench in 2011-12.

DOMINATING THE DOT: UMass Lowell was dominant in the faceoff circle a year ago and has started this season in similar fashion.  The River Hawks have won 473 of 856, 55.3% of the puck drops.  That figure leads Hockey East and is the sixth best in the country.  Sam Knoblauch (24/38, .63.2%), Charlie Levesque (112/184, 60.9%), Lucas Condotta (120 of 202, 59.4%), Kenny Hausinger (21/36, 58.3%), and Colin O'Neil (55/103, 53.4%) lead the way.  A year ago UMass Lowell won 1,179 of 2,240 puck drops, a winning percentage of 52.6%, the best in Hockey East and 54.0% in conference play.  Levesque led the team with a .568 percentage.

FIRST NOTCH: Four UMass Lowell freshmen scored their first collegiate goals during the season's first weekend and a fifth added his name to the tally sheet last weekend.  Matt Brown, Zach Kaiser and Andre Lee all scored third-period goals on Saturday, October 5, and freshman Carl Berglund, who had two-assists on Saturday, scored the game's first goal on Sunday, October 6.  Brian Chambers picked up his first collegiate goal with an empty net marker against Vermont last Saturday.

MULTI GOAL GAMES: Two River Hawks have recorded multi-goal games this season.  Lucas Condotta was the first when he scored twice in the River Hawks 3-2 win at Minnesota-Duluth, October 12.  It was also the first multi-goal game of his collegiate career.  Chris Schutz added his name to the list with a pair of goals November 2nd at Vermont in a 5-3 win.

FLUXUATIONS IN THE POWER GRID: The UMass Lowell power play is beginning to put it together.  The River Hawks have scored a power play goal (7-24, 29.2%) in six of its last seven games.  That's eighth best in the country over a seven game stretch.  The team is just 9 for 52 on the season.

PK OK: The UMass Lowell penalty killing unit has been sharp.  The River Hawks have successfully killed 42 of 49 man down situations.  With an 85.7% success rate the PK Unit is fourth in Hockey East.  They have killed off 24 of 26 (92.0%) at home which is eighth best in the country.

HANGING WINS ON THE WALL:  The November 2nd win against Vermont was Tyler Wall's 47th win of his career and the goalie is moving up in the program record book.  Wall is third among UMass Lowell Division I goalies in wins with 47.  Dwayne Roloson tops the list with 51, Marty Fillion is second with 50.

THE GREAT WALL:  UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall is among the nation's leaders in goals against average and save percentage.  Wall has a 1.72 GAA.  That's number six in the country and second among Hockey East goalies.  His .944 save percentage also ranks sixth in the country and is second in Hockey East.

A WIN TONIGHT WOULD...  ...give the River Hawks their fourth non-conference win and eighth win of the season.  It would also position the team well in the push to win the Turkey Leg Tournament.

IN THE CLUTCH:  River Hawk freshman Carl Berglund has stepped up in the clutch.  A "clutch goal" is defined as a goal that either ties the score or gives the team the lead in a hockey game.  Berglund leads the team with five clutch goals, four have given the team the lead, one has tied the score.  Matt Brown has four clutch goals and Zach Kaiser has two.  Berglund also leads the team with two game-winning goals.

OFFENSE FROM THE DEFENSE:  When Chase Blackmun and Seth Barton scored goals against Boston University October 25 it was the first goals for River Hawk blueliners this season.  Barton also had an assist.  The defense this season has just twenty-one points (5g, 16a).

AMONG THE LEADERS: It may be early but, at least one River Hawk is among the nation's top scorers.  Matt Brown, with 5 goals and 16-points, is twelfth in the nation and sixth in Hockey East in scoring.  He is the top scoring freshman in the country.

AMONG THE LEADERS II: A couple of River Hawk freshman have gotten off to a good start on the scoring charts.  Matt Brown with 16-points is first among the nation's freshmen in scoring.  His eleven assists place him number two among freshmen.  Carl Berglund is second among rookies with six goals and sits atop the Hockey East freshmen class.  His thirteen-points puts him in a tie for fifth in the country and second in the conference.

TIME IS ON OUR SIDE, YES IT IS:  UMass Lowell has played fourteen hockey games and has only trailed for 140:03 of a total of 864-minutes and 29-seconds of hockey.  The River Hawks have skated with the lead for 328:34 or 38% of the time.  The two teams have been tied for 397:09 or 45.9% of the time.

GROUNDHOG DAY:  The October 26th 3-2 overtime win in Providence was the fourth consecutive game that required more than 60-minutes to complete.  It is the first time in program history that UMass Lowell has played four consecutive overtime games.  They had played three in a row on three occasions, but not in the last nine years.  The string of extra time hockey games includes a 4-3 loss and a scoreless tie against Colgate, a 3-3 final against BU and the 3-2 win against the Friars.  The River Hawks have never played five consecutive OT games.

A RED LIGHT AT THE END OF THE OT TUNNEL:  The long wait is over.  UMass Lowell finally won an overtime game when it defeated Providence 3-2, October 26, with a goal from Carl Berglund at the 4:20 mark of overtime.  The win ended a streak of 13 overtime games (0-6-7) without a win.  It had been 645-days since the River Hawks defeated Vermont 3-2 in overtime, on a Connor Wilson goal, January 19, 2018.  The hockey club had been held off the score sheet from some 78-minutes and 22-seconds of overtime hockey.

BONUS TIME - NO BONUS: Overtime has not been kind to UMass Lowell over the last three seasons.  The River Hawks are 2-10-12 in their last 24 overtime games (0-2-5 last season) dating back to the start of the 2016-17 season.  The two wins have come against Vermont in January, 2018 and Providence October 26.  That win ended a 13 game (0-6-7) overtime winless stretch.  Their longest winless OT streak is 18 games running from January 21, 2006 through January 11, 2008.  UMass Lowell is 1-0-4 in its last five overtime games.

BACK-TO-BACK:  UMass Lowell has sixteen "back-to-back" weekend series this season.  This is the eighth.  The team is 3-1-3 on the first night and 4-2-1 on the second.  They have swept both Alabama Huntsville and Vermont.  A year ago the River Hawks were 9-6-1 on the first night and 8-5-3 on the second.  They had four weekend sweeps.  The sweeps came against UConn, Colgate, Vermont and BC/UMass.  The River Hawks were swept just once (Providence.)

THE 2020 SENIOR CLASS: The three-member UMass Lowell senior class has accumulated a record of 70-46-12, a .594 winning percentage.  The class ranks third in Hockey East in both wins and winning percentage.  The class which includes forwards Kenny Hausinger and Colin O'Neill and goalie Tyler Wall has won one HEA regular season title, a tournament championship, earned home ice for the Hockey East playoffs three times and made one trip to the NCAA Tournament. four in-season tournaments and made two appearances in the NCAA tournament.  The class ranks seventh in wins and in winning percentage, among UML teams.  The 2016 senior class tops the list with 100 victories.

JUST THREE: The UMass Lowell senior class is one of the smallest in the country.  They are one of nine teams with just three seniors, no school has fewer.

THE LEADERSHIP:  The UMass Lowell leadership includes six Alternate Captains, but no Captain.  Seniors Kenny Hausinger, Colin O'Neill and Tyler Wall along with juniors Charlie Levesque, Connor Sodergren and Anthony Baxter all have an "A" on the front of their jerseys.  Wall is the first goalie to wear either an "A" or a "C" on the uniform since Dwayne Roloson during the 1993-94 season.

DEFENSE:  Over the past eight-plus seasons, UMass Lowell has allowed just 2.25 goals per game and has a .921 save percentage.  Those number are among the best in the country.  Only two teams, (Cornell 2.21 and Quinnipiac 2.22), have a better goals against average and just one, (Denver .922) has a higher save percentage.

THE CENTURY CLUB: Only two members of the UMass Lowell roster have played more than 100 games in their collegiate careers.  Colin O'Neill (122) and Kenny Hausinger (116) joined the Century Club late last season.  Tyler Wall (84), Charlie Levesque (84) and Connor Sodergren (81) are next on the list.  A year ago UMass Lowell had seven players on the roster with more than 100 games played in their collegiate careers. 

AFTER A LOSS:  UMass Lowell did a terrific job avoiding any extended losing streak a year ago.  Seven times the River Hawks followed a loss with a win or a tie, only on three occasions did the hockey club lose consecutive games and never dropped three in a row.

SIZE MATTERS:  UMass Lowell is one of the tallest and heaviest teams in the country.  The River Hawks measure at an average of six-feet, one-inch, the fourth tallest team in college hockey.  The team tips the scales at an average 192.04-pounds, the sixth heaviest team in the nation.  They are both the tallest and heaviest team in Hockey East.

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.  He has worked more games than anyone else in any capacity.  Poitras has been on the bench, in his role as athletic trainer, for 38 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 1,433 games including 1,366 Division I games.  He has missed only one game.  Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 957.  He is the only trainer in College Hockey to work games at both Northern Arizona and Arizona State.

ON THE CAREER WALL:  UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall is among the leaders in a couple of career categories.  Wall entered this season sixth in career wins among active collegiate goalies with 40.  He is now fifth with 47.  Penn State's Peyton Jones leads with 65.  Wall is fourth in shutouts with eight.  The national leader is Minnesota Duluth goalie Hunter Shepard with 16.  Wall, with 47 wins, is third among UMass Lowell Division I goalies.  Dwayne Roloson tops the list with 51.

Related Videos

Now Playing:

• Play Video