SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is 6-2-2 after last weekend's sweep of Vermont at the Gutterson Fieldhouse, 2-1, 5-3. The River Hawks, right now, are in sole possession of first place in Hockey East. The team is ranked 14th in both the USCHO and the USA Today Polls. The River Hawks were picked for a sixth place finish in both the Hockey East Coaches' and the Media Pre-Season polls. Twelve players have scored goals this season, Kenny Hausinger and Carl Berglund lead the team with four. Andre Lee, Matt Brown, Zach Kaiser and Chris Schutz have three goals and Lucas Condotta and Chase Blackmun have added two. Brown leads the team with 12-points. Four of the River Hawks top seven scorers are freshmen. Goalie Tyler Wall has started nine of the team's ten games with a 1.63 goals against average and a .947 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 BLACK BEARS:  Maine is 5-2-1 / 2-1-1 after earning three out of four points in a home series last weekend against Boston University. The Black Bears were picked to finish eighth in both the Coaches' Pre-Season Polls and the Media Pre-Season Poll. Five of Maine's top ten 2018-19 scorers have returned. Nine different players have scored goals, three have five or more. Eduards Tralmaks leads the team with six goals, Tim Doherty tops then points chart with 11. Mitchell Fossier is yet to score a goal, but he has nine helpers. Junior goalie Jeremy Swayman has started seven of the team's eight games. He carries a 2.12 goals against average and a .942 save percentage into tonight's contest.
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. MAINE: This is the 127th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1978. Maine holds a significant edge in the all-time record, 81-39-6, but UMass Lowell has been the more dominant team in recent years. The River Hawks are 9-4-1 in the last 14 meetings and 12-7-1 in the twenty games with Norm Bazin behind the bench. The River Hawks are 7-3-1 against Red Gendron led teams. 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.
LAST YEAR vs. MAINE:  UMass Lowell and Maine split a pair of one-goal games last year at the Alfond Arena in Orono. The River Hawks dropped a 4-3 decision the first night. The difference in the game was the second period. The home team scored four unanswered goals in the second period to erase a 2-0 UMass Lowell lead. Chase Pearson scored twice to even the game and Maine added a pair of power play goals. Jeremy Swayman made 27 saves in earning the victory. The second night UMass Lowell launched 45 shots on the Maine nets and won, 1-0. Sam Knoblauch scored the game's only goal. Christoffer Hernberg made 24 saves to get the win.
LOCATION, LOCATION, LOCATION: UMass Lowell and Maine have faced one another on nine different ice surfaces, the second 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. Clarkson tops the list. UMass Lowell and Clarkson have played at ten different locations.
LAST WEEKEND vs. VERMONT: UMass Lowell took four points from Vermont in the Gutterson Fieldhouse. The River Hawks got second period goals from freshmen Zach Kaiser and Carl Berglund to grab a 2-0 lead and goalie Tyler Wall did the rest. Wall stopped 40 of 41 shots to earn a 2-1 victory in the Friday Night affair. Matt Brown assisted on both River Hawk goals. Chris Schutz netted a pair of goals and added an assist in the Saturday night 5-3 win. Sam Knoblauch picked up his first goal of the year, Chase Blackmun added and goal and Brian Chamber's scored his first collegiate goal into an empty net in the final few seconds of play.
BIG ICE: The Norm Bazin led River Hawks have played well on "Big Ice." The River Hawks are 45-19-6 on ice sheets larger than the standard/NHL 200 x 85 during Bazin's nearly nine years behind the bench. They are 13-4-1 on the Olympic, 200 x 100 and 26-13-4 on ice sheets measuring 200 x 90 such as the Gutterson Fieldhouse and BU's Agganis Arena. Last weekend's games were the team's first on a larger than standard ice surface this season.
TEN GAMES IN: Ten games into the season and UMass Lowell is several steps ahead of where it was a year ago. The River Hawks are 6-2-2 at the ten game mark after being 4-5-1 a year ago. The team is 3-0-1 in league play compared with 1-2-1 a year ago.
SOLE POSSESSION: UMass Lowell is in sole possession of first place in Hockey East. It's 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. The following day UMass Lowell beat Arizona State in a non-conference game while BC beat Notre Dame to move 1 point ahead of Lowell in the league standings.
HOCKEY EAST STARTS: UMass Lowell is undefeated (3-0-1) through four Hockey East games. Only twice in UMass Lowell's Hockey East history have the River Hawks been without a loss through five 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 the first loss came against UConn in Hartford in conference game-ten.
A CHILD SHALL LEAD: Freshman Matt Brown leads UMass Lowell in scoring with 12-points. He is the nation's top point producing rookie and Brown is also one of just nine freshmen to lead their respective teams in scoring and the only one 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 third in the country in saves in the third period and overtime. Wall has stopped 98 of 104 shots in the final to 25 minutes of hockey.
ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT: UMass Lowell has played seven games decided by one-goal or less. They came in seven straight outings 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.
WEEKLY HONORS: UMass Lowell goalie Tyler Wall was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week, November 4. The netminder stopped 70 of 74 shots (.946 SV%) in two wins at Vermont. He tied a career high with 40-saves in the Friday night opener, a 2-1 win. It is the third time that Wall has been honored as the Defensive Player of the Week. The first such honor was on October 14 and then he earned the honor again on the 28th.
MONTHLY HONORS: UMass Lowell Freshman forward Matt Brown has been 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 has scored points in five of the River Hawks eight games in the month.
BACK IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: UMass Lowell is back in the polls and moving up. The River Hawks are slotted at number 14 in both the USCHO and USA Hockey Magazine polls. The team appeared at the number 17 slot last week in the USCHO Poll and were listed as "receiving votes" in the USA Hockey Poll. 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. After missing placement in the polls for 28 weeks UMass Lowell reappeared among the top-twenty on January 21, 2019. 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.Â
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 348 of 617, 56.4% of the puck drops. That figure leads Hockey East and is the fourth best in the country. Charley Levesque (74/120, 61.7%), Lucas Condotta (80 of 131, 61.1%), Kenny Hausinger (20/35, 57.1%), Colin O'Neil (50/95, 52.6%) and Carl Berglund (74/141, 52.5%) 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. Returners Charley Levesque, Lucas Condotta and Connor Sodergren were all at .515 or better. 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 (1g, 1a), 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 last Saturday night at Vermont in a 5-3 win.
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 21-goals while allowing just eleven while the teams have been playing with five skaters apiece.
PROBLEMS IN THE POWER GRID: The UMass Lowell power play is beginning to put it together. The River Hawks have scored a power play goal (3-12) in three straight games. The River Hawks broke a string of 14 man-advantage situations without a goal with a third period marker against Colgate, October 18, and now have added power play goals against Providence and in two games against Vermont. The team is just 5 for 40 on the season.
PK OK: The UMass Lowell penalty killing unit has been sharp. The River Hawks have successfully killed 34 of 39 man down situations. With an 87.2% success rate the PK Unit is fourth in Hockey East. They have killed off 18 of 20 (90.0%) at home.
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: When UMass Lowell and Colgate battled to a 0-0 tie, October 19, it was the eighth shutout of Tyler Wall's career. He is tied for fourth on the school's career shutout list with Cam McCormick and Christoffer Hernberg. The all-time leader is Connor Hellebuyck who blanked opponents 12 times. Carter Hutton and Kevin Boyle are second with ten.
HANGING WINS ON THE WALL: Last weekend's wins in Vermont were Tyler Wall's 45th and 46th wins 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 46. 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 1.63 GAA. That's number seven in the country and second among Hockey East goalies. His .947 save percentage ranks is second in the country and first in Hockey East.
A WIN TONIGHT WOULD... ...make it four in a row and would keep the River Hawks in sole possession of first place in Hockey East.
VETERANS APPRECIATION NIGHT: Tonight UMass Lowell will honor those who have served this nation. It is Veterans Appreciation Night. Veterans from each branch of the military will be recognized during the night. Fans were asked to send in photos of family members who served in the Armed Forces. Those photos are expected to be displayed on the scoreboard during the evening.
NEXT WEEKEND: The River Hawks continue Hockey East Conference play with a home-and-home series against UConn. Friday the team will meet in the XL Center; Saturday they face off in Lowell. The River Hawks hold a 24-10-2 edge in the all-time series and are 6-4-1 since UConn joined Hockey East. The River Hawks have won the last four in a row.
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 three clutch goals, all have given the team the lead. Matt Brown and Zach Kaiser each have two clutch goals. 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 thirteen-points (3g, 10a).
AMONG THE LEADERS: It may be early but, at least one River Hawk is among the nation's top scorers. Matt Brown, with 3 goals and 12-points, is fifth in the nation in scoring. He is third among Hockey East players.
AMONG THE LEADERS II: A couple of River Hawk freshman have gotten off to a good start on the scoring charts. Matt Brown with twelve-points is first among the nation's freshmen in scoring. His nine assists place him number one among freshmen. He leads Hockey East in both categories. Carl Berglund is second among rookies with four goals and tied for the lead in goals among Hockey East freshmen. His nine-points puts him in a tie for third in the country and second in the conference. Andre Lee, Matt Brown and Zach Kaiser, each with three goals, are tied for third among conference rookies.
ROOKIE SHOOTING STAR: Matt Brown had a terrific first month of his collegiate career. He had nine points (3g,6a) with a +3 rating and 30 shots on goal in the 4-2-2 month of October for the River Hawks. His three goals, six assists, nine points lead all Hockey East rookies in the month of October. His 30 shots on goal led the nation. Brown scored at least a point in five of the team's eight contests in the month with three multi-point efforts. He has now started November with three assists in two games.
TIME IS ON OUR SIDE, YES IT IS: UMass Lowell has played ten hockey games and has only trailed for 85:05 of a total of 614-minutes and 29-seconds of hockey. The River Hawks have skated with the lead for 249:39 or 40.6% of the time. The two teams have been tied for 262:18 or 42.7% of the time.
THE FIRST 5: UMass Lowell has scored a goal in the first five minutes of play in five of their first ten 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. Ten of the River Hawks 28 goals this season have come in the first five-minutes of a period. That number ten leads the nation.
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 2-10-10 in their last 22 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 last Saturday. Saturday's 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 1-0-2 in its last three overtime games.
HOME SWEET HOME: UMass Lowell has won two of five with a couple of ties at the Tsongas Center this season and is 92-44-17 (a .657 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.
ON THE ROAD, AGAIN: UMass Lowell is 100-58-11, 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.
BACK-TO-BACK: UMass Lowell has sixteen "back-to-back" weekend series this season. This is the sixth. The team is 3-1-1 on the first night and 3-1-1 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.)
BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 58-45-28, .550, in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season. The team is 3-2-2 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 160-24-9, .852 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 30-76-19, .316, since 2011-12.
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 148-9-9 when leading after two-periods. They are also 33-20-13 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.
THE 2020 SENIOR CLASS: The three-member UMass Lowell senior class has accumulated a record of 69-45-10, a .597 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 a smaller senior class.
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.
FRESH FACES: There are nine new names on the UMass Lowell hockey roster. The 2019-20 freshman class includes six forwards, two defensemen and one goalie. The group represents four countries, three states and three Canadian provinces. Defenseman Marek Korencik has travelled the greatest distance. His home in Zilina, Slovakia is separated from the UMass Lowell campus by some 4,089 miles.
THE CENTURY CLUB: Only two members of the UMass Lowell roster have played more than 100 games in their collegiate careers. Colin O'Neill (118) and Kenny Hausinger (115) joined the Century Club late last season. Tyler Wall (80), Charlie Levesque (80) and Connor Sodergren (78) 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.Â
96 GAMES: UMass Lowell forward Colin O'Neill has skated in 96 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. Kenny Hausinger is second on the consecutive games list with 56. Connor Sodergren's stretch of 59 games ended when he was not in the lineup last weekend. Michael Kapla is the River Hawk record holder with 161 consecutive games played.Â
YOUTH MUST BE SERVED: With a nine-member freshman class, twenty-one of the 28 players on the UMass Lowell roster are underclassmen. Seventy-five percent of the roster has no more than one year of college hockey experience. There are nine are freshmen, twelve sophomores, four juniors and three seniors on the roster. The River Hawks, going into the season, average 27.5-games experience per player. Last year 19 of 30 players were freshmen or sophomores. It is the largest group of underclassmen since the 2003-04 season when 25 of 30 players on the roster were underclassmen. The team also had 21 underclassmen during the 2007-08 season.
UNDERCLASSMEN: The UMass Lowell underclass (9 freshmen and 12 sophomores), at 21, is one of the largest in the country. Only Quinnipiac with 22 has more. Merrimack also has 21.
A GOOD START: UMass Lowell allowed just 24 first period goals in 37 games last season. That's an average of 0.65 goals per first period. That ranked UMass Lowell 4th in Hockey East. The River Hawks have outscored opponents 32-24 in the first period. UMass Lowell was 12-2-0 when leading after the first period. The River Hawks have allowed just four first period goals ten games into this season.
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, 8-6, in the third period this season.
DEFENSE: Over the past eight-plus seasons, UMass Lowell has allowed just 2.25 goals per game and has a .920 save percentage. Those number are among the best in the country. Only two teams, (Quinnipiac 2.20 and Cornell 2.22), have a better goals against average and just one, (Denver .922) has a higher save percentage.
TOP 100: In the recently published Hockey News "Top 100 Players to watch in the NCAA in 2019-20" two River Hawks made the cut. Freshman forward Andre Lee came in at #93 and Sophomore defenseman Seth Barton registered at #98.
SATURDAY START TIME: This season UMass Lowell Saturday home games will start at 6:00 p.m. That is an hour earlier than in the past. The charge was made in response to fan polling and in hopes that the 6:00 p.m. start would be more fan, student and Family friendly.
ATTENDANCE NUMBERS:  UMass Lowell is fourth in average attendance among Hockey East schools. The River Hawks are averaging 3,862 fans per game after five home games. Boston College leads the conference drawing 6,190 after two home games, Massachusetts is second, five home games into the season, averaging 4,636 and New Hampshire is third with an average of 4,422 after a pair of home games. After leading Hockey East in average home attendance for three years, UMass Lowell finished second in total attendance, 87,682, and third in average attendance, 4,615, during the 2018-19 season. During the last three years an average of 5,339 fans have filled the Tsongas Center nightly to watch UMass Lowell play.
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.
THE 19th MAN: College hockey teams, last year for the first time, were allowed to dress 19 skaters. The NCAA made the change citing a desire to give more student-athletes a playing opportunity. UML used the rule change to dress a seventh defenseman in all but three of the team's 37 games and in all ten of the games this season.
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 1,429 games including 1,362 Division I games. He has missed only one game. Poitras is working on a consecutive games streak that has now reached 953. He is the only trainer in College Hockey to work games at both Northern Arizona and Arizona State.
ON TARGET: UMass Lowell has scored on 10.2% of its shots on goal during the eight-plus years that Norm Bazin has been behind the bench. Only four teams show greater accuracy during that period of time. St. Cloud tops the lists at 11.1%. Boston College and Northeastern are at 10.4%. Minnesota is also at 10.3%.
