No. 13 River Hawks entertain CCHL All-Stars Sunday in exhibition play

Sunday, December 29th vs. CCHL All-Stars (5pm; Exhibiton)
POST-GAME SKATE
(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)

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

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is 10-4-4 / 5-2-3 after splitting a pair of games against Providence just before the winter hiatus. The River Hawks are in a second place tie with Northeastern and Massachusetts a single point behind Providence in the Hockey East standings. UMass Lowell does have two games in hand and the tiebreaker against the Friars. The team is ranked 14th in the USCHO Poll and 13th 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. Sixteen players have scored goals this season, Carl Berglund lead the team with six, Matt Brown, Connor Sodergren and Kenny Hausinger have five. Brown leads the team with 17-points. Three of the River Hawks top four scorers are freshmen. Goalie Tyler Wall has started seventeen of the team's eighteen games with a 1.72 goals against average and a .945 save percentage. Wall has authored two of his nine career shutouts this season.

SCOUTING THE CCHL ALL STARS: The CCHL began as a development league founded by the Montreal Canadiens in 1961. Seeking a place in Ontario for its' prospects, the league was built and used as a prime source until the draft system changed in the late sixties. The CCHL All Stars include players from ten of the league's twelve teams. The Roster features four of the league's top seven scorers. Hawkesbury's Luke Grainger leads the league in goals with 23 and points with 56. The Selects carry two goalies; Brockville's Jake Begley and Cornwall's Rico DiMatteo. Begley owns a 2.40 goals against average and a .920 save percentage and DiMatteo show 3.04 / .917 numbers.

THE UMASS LOWELL / CCHL CONNECTION: Three current River Hawks played in the CCHL Charlie Levesque spent two seasons with the Hawkesbury Hawks. He scored 48-goals and 135-points during those two years. Sam Knoblauch knocked in 41-goals and totaled 125-points in two seasons with Carleton Place. Defenseman Cale List tallied five-goals and 32-points during two seasons with Pembroke. List played in a couple of other leagues before joining UMass Lowell three seasons later.

ALL-TIME EXHIBITION HISTORY: This is the 42nd exhibition game in UMass Lowell's hockey history. The River Hawks have played college/All-Star/Club teams from the US, Canada and Russia/Soviet Union and hold a 30-6-5 edge. UMass Lowell has won its last five exhibition games and and is undefeated in its last 17. UMass Lowell first ever exhibition win, 7-3, was against the US Junior National Team in 1979.

AT THE BREAK: The River Hawks went into the winter break with a record of 10-4-4. It is the ninth time in 36 years of Division I hockey that UMass Lowell has had double digit win totals at the break. The most wins the team has ever had at the break is 12. That was done twice, 1986-87 and 2001-02.

NEXT UP: UMass Lowell does not play again until January 4 when the team visits the Lawler Arena for a single game against Merrimack. The River Hawks lead the all-time series 79-40-12 and took three out of four points against the Warriors a year ago.

28 DAYS: When UMass Lowell and Merrimack play on January 4 it will have been 28 days since UMass Lowell last played a regular season hockey game. That break, December 7 to January 4, is the longest in the school's Division I history. The River Hawks did have a 27 day break during the 2010-11 season.

No. 13 River Hawks entertain CCHL All-Stars Sunday in exhibition play

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Players Mentioned

Carl Berglund

Matt Brown

Kenny Hausinger

Sam Knoblauch

Charlie Levesque

Cale List

Connor Sodergren

Tyler Wall

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