Friday, December 6th at Providence (7:15pm)
(Schneider Arena; Providence, R.I.)
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90 Seconds With Norm
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockeyÂ
Commercial Radio: River Hawk Network: 980AMÂ WCAP
Talent:
Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)
Non-Commercial Radio: WUMLÂ 91.5 FM
Talent: Connor Capozzi (Play by Play);Â Tim Casagrande (Analyst)
Saturday, December 7th vs. No. 15 Providence (6pm)
(Tsongas Center; Lowell, Mass.)
Watch (US/Intl $)Â |Â
Listen Live |
Live Stats |
Tickets
Follow on Twitter: @RiverHawkNation @RiverHawkHockeyÂ
Commercial Radio: River Hawk Network: 980AMÂ WCAP
Talent:
Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)
Non-Commercial Radio: WUMLÂ 91.5 FM
Talent: Connor Capozzi (Play by Play);Â Tim Casagrande (Analyst)
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is 9-3-4 / 4-1-3 after winning the Turkey Leg Classic last weekend by sweeping Rensselaer, 4-0, and Penn State, 3-2. The River Hawks are sitting in third place, two points behind the first place Huskies of Northeastern, in Hockey East. The team is ranked 16th in the USCHO Poll and 15th 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, Zach Kaiser and Andre Lee have four. Chris Schutz has added three. Brown leads the team with 17-points. Four of the River Hawks top seven scorers are freshmen. Goalie Tyler Wall has started fifteen of the team's sixteen games with a 1.62 goals against average and a .947 save percentage. Wall has authored two of his nine career shutouts this season.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS:  Providence is 8-4-3 / 5-3-2 after beating Brown, 4-2, in the Mayor's Cup game for bragging rights in the Rhode Island Capital. The Friars are 5-3-1 at home and 3-1-2 on the road. They are in second place in the Hockey East standings, one point behind Northeastern and one-point ahead of UMass Lowell. The team was picked to finish third in the Coaches' Pre-Season Polls and second in the Media Pre-Season Poll. Only one of the Friars' top six scorers in 2018-19 has returned, but fifteen different players have scored goals, five have six or more. Tyce Thompson leads the team with twelve goals, Greg Printz, who had a four goal game earlier in the season has nine. Jack Dugan leads the team and the country with 31-points, including 25-assists. Senior goalie Michael Lackey has started all of the team 15 games. He carries a 2.50 goals against average and a .915 save percentage into tonight's contest.
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. PROVIDENCE: This is the 120th meeting between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1982. Providence leads the series 60-48-11. The River Hawks won the last meeting, back in October ending a Friar six game winning streak. Providence had swept the two-game season series in each of the last three seasons. They hold a 7-3-0 edge in the last ten. Providence also has an edge, 14-10-0, since Norm Bazin and Nate Leaman became the respective Head Coaches in 2011-12. 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.
41 DAYS AGO: Freshmen provided the offense for UMass Lowell as the River Hawks defeated Friars, 3-2 in Providence, in overtime in the first meeting this year between the two teams back on October 26th. Matt Brown, Zach Kaiser and Carl Berglund scored for the visitors. Berglund's game winner came with just 40-seconds remaining in the overtime period. Tyce Thompson and Patrick Moynihan scored goals for Providence. Goalie Tyler Wall made 40 saves in picking up the win, Michael Lackey took the loss making 29 saves.
2,422 DAYS: It had been 2,422 days between UMass Lowell wins in Providence. That last win in the Rhode Island Capital came on March 9, 2013 when the River Hawks defeated Providence 4-1 to clinch the Hockey East regular season crown.
LAST YEAR vs. PROVIDENCE: Providence swept the season series a year ago, 6-1 and 1-0. The Friars got goals from five different players, including two from Kasper Björkqvist, and defeated UMass Lowell, 6-1, February 15th at the Tsongas Center. The Friars scored twice before the game was 11-minutes old and had a 5-0 lead through two periods of play. The following night in Providence Tyce Thompson scored the game's only goal late in the second period as the home team held on for a 1-0 win. Hayden Hawkey, in the Friar nets, had 20 saves the first night and 21 in the shutout.
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 380 wins. Bazin shows a record of 196-103-30 while Leaman is 184-105-41. Leaman holds a slight edge in head to head matches, 14-10-0.
FAMILY FEUD: When UMass Lowell and Providence meet the games match brother and against brother. Senior Colin O'Neill plays for UMass Lowell; Junior Jason O'Neill wears a Providence jersey. Colin leads the family scoring race with 35 (14g, 21a) career points to Jason's 30 (10g, 20a). Colin leads the head-to-head duel with one assist. Neither made it onto the scoresheet when the teams met in October.
AT THE SCHNEIDER ARENA: UMass Lowell has won 25 games at the Schneider Arena, only two enemy buildings have seen UMass Lowell win more often. The River Hawks have 35 wins in the Lawler Arena at Merrimack and 30 wins at Northeastern's Matthews Arena. Twenty-four of the 25 wins at the Schneider Arena have come against Providence, one additional win was against Elmira in 1991 as part of the USAir Tournament hosted by Providence.
PUT IT ON THE WALL: Senior goaltender Tyler Wall was named Hockey East Goaltender of the Month for November. Wall, who is a candidate for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to the top NCAA goaltender, amassed 250 saves on 264 shots (.947 sv%) in the 5-1-2 month for the River Hawks. He posted a 1.71 GAA with one shutout in the month, along with a .750 winning percentage. Wall's 1.71 GAA and .947 save percentage both ranked second among Hockey East goaltenders in the month and his 250 saves in the month were the fourth most of any league netminder. He registered 30+ saves in five of eight starts in the month and allowed two goals or fewer in six of those starts. Wall went 3-1-2 in the month in six games decided by one goal or less.
WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES: Things have changed for River Hawk defenseman Chase Blackmun. A year ago Blackmun had just one-goal and two-points through 16 games. This time around he's got three-goals and nine-points.   Two of his goals have been game winners.
APPROACHING THE BREAK: The River Hawks are looking to go into the winter break with double digit wins for the ninth time in 36 years of Division I hockey. They've got nine wins with two games to go before the hiatus. The most wins the team has ever had at the break is 12. That was done twice, 1986-87 and 2001-02.
LAST WEEKEND: The River Hawks won the inaugural edition of the Turkey Leg Classic jointly hosted by UMass Lowell and Merrimack College by defeating Rensselaer and Penn State. The River Hawks won the opener against Rensselaer, 4-0, behind two-goals from Connor Sodergren and 23 saves by goalie Tyler Wall. Zach Kaiser got the only goal the River Hawks needed less than four-minutes into the first period. Jon McDonald added a power play goal at the 6:38 mark of the period to give the home team at 2-0 lead. Sodergren added two third period goals. UML won the Championship game with a 3-2 overtime victory against Penn State, who had topped Merrimack, 7-0 in its opener. UMass Lowell got the game winner from Chase Blackmun at 2:43 of the extra period. The River Hawks also got goals from Anthony Baxter and Andre Lee.
HOSTING A TOURNAMENT: The Turkey Leg Classic was the first time that UMass Lowell had 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.
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 88-38-7 (.688) in non-conference games since 2011-12. The team is 5-2-1 this year and was 6-4-0 a year ago.
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 106-77-13, .574, all-time against schools representing the ECAC and 95-62-11, .598, against schools currently in the ECAC.  UMass Lowell is 15-5-2 against the conference during the last four years.
VERSUS THE ECAC - Part II: Last night was the 27th meeting between UMass Lowell and Rensselaer. That equals the largest number of games against an ECAC school. The River Hawks have played 27 games against Clarkson. UMass Lowell is 15-11-1 against Rensselaer and 14-12-1 against Clarkson.
TAKING ON THE BIG TEN: It had 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 7-2-0 against teams representing the Big Ten. The first eight games occurred during the 2013-14 and 2014-15 seasons. UMass Lowell is 23-28-4, .455, 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.
Vs. BIG TIME FOOTBALL SCHOOLS: UMass Lowell is 57-24-7 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, 4-1-0 record against Penn State and 3-1-0 against 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.
FACING THE BEST: UMass Lowell has responded to the challenge winning three out of four games against top-ten teams in the USCHO and USA Hockey Magazine polls. All but one 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. UMass Lowell also defeated number seven Penn State.
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.
NEXT WEEKEND: The River Hawks get a bit of a break. 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. UMass Lowell will play an exhibition game December 29th against the CCHL All Stars.
102 GAMES: UMass Lowell forward Colin O'Neill has skated in 102 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 61. 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.
IN NHL BUILDINGS: The XL Center in Hartford, where UMass Lowell and UConn played on November 15th, once was home to the NHL's Hartford Whalers. The River Hawks have a 46-43-10 record in buildings that have been the home to an NHL team. UMass Lowell is 9-9-1 in the TD Garden/Fleet Center, 4-5-0 in the old Boston Garden, 1-2-0 at the CONSOL Energy Center, 1-0-1 at the HSBC Arena in Buffalo, 2-2-2 at the XL Center and 29-25-6 in the Matthews Arena, the original home of the Boston Bruins then known as the Boston Arena. Excluding the Matthews Arena, UMass Lowell is 17-18-4 in NHL Buildings.
ON THE EDGE OF YOUR SEAT: UMass Lowell has played Twelve games decided by one-goal or less. Seven of those dozen 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 5-3-4 in one-goal games this season.
EXTRA TIME:  Seven of the River Hawks 16 games have gone into overtime. That's more than three quarters of the 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. UMass Lowell is 2-1-4 in overtime this season.
FIT TO BE TIED:  The November 15th 3-3 tie was the River Hawks fourth tie of the season. That is second in the nation. UMass Lowell is one of three teams with four ties on their record. Only Boston University has five. The other two schools are Colgate (5-7-4) and St. Cloud State (2-6-4).
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.
SIXTEEN GAMES IN: Sixteen games into the season and UMass Lowell is several steps ahead of where it was a year ago. The River Hawks are 9-3-4 at the fourteen game mark after being 8-7-1 a year ago. The team is 4-1-3 in league play compared with 4-3-1 a year ago.
JUST ONE: UMass Lowell has the fewest losses in Hockey East play. The River Hawks are 4-1-3, Boston College has just two losses at 5-2-0 and everybody else in the conference has at least three losses.
3rd PLACE: UMass Lowell goes into Friday night in third place in Hockey East. The River Hawks entered the November 22-23 weekend in sole possession of first place, but has not played a Hockey East game since. It had been a while since the River Hawks have been able to make the claim of sole possession. 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 20-goals and 30-assists for 50-points. Wisconsin has 53-points on 24-goals and 29-assists. Matt Brown with five-goals and 17-points is second in scoring among first year player in the country. Carl Berglund is third among rookie scorers with six goals and 15-points.
A CHILD SHALL LEAD: Freshman Matt Brown leads UMass Lowell in scoring with 17-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 169 of 179 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 1.81 goals against average. That's fourth in the country. UMass Lowell has allowed no more than two-goals in twelve of its sixteen games.
TAKING ONE FOR THE TEAM: UMass Lowell is 13th in the country in total blocked shots. The River Hawks have blocked 193 shots, an average of 12.06 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 30-goals while allowing just 18 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. Each got back on the board with an assist last night in the 4-0 win against RPI.
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. He added a fourth career goal four games later in a win against Penn State.
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 five 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. He added another award on December 2. That was five awards in an eight-week span.
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.
BACK IN THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT: UMass Lowell is receiving recognition in the polls for the fifth straight week. The River Hawks are slotted at number 16 in the USCHO Poll and are now 15th after "receiving votes" in the USA Hockey Magazine poll. It is the fifth week in a row and the sixth 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.
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 best in the nation during that period. The River Hawks are 76-47-11, .608, 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 five of ten with three ties at the Tsongas Center this season and is 96-46-18 (a .656 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 16 games this season. That's just 0.38 goals per first period and that's ranks the River Hawks 6th best in the country and number one among Hockey East teams. On the other side of the equation UMass Lowell has scored just nine first period goals and that ranks the team 38th in the country. The team is 5-0-0 when leading after one period.
THE FIRST 5: UMass Lowell has scored a goal in the first five minutes of play in six of their first fifteen games this season. They did it in victories against Alabama Huntsville twice, Minnesota Duluth, Vermont and Rensselaer but lost after taking a 1-0 lead at the 4:40 mark of the first period against Colgate. Fifteen of the River Hawks 40 goals this season have come in the first five-minutes of a period. That number, fifteen, is fifth 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, 12-10, in the third period this season.
BY THE CLOSEST OF MARGINS: UMass Lowell is 60-46-30, .551, in one-goal games since the 2011-12 season. The team is 5-3-4 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 164-25-10, .849 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 32-78-20, .323, since 2011-12.
PROTECTING THE LEAD: Since Norm Bazin took over the coaching reins at UMass Lowell, the River Hawks are 151-9-10 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 159-10-4, 75-4-3 at the Tsongas Center. The club is 6-0-0, 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.
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 531 of 979, 54.2% of the puck drops. That figure leads Hockey East and is the ninth best in the country. Charlie Levesque (116/194, 59.8%), Sam Knoblauch (28/47, .59.6%), Lucas Condotta (133 of 229, 58.1%), Kenny Hausinger (22/39, 56.4%), and Colin O'Neil (58/109, 53.2%) 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 November 2.
MULTI GOAL GAMES: Three 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. Connor Sodergren joined the group with two-goals last Friday night against Rensselaer.
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 (9-32, 28.1%) in eight of its last nine games. That's seventh best in the country over a nine game stretch. The team is just 11 for 60 on the season.
PK OK: The UMass Lowell penalty killing unit has been sharp. The River Hawks have successfully killed 52 of 62 man down situations. With an 86.7% success rate the PK Unit is fourth in Hockey East. They have killed off 34 of 37 (91.9%) at home which is ninth best in the country.
ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL: When UMass Lowell beat Rensselaer 4-0, last night, it was the ninth shutout of Tyler Wall's career. He is fourth on the school's career shutout list moving ahead of Cam McCormick and Christoffer Hernberg who had eight. 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 Saturday night's win against Penn State was Tyler Wall's 49th 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 48. 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 1.62 GAA. That's number seven in the country and second among Hockey East goalies. His .947 save percentage ranks fourth in the country and tops the charts in Hockey East.
A WIN TONIGHT WOULD... ...could move the River Hawks into first place in the Hockey East standings. It would give the River Hawks the tiebreaker against Providence. It would also be the team's tenth win of the season. That would be the ninth time the team has won ten games before the winter break.
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 three. Berglund also leads the team with two game-winning goals.
TIME IS ON OUR SIDE, YES IT IS: UMass Lowell has played fifteen hockey games and has only trailed for 140:03 of a total of 987-minutes and 12-seconds of hockey. The River Hawks have skated with the lead for 424:17 or 43.0% of the time. The two teams have been tied for 424:09 or 42.9% of the time.
BACK-TO-BACK: UMass Lowell has sixteen "back-to-back" weekend series this season. This is the ninth. The team is 4-1-3 on the first night and 5-2-1 on the second. They have swept both Alabama Huntsville and Vermont and had a sweep weekend by beating both Rensselaer and Penn State on consecutive nights. 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 72-46-12, a .596 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.
