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­­­­­LOWELL, Mass.—After the unexpected postponement of last weekend's series, the UMass Lowell men's hockey team (1-1-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) sets its sight on Big Ten opponent Michigan State (3-1-0, 0-0-0 B1G) for opening weekend at the Tsongas Center, Oct. 22-23. Puck drop for the pair of contests is set for 7:15 p.m. on Friday and 6:05 p.m. on Saturday.
 
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell enters tonight's contest against Michigan State with a 1-1-0 record after a weekend split with Arizona State.  The club dropped the opener, 5-3, but won the series finale 4-2.  It has been 18 days since the River Hawks last played hockey.  UMass Lowell entered the 2021-22 season coming off a 10-9-1 season and a visit to the Hockey East Championship game.  The River Hawks lost eight players from last year's squad.  Some turned pro, others graduated and some transferred.  This year's roster shows nine new faces; seven are freshmen, two are transfers. UMass Lowell has been listed as receiving votes in both the USCHO and USA Hockey Magazine polls, but they have not been ranked in the top twenty at any point this season.  Hockey East Coaches, in their pre-season poll, have placed the River Hawks seventh in the eleven team conference.  The club sees six of last year's top ten scorers returning this season.  Andre Lee and Reid Stefanson led the team with 16 and 15-points in 20-contests a year ago.  Goaltenders Henry Welsch and Owen Savory combined to start 19 of the team's 20-games a year ago.  Welsch showed a goals against average of 2.54, Savory registered a 3.35 mark.  Freshman Matt Crasa leads the team with three-goals
 
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
Michigan State skates into the Tsongas Center with a record of 3-1-0 after sweeping a weekend series with Miami, 3-1 and 2-1.  The Spartans have allowed just one goal in each of the team's last three contests.  Goaltenders Drew DeRidder and Pierce Charleson have each started twice.  Charleson won both of his starts and shows a 1.00 goals against average and a .966 save percentage.  DeRidder has posted 1.96/.947 numbers.  DeRidder started 27 of 30 games a year ago with a 2.76 GAA and a .923 save percentage.  Michigan State also returns six of its top eight scorers from last season.  Mitchell Lewandowski leads the team with six-points in four games.  He led the team a year ago with six-goals and 13-points.  Jeremy Davidson also has three goals this season.  For the Spartans, this is the first road contests of the year.  The visitor's won just two of eleven road games a year ago.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES vs. MICHIGAN STATE
This weekend's games will be just the eleventh and twelfth games between the two schools in a series that dates back to 1984.  UMass Lowell leads the series on the ice with a 6-4-0 record and have won six of the last eight.   The River Hawks have won the last two meetings; 4-1 at the Munn Arena in 2013 and 2-1 at the Tsongas Center a year later.  The teams have met twice in the post-season.  UMass Lowell defeated MSU in the NCAA West Regional Opener in both 1994 and 1996.This is only the second time that the teams have met in Lowell.
 
VERSUS THE B1G
UMass Lowell has found success in the past when facing teams from the Big Ten Conference.  The River Hawks are 7-2-0 in games against the B1G teams during the nine years that the Conference has been in existence.  That includes a 4-0-0 record in 2013-14 when the River Hawks defeated Michigan and Michigan State and swept a two-game series from Penn State all on the road.  UMass Lowell has not been as successful all-time against teams currently in the B1G.  The team is 23-28-4 against the current Big Ten members.  that includes a winning record against Penn State, Notre Dame and Michigan State.  Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin have a winning record against UML.  
 
WELCOME BACK TO THE TSONGAS CENTER
This is only the second time that Michigan State has played a game in the Tsongas Center in Lowell.  The first nine games played between the combatants took place in the Munn Arena in East Lansing, Michigan.  The River Hawks went 9-4-0 in those nine games including two wins in the NCAA Tournament.  The River Hawks won the one game played in Lowell, a 2-1 victory in October, 2014.
 
IT'S BEEN A WHILE
It has been 2,554 days since Michigan State last played a game at the Tsongas Center.  That's 6-years, 11-months and 27-days.
 
WHEN LAST WE FACED ONE ANOTHER
The last time that UMass Lowell and Michigan State faced each other, the River Hawks emerged from the fray with a 2-1 victory at the Tsongas Center.  Michael Kapla scored the game winner shorthanded just 0:57 into the third period.  Dylan Zink gave the home team a 1-0 first period lead with a power play goal.  RJ Boyd got Michigan State on the board in the second period.  Jeff Smith picked up his first collegiate win with 26 saves.
 
SCORING AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE
No member of this UMass Lowell hockey team has ever skated in a game against Michigan State.  MSU is one of two teams on the River Hawk schedule that no current UMass Lowell member has ever faced.  The other is L I U.  Connor Sodergren, Owen Savory and Nick Austin have played against St. Lawrence and Austin and Savory have faced Dartmouth.
 
SCORING AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE, Part II
To say that "no member of this UMass Lowell hockey has ever skated in a game against Michigan State" is not completely accurate.  Head Coach Norm Bazin skated against the Spartans in the 1994 NCAA Tournament.  Bazin had a goal and a holding penalty in that game won by UMass Lowell, 4-3.
 
SCORING AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE, Part III
Defenseman Dave Barrozzino is the UMass Lowell all-time scoring leader against Michigan State with three-goals.  All three came in the 1996 NCAA Tournament meeting between the two teams.  Christian Sbrocca and Brendan Concannon also tallied three-points with a goal and two-assists.  It should be noted that Ben Walter and Mike Opre also recorded two goals against the Spartans.
 
THE BOSS AGAINST MICHIGAN STATE
UMass Lowell hockey coach Norm Bazin has had success against the Spartans, both as a player and as a coach.  The River Hawks have won both meetings against Michigan State since Bazin took over behind the bench.  His skaters defeated the Spartans at the Munn Arena, 4-1, in 2013 and at the Tsongas Center, 2-1, in 2014.  Bazin picked up a power play goal against Michigan State in UMass Lowell's 4-3 win against Michigan State in the NCAA Western Regional in 1994.
 
OPENERS
UMass Lowell is now 28-22-5, all-time, in season openers and 2-3-0 in the last five and 5-4-2 in Norm Bazin's eleven openers.  The River Hawks are 31-20-4 in home openers but are just at the .500 mark when they open the season at home, 11-11-3.  UMass Lowell is 16-15-6 in Hockey East openers and 14-18-5 in Hockey East home openers.  When the River Hawks open the season on the road they are 17-10-2.
 
OPENING NIGHT CROWDS
UMass Lowell is hoping for a large crowd for the home opener.  The River Hawks have drawn more than 5,000 fans in 11 of the last 13 home openers.  Because of the pandemic no fans were allowed to attend UMass Lowell Hockey Games last season.  The first night record is 7,326 set October 10, 2014 when the River Hawks defeated Boston College, 5-2.
 
GOING FOR A STUDENT RECORD
UMass Lowell is looking to set a record Friday night.  The River Hawks are calling for a "BLUE OUT" and working on breaking the student attendance record (2,365) which was set in 2014. First 2000 students and 500 general public fans will receive REUNITED IN BLUE Rally Towels.
 
PROTOCOLS
After a 2020-21 season without fans, UMass Lowell will welcome spectators back to the Tsongas Center for the first time in 18 months.  In accordance with campus policy, all attendees, both spectators and event staff, must wear face covers at all times while not actively eating or drinking.
 
HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN...?
It has been 595-days since UMass Lowell played in front of a crowd at the Tsongas Center.  On March 6, 2020 the River Hawks defeated UConn in the regular season finale 3-1.  4,802 fans attended that game.  Less than a week later the Hockey East Tournament was canceled as the COVID-19 pandemic took the region and then the nation in its grip.

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