Friday at Mercyhurst: Live Stats | Watch | Listen | Game Notes
Saturday at Mercyhurst: Live Stats | Watch | Listen | Game Notes
LOWELL, Mass. – After dropping last week's home series against No. 2 Western Michigan by scores of 2-1 and 6-0, the UMass Lowell hockey team (1-3-0, 1-1-0 Hockey East) looks to get back in the win column this weekend with a two-game road trip at Mercyhurst (0-5-0, 0-1-0 AHA) at Mercyhurst Ice Arena in Erie, Pa.
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell entered the 2025-26 season coming off an 16-16-4 campaign that saw the River Hawks enter the Hockey East Tournament as the #7 seed. The team has graduated a handful of players and has bolstered their lineup of 14 returners with 15 newcomers, including three transfers and 12 freshmen. Of those transfers, one is graduate student, one is a senior and one is a sophomore. The team kicked off the 2025-26 season tied for the seventh spot in the Hockey East Preseason Poll with 53 points. At the moment, they are receiving 7 votes in the USCHO Poll and 7 in the USA Hockey Poll. They ended last season at No. 19 in the Pairwise rankings.
UMass Lowell enters this weekend after a 4-1 loss at Merrimack last Friday evening. Sophomore
Chris Delaney scored the lone River Hawks goal in the second period to open up the game's scoring. Junior
Jak Vaarwerk had the assist.
At the moment,
Jay Ahearn (2g),
Dalyn Wakely (2a) and Vaarwerk (2a) lead the team with two points each, while eight different players all have one apiece.
Austin Elliott leads the goaltenders with a .00 GAA and 1.000 save percentage for his week one shutout, while
Samuel Richard holds a 3.10 GAA and .897 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE LAKERS
The Lakers enter the weekend with an 0-5-0 overall record, most recently falling to AHA foe Holy Cross by a score of 4-0 in a standalone game ladt Saturday night. Before that, they were swept by Union and Michigan to open up the year.
Mercyhurst is coming off a 2024-25 season year where they finished 4-27-4 (4-19-3 AHA), and fell to the No. 6 seed Canisius, 2-0, in the first round of the AHA Tournament. They return two of their top five point-scorers from 2024-25 in Ryan Coughlin and Riley Fitzgerald. Coughlin (5g, 10a) finished fourth on the team with 15 points, while Fitzgerald (7g, 7a) was fifth with 14 points. For goaltenders, the team returns Simon Bucheler and Michael Chambre. Bucheler finished the 2024-25 season with a 2-9-0 record, 4.41 GAA and .877 save percentage in 11 games played. Chambre played in six games with four starts, finishing with an 0-4-1 record, 4.34 GAA and .894 save percentage.
This season, three different players are tied for the team lead with two points each, while 10 players have one point.
UMASS LOWELL vs. MERCYHURST
Throughout each team's history, Friday's game will mark the first ever meeting between these two programs.
PLEASED TO MEET YOU
UMass Lowell and Mercyhurst will meet for the first time ever on Friday. That leaves just 4 current Division 1 teams that UMass Lowell has never faced previously - Augustana, Bemidji State, Lindenwood, and St. Thomas.
EXPERIENCE BEHIND THE BENCH
The matchup this weekend features 2 of the longest-tenured coaches across the NCAA. Rick Gotkin is in his 38th (and final) season as head coach of Mercyhurst, making him the longest tenured coach in the NCAA.
Norm Bazin is in his 15th year behind the bench for UMass Lowell, tied with Nate Leaman as the longest tenured coaches in Hockey East, and 10th longest in the nation.
AGAINST THE AHA
Since Atlantic Hockey began play as the MAAC in 1999-2000, UMass Lowell is 25-10-4 (.692) all-time against teams representing the conference. These are their only scheduled games against an AHA team this season, though they will play an exhibition game against Bentley in December. Against teams that are currently in the AHA, UMass Lowell is 80-30-6 (.716) all-time
AT THE DOT
UMass Lowell currently ranks 12th in the nation at the faceoff dot going into this weekend's slate. The River Hawks have won 130 of their 245 faceoffs taken for a .531 faceoff win percentage through their first four games.
IN THE POLLS
At the moment, the River Hawks are no longer receiving votes in the USCHO or USA Hockey Polls. They ended last season at No. 19 in the Pairwise rankings.
A WIN TODAY...
A win today would move the River Hawks to a 2-3-0 record on the season and an 1-0-0 record all-time against the Lakers. Head Coach
Norm Bazin would get his first win against Mercyhurst as well.
UP NEXT
Next, the River Hawks will return to Hockey East play with a two-game home-and-home series with No. 15/14 Providence on Friday and Saturday, October 31 and November 1. Friday's game will be in Providence at 7:00 p.m., while Saturday's home game against the Friars will kick off at 5:05 on NESN.
