
10/23/2026 11:15:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
Friday vs. #7/9 Providence: Live Stats | NESN | Watch (ESPN+) | Listen
Saturday at #7/9 Providence: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Listen
LOWELL, Mass. – After dropping two games against Arizona State last weekend, the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (1-3-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) will now start Hockey East play with a home-and-home series against #7/9 Providence on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24. Friday's series opener is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, while Saturday's matchup will have a 6:00 p.m. puck drop at Schneider Arena in Providence. Â
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell entered the 2026-27 season coming off a 13-22-0 campaign that saw the River Hawks enter the Hockey East Tournament as the #9 seed. The team has graduated a handful of players and have bolstered their lineup of 18 returners with 10 newcomers, including three transfers, six freshmen and one former ECHL player . Of those transfers, two are seniors and one is a sophomore. The team kicked off the 2026-27 season in the 10th spot in the Hockey East Preseason Poll with 31 points. At the moment, they are not recieving votes in the USCHO or USA Hockey Polls.
UMass Lowell enters this weekend after dropping both games of last weekendís home series against Arizona State. They fell just short, 5-4, in game one, before a 4-2 loss in game two. Dalyn Wakely stayed hot with his second consecutive three-point weekend and Jacob MacDonald now has a point in all four of the teamís games so far.
At the moment, Wakely leads the squad with six points (1g, 5a), while Jak Vaarwerk (2g, 2a), Jacob MacDonald (3g, 1a) and Kuzma Voronin (1g, 3a) all have four points thus far. Austin Elliott leads the goaltenders with a 3.37 GAA to go along with his .891 save percentage in three appearances. Cole Moore has one appearance and one start, with a 4.17 GAA and .852 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
The Friars enter the weekend with a 3-0-0 overall record and 0-0-0 conference record, most recently defeating Union, 3-2, in overtime last Friday, October 16 in a solo game on the road.
Providence is coming off a 2025-26 season year where they finished 23-11-2 (18-5-1 Hockey East). They fell, 3-2, in overtime to Merrimack in the Hockey East Quarterfinals before dropping a 5-2 contest against Quinnipiac in the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional. They return three of their top five point-scorers from 2025-26 in John Mustard, Logan Sawyer and Tanner Adams. Mustard led the team with 29 points (17g, 12a), while Sawyer was just beind him with 28 (14g, 14a) and Adams finished in fourth with 24 (11g, 13a). For goaltenders, they return Jack Parsons, who made 20 appearances for a 13-5-0 record, 2.05 GAA and .922 save percentage.
This season, Julius Sumpf (0g, 6a) leads the team so far with six points, while Sawyer (1g, 4a) sits in second with five and two players are tied for third with four apiece. Parson has made two appearances in net so far, leading the team with a 0.97 GAA and .966 save percentage, while Gibson Homer has seen one appearance with a GAA of 2.01 and a .900 save percentage.Â
UMASS LOWELL VS. PROVIDENCE
The River Hawks have seen a lot of Providence throughout program history, registering a 53-69-12 (.440) all-time mark against the Friars. The two teams last played on November 1, 2025, when the River Hawks picked up a 5-1 win at home.
SCORING AGAINST THE FRIARS
17 River Hawks have played a game against Providence in their careers. Jak Vaarwerk leads the way with six games played and six points against them (3g, 3a). Nate Misskey, Chris Delaney, Libor Nemec and Jaiden Moriello all have two points against Providence.
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
When Lowell scores 3 goals or more, they were 13-4-0 last season, and now 1-1-0 this season, 239-49-17 since Norm Bazin took over. When they score 2 goals or less, they were 0-18-0 last season and are 0-2-0 this season, 53-161-30 under Norm.
On the flip side, when Lowell allows 3 goals or more they were 5-16-0 last season and 0-3-0 this season, 52-170-17 under Norm, When they allow 2 goals or less they were 8-6-0 last season, 1-0-0 this season, and 240-40-30 under Norm.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Lowell is now 90-110-19 against ranked teams under Norm Bazin, 41-46-13 at home, 31-53-5 on the road, and 17-11-1 at neutral sites.
Against teams ranked in the Top 10, Lowell is 41-57-7 under Norm Bazin, 17-22-6 at home, 16-30-1 on the road, and 8-5-0 at neutral sites.
NORM AND NATE
Norm Bazin and Nate Leaman are the longest tenured coaches in Hockey East, both taking over their respective programs for the 2011-12 season. Their records have been pretty similar over that span, with Norm compiling a record of 292-210-47 (170-142-36Â in Hockey East), and Nate compiling a record of 306-185-69Â (183-122-50 in Hockey East).
While Norm has had more postseason success in Hockey East, Nate has had more success in the NCAA Tournament. Norm has led Lowell to 3 Hockey East tournament titles, 2 Hockey East regular season titles, 6 NCAA appearances, and 1 Frozen Four. Nate has led Providence to 2 Hockey East Regular season titles, 8 NCAA appearances, 2 Frozen Fours, and 1 National Championship. In the regular season, Nate has the edge head-to-head in the regular season, with a record 21-12-1, but in the postseason, itís Norm with 3-2 edge, including a 3OT win in the 2015 Hockey East Semifinal.
GOOD START
Kuzma Voronin has points in 3 straight games now (1 goal 3 assists). The last freshman with a point streak of 4 or more games was Luke Shipley, who put together a 5-game point streak last season. The last freshman with 4 or more points in his first 4 career games was Chris Delaney, who had 3 goals and an assist in his first 4 games in 2024.
Dalyn Wakely has 6 points (1 goal 5 assists) in the first 4 games of the season. The last time a Lowell player started the season with 6 or more points in the first 4 games was in 2023-24, when Scout Truman (1 goal 6 assists) and Matt Crasa (6 goals 1 assist) both had 7 points in the first 4 games.
IN THE POLLS
At the moment, the River Hawks are not recieving votes in the USCHO or USA Hockey Polls.
WHAT A WIN WOULD DO..
A win Friday would move the River Hawks to 2-3-0 on the season and 54-69-12 against Providence. Head Coach Norm Bazin would also move to a 16-23-1 career mark against the Friars.
UP NEXT
Next up, the River Hawks will return to non-conference play with a road series at Colgate on Friday and Saturday, October 30Â and 31. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 from Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton, N.Y.
Â
Saturday at #7/9 Providence: Live Stats | Watch (ESPN+) | Listen
LOWELL, Mass. – After dropping two games against Arizona State last weekend, the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (1-3-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) will now start Hockey East play with a home-and-home series against #7/9 Providence on Friday, October 23 and Saturday, October 24. Friday's series opener is set for 7:05 p.m. at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, while Saturday's matchup will have a 6:00 p.m. puck drop at Schneider Arena in Providence. Â
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell entered the 2026-27 season coming off a 13-22-0 campaign that saw the River Hawks enter the Hockey East Tournament as the #9 seed. The team has graduated a handful of players and have bolstered their lineup of 18 returners with 10 newcomers, including three transfers, six freshmen and one former ECHL player . Of those transfers, two are seniors and one is a sophomore. The team kicked off the 2026-27 season in the 10th spot in the Hockey East Preseason Poll with 31 points. At the moment, they are not recieving votes in the USCHO or USA Hockey Polls.
UMass Lowell enters this weekend after dropping both games of last weekendís home series against Arizona State. They fell just short, 5-4, in game one, before a 4-2 loss in game two. Dalyn Wakely stayed hot with his second consecutive three-point weekend and Jacob MacDonald now has a point in all four of the teamís games so far.
At the moment, Wakely leads the squad with six points (1g, 5a), while Jak Vaarwerk (2g, 2a), Jacob MacDonald (3g, 1a) and Kuzma Voronin (1g, 3a) all have four points thus far. Austin Elliott leads the goaltenders with a 3.37 GAA to go along with his .891 save percentage in three appearances. Cole Moore has one appearance and one start, with a 4.17 GAA and .852 save percentage.
SCOUTING THE FRIARS
The Friars enter the weekend with a 3-0-0 overall record and 0-0-0 conference record, most recently defeating Union, 3-2, in overtime last Friday, October 16 in a solo game on the road.
Providence is coming off a 2025-26 season year where they finished 23-11-2 (18-5-1 Hockey East). They fell, 3-2, in overtime to Merrimack in the Hockey East Quarterfinals before dropping a 5-2 contest against Quinnipiac in the NCAA Sioux Falls Regional. They return three of their top five point-scorers from 2025-26 in John Mustard, Logan Sawyer and Tanner Adams. Mustard led the team with 29 points (17g, 12a), while Sawyer was just beind him with 28 (14g, 14a) and Adams finished in fourth with 24 (11g, 13a). For goaltenders, they return Jack Parsons, who made 20 appearances for a 13-5-0 record, 2.05 GAA and .922 save percentage.
This season, Julius Sumpf (0g, 6a) leads the team so far with six points, while Sawyer (1g, 4a) sits in second with five and two players are tied for third with four apiece. Parson has made two appearances in net so far, leading the team with a 0.97 GAA and .966 save percentage, while Gibson Homer has seen one appearance with a GAA of 2.01 and a .900 save percentage.Â
UMASS LOWELL VS. PROVIDENCE
The River Hawks have seen a lot of Providence throughout program history, registering a 53-69-12 (.440) all-time mark against the Friars. The two teams last played on November 1, 2025, when the River Hawks picked up a 5-1 win at home.
SCORING AGAINST THE FRIARS
17 River Hawks have played a game against Providence in their careers. Jak Vaarwerk leads the way with six games played and six points against them (3g, 3a). Nate Misskey, Chris Delaney, Libor Nemec and Jaiden Moriello all have two points against Providence.
THREE IS THE MAGIC NUMBER
When Lowell scores 3 goals or more, they were 13-4-0 last season, and now 1-1-0 this season, 239-49-17 since Norm Bazin took over. When they score 2 goals or less, they were 0-18-0 last season and are 0-2-0 this season, 53-161-30 under Norm.
On the flip side, when Lowell allows 3 goals or more they were 5-16-0 last season and 0-3-0 this season, 52-170-17 under Norm, When they allow 2 goals or less they were 8-6-0 last season, 1-0-0 this season, and 240-40-30 under Norm.
AGAINST RANKED TEAMS
Lowell is now 90-110-19 against ranked teams under Norm Bazin, 41-46-13 at home, 31-53-5 on the road, and 17-11-1 at neutral sites.
Against teams ranked in the Top 10, Lowell is 41-57-7 under Norm Bazin, 17-22-6 at home, 16-30-1 on the road, and 8-5-0 at neutral sites.
NORM AND NATE
Norm Bazin and Nate Leaman are the longest tenured coaches in Hockey East, both taking over their respective programs for the 2011-12 season. Their records have been pretty similar over that span, with Norm compiling a record of 292-210-47 (170-142-36Â in Hockey East), and Nate compiling a record of 306-185-69Â (183-122-50 in Hockey East).
While Norm has had more postseason success in Hockey East, Nate has had more success in the NCAA Tournament. Norm has led Lowell to 3 Hockey East tournament titles, 2 Hockey East regular season titles, 6 NCAA appearances, and 1 Frozen Four. Nate has led Providence to 2 Hockey East Regular season titles, 8 NCAA appearances, 2 Frozen Fours, and 1 National Championship. In the regular season, Nate has the edge head-to-head in the regular season, with a record 21-12-1, but in the postseason, itís Norm with 3-2 edge, including a 3OT win in the 2015 Hockey East Semifinal.
GOOD START
Kuzma Voronin has points in 3 straight games now (1 goal 3 assists). The last freshman with a point streak of 4 or more games was Luke Shipley, who put together a 5-game point streak last season. The last freshman with 4 or more points in his first 4 career games was Chris Delaney, who had 3 goals and an assist in his first 4 games in 2024.
Dalyn Wakely has 6 points (1 goal 5 assists) in the first 4 games of the season. The last time a Lowell player started the season with 6 or more points in the first 4 games was in 2023-24, when Scout Truman (1 goal 6 assists) and Matt Crasa (6 goals 1 assist) both had 7 points in the first 4 games.
IN THE POLLS
At the moment, the River Hawks are not recieving votes in the USCHO or USA Hockey Polls.
WHAT A WIN WOULD DO..
A win Friday would move the River Hawks to 2-3-0 on the season and 54-69-12 against Providence. Head Coach Norm Bazin would also move to a 16-23-1 career mark against the Friars.
UP NEXT
Next up, the River Hawks will return to non-conference play with a road series at Colgate on Friday and Saturday, October 30Â and 31. Both games are scheduled for 7:30 from Class of 1965 Arena in Hamilton, N.Y.
Â
Players Mentioned
Sunday, October 18
Sunday, October 18
Saturday, October 17
Friday, October 16






















