UMass Lowell Hockey Notebook (February 21, 2008)

UMass Lowell and Vermont a Statistically Even Series
The River Hawks and Catamounts have met seven times as conference opponents. Each team has three wins and a tie. Each has won on the other’s home ice. It’s a remarkably even series. And the similarities don’t end with wins and losses.

In the seven games each team has 18 total goals scored. The power play numbers are almost identical – UML is 4-for-20 (20.0%), UVM is 5-for-26 (19.2%). Each team has a 5-2, 3-2 and 2-1 victory, and the 3-3 tie over the last three years.

In each of the last two seasons the River Hawks have dropped the first game of the season series to the Catamounts only to rebound to go unbeaten in the final two games head-to-head (3-0-1). UML lost the series opener this year, 3-2, on February 3.

Scoring first has meant a lot in the series as the team scoring first is 5-1-1. The River Hawks garnered the only victory when allowing the games first goal (March 3, 2006).

Vermont is 8-2-4 this season when scoring first and 23-4-7 over the last two years. UVM is 2-9-3 this year and 5-23-5 over the last two seasons when not scoring first.

UML is 9-5-1 when scoring first this year and 4-6-3 when not scoring first. Last season the River Hawks were 7-6-3 when scoring first and 1-15-3 when allowing the game’s first goal.

Overall the River Hawks and Catamounts have met 18 times with Vermont holding a slight edge, 9-8-1, in the all-time series. UML is 2-2-0 against Vermont at the Tsongas Arena.

UVM won the only meeting at Tsongas Arena last season, 2-1, on December 1, 2006. The River Hawks won both games at the Tsongas Arena in 2005-06.

Kory Falite and Mark Roebothan are tied for the team-lead with three points against Vermont. Falite has two goals and an assist in four games, while Roebothan has a goal and two assists in seven career games against UVM.

Carter Hutton has started all four games against Vermont for the River Hawks over the last two seasons. The sophomore goaltender is 1-2-1 with a 2.23 goals-against average and a .909 save-percentage.

The two squads meet twice this weekend at the Tsongas Arena. Both games are scheduled to begin at 7:00 p.m.

Defense Leads to Offense
Head coach Blaise MacDonald said at the beginning of the year he wanted his defense to become more involved offensively. Through 28 games this season the UML defense has done just that with 61 points on 12 goals and 49 assists.

The 12 goals are one more than the unit scored in 2006-07 (11 in 36 games) and accounts for 15-percent of the team’s overall goal scoring (12 of 79). The 49 helpers are 37-percent of the team’s overall assist production.

Last season UML Jeremy Dehner (3g, 13s) and Nick Schaus (1g, 13a) were the only two UML defensemen to reach double figures in scoring. This season UML already has three blue liners – Dehner, Barry Goers and Maury Edwards – with 10 or more points.

Schaus and Freshman Ryan Blair have a shot of reaching double figures in scoring this year. Blair has eight points on one goal and seven assists. Schaus has six assists.

Goers leads UML defensemen in scoring with 18 points on three goals and 15 assists. Dehner has 12 points on one goal and 11 assists. And Edwards is tied for first on the team in freshman scoring with 14 points on six goals and eight assists.

The defense has also been productive on the power play with Dehner, Goers, Edwards and Schaus combining for 26 points (6 goals, 20 assists).

Goers leads the team with 11 power play points (all assists). Dehner, who led the River Hawks with nine power play points last season, has seven man-advantage points (1g, 6a).

Edwards has nine power play points and is tied for the team-lead with five power play goals. Blair and Schaus each have two power play assists.

Last weekend against Boston College the UML defense totaled seven points (1 goal, six assists). Goers had a goal and an assist. Edwards and Schaus each had two power play assists.

In addition to producing on the offensive end of the ice the UML defense corps that is second in Hockey East in scoring defense at 2.50 goals against per game. The River Hawks penalty kill has also been among the league’s best all season and is currently fourth in the league at 85.2-percent.

Who’s Hot
Ben Holmstrom (Colorado Springs, Colo.) has points in seven of nine contests (3g, 6a). Holmstrom has three goals, all on the power play, and two multiple assist games over the last nine. The sophomore captain leads the River Hawks in assists (17) and is tied for the team-lead in points (22). Holmstrom also leads the River Hawks in face offs won (301) and total face offs taken (622).

Barry Goers (Ivyland, Pa.) has points in each of the last four games (1g, 4a). Goers netted his third goal of the season against Boston College (2/16) after adding a power play assist Friday night at BC (2/15). The sophomore alternate captain leads the River Hawks with 11 power play points and has 18 points (3g, 15a) in 28 games this season.
 
Maury Edwards (Rocky Rapids, Alb.) has a three-game power play point streak with a goal and two assists. Edwards netted his fifth power play goal, sixth overall, against Boston University (2/8) and earned a power play assist in each game against Boston College (2/15-16). Edwards is tied for the UML lead in freshman scoring with 14 points (6, 8a) in 28 games.

Miscellaneous Notes
The River Hawks power play has scored in four straight games and is 6-for-19 (31.6%) over the last four … Sophomore right wing Paul Worthington (Langhorne, Pa.) returned to the Lowell lineup after missing the previous 35 games with an injury …Saturday’s contest was just the third time the River Hawks lost this season when holding at least a two-goal lead in a game (11-3-0). Two of the three losses were to BC at Tsongas Arena … UML has won three straight when scoring three goals or more, including Friday’s 3-1 win at BC, and are 13-3-1 overall this season when scoring at least three goals in a game.