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It's too early in the hockey season to call any weekend important, but this is an important weekend for two Hockey East clubs.
 
“It's an important weekend for them, it's an important weekend for us,” according to UMass Lowell hockey coach Norm Bazin. “There's a lot of wiggle room in the standing from top to bottom.  You have to make hay while the sun is shining; you have to get your points when you can.  It's an important weekend for everybody in Hockey East.”
 
The fifteenth-ranked UMass Lowell River Hawks (1-2-1) host the University of Maine Black Bears (1-8-0) twice this weekend at the Tsongas Center.  Both games start at 7:00pm.        
 
Neither team has had the start it would have scripted.  UMass Lowell has just one win and a tie in five games and the visitors have won once in nine and neither has a win in conference play.
 
Maine dropped games to Boston College and the University of New Hampshire last weekend while the River Hawks rested.  For UMass Lowell it will have been eleven days between games and Bazin believes the time has been used well.
 
“We've tried to stay in the routine and pretend that we had games and practice hard on those days,” according to Bazin.  “We're anxious to play; it's been too long between games.”
 
The focus for the River Hawks has been on the little things.  “We really concentrate on trying to improve every weekend,” says Bazin.  “That's where our attention is, on improving the little parts of the game and I feel we have done that over the last seven to nine days. As long as we get better every single weekend, we'll be where we want to be at the end of the year.”
 
Part of the work is in developing a team personality, a team identity, “and that's being a physical team, a tenacious team, a team that skates well, a team that gets second and third opportunities at the net front,” according to Bazin.  “It we do all those little things the byproduct will be scoring and will be winning.”
 
Maine like UMass Lowell was an NCAA tournament team a year ago, but graduations and early departures took 52% of the team's production with them.  The Black Bears are off to their poorest start since the inception of Hockey East.  The team has one win in nine games and is still looking for its first conference win after four league games.
 
History has not been on the River Hawks side, Maine owns a 75-31-3 advantage in the all time series.  UMass Lowell did win back-to-back games in Orono, Maine a year ago before dropping the final meeting at the Tsongas Center.
 
Neither team is thinking about history.
 
The weekend games will be the third and fourth at the Tsongas Center this season.  The first two drew crowds of more than six-thousand and the coach believes it does make a difference.
 
“Our fans have been great, the crowds have been super,” says Bazin.  “The players appreciate it immensely.  It's really a one goal edge.”
 
There are a number of promotional events set for the weekend.  Friday night is Hawaiian Night presented by Jeanne D'Arc Credit Union. The first one-thousand fans receive colored leis. Each color will be assigned to a player and if your player scores the first goal, you win a pair of tickets to the Saturday, Dec. 8 game against Northeastern. The night will feature a performance by the Southern NH Ukulele Group and 10 lucky fans will win a ukulele of their own.
 
On Saturday night, UMass Lowell and Eastern Bank will celebrate Veterans Day and take time to honor our servicemen and women from the armed forces. Eastern Bank is sponsoring tickets for military personnel from the Hanscom Air Force Base and organizing a ceremonial puck drop (with door-to-door limo service) for Staff Sergeant Sean Germain of the 66th Medical Squadron who recently returned from Afghanistan after completing his third tour oversees. In addition, anyone presenting a Military ID at the Box Office will be entitled to up to four $5 tickets. Finally, the first one-thousand fans will receive River Hawk dog tags courtesy of Eastern Bank and the night will feature several tributes to various branches of our armed forces.
 
Tickets for all home games are available for public purchase. Game tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors (65+) and children (12 and under). As always, UMass Lowell students receive free admission by scanning their ID as part of the Mission: All In campaign.
 
Tickets can be purchased at the Tsongas Center Box Office, which is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the week. Fans can also purchase tickets online at TsongasCenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780.
 
Season tickets will continue to be on sale through the River Hawk Marketing office and can be purchased by calling 978-934-4988.