LOWELL, Mass. (Sept. 23, 2013) – The UMass Lowell hockey team will enter the 2013-14 season in an unfamiliar place - as the number one ranked team in the country. The River Hawks secured the coveted top spot in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll, as announced on September 23.

The River Hawks, who received 20 of 34 first place votes, are one of five Hockey East teams to appear in the inaugural USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll of the 2013-14 season:

	Team	Points	(First Place Votes)	Last Poll	Record
1	University of Massachusetts Lowell	484	(20)	3	28-11-2
2	Miami University	444	(9)	6	25-12-5
3	University of Wisconsin	364	(1)	13	22-13-7
4	Boston College	359		8	22-12-4
5	University of Minnesota	347		5	26- 9-5
6	University of North Dakota	300		7	22-13-7
7	University of Notre Dame	285		9	25-13-3
8	Yale University	269	(4)	1	22-12-3
9	St. Cloud State University	230		4	25-16-1
10	University of Michigan	167		NR	18-19-3
11	Quinnipiac University	135		2	30- 8-5
12	Union College	124		10	22-13-5
13	University of New Hampshire	116		11	20-12-7
14	Minnesota State University	110		12	24-14-3
15	Providence College	103		NR	17-14-7
Others receiving votes: Rensselaer 80, University of Denver 74, Cornell University 32, Western Michigan University 28, Niagara University 12, Merrimack College 8, Boston University 4, Ferris State University 4, Michigan Tech University 1.

The number one ranking - the second such honor the River Hawks have garnered this preseason - undoubtedly puts a target on the UMass Lowell's back. The team itself is choosing to look beyond the expectations of others and focus on the job at hand.

"There's no anxiety in the room, there's no pressure in the room. There's a feeling that we need to get better," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "You won't hear the word expectation in our locker room - that's what other people think. You'll hear goal, our goal is to win championships. In the end you want to talk about the process and how hard it is to become one of the better teams, and that's what we're focusing on."

UMass Lowell will hit the ice for the first time Saturday, October 5 at 3 PM when they host McGill University in an exhibition game at Tsongas Arena. The team will open up the 2013-14 regular season on Friday, October 11 at 7:15 PM when they host the Sacred Heart Pioneers. Season tickets and Mini Packs are now on sale.