Friday, October 23rd at Merrimack (7pm)
(J. Thom Lawler Rink; North Andover, Mass.)
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Saturday, October 24th vs. Merrimack (7pm)
(Tsongas Center; Lowell, Mass.)
HOMECOMING | BLUE OUT
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Commercial Radio:
River Hawk Network:
Friday (WCAP 980AM, WSMN 1590AM)
Saturday (900AM, 1250AM, WCAP 980AM, WSMN 1590AM)
Talent: Bob Ellis (Play by Play); Jim Connelly (Analyst)

Non-Commericial Radio: WUML 91.5-FM:
Talent: Zack Tretheway (Play by Play); James Shirton (Analyst);
Carter Cotrupi (Producer); Matt Denaro (Engineer)

SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS: UMass Lowell is ranked 7th in the USCHO poll and 8th in the USA Hockey Magazine poll and have been nationally ranked for 69 consecutive weeks. The River Hawks swept last weekend's two-game series with Colorado College, 3-2 and 2-1.  Senior Ryan McGrath had the game winning goal in each contest.  Senior Goalie Kevin Boyle was in nets both nights and has a 1.00 GAA.  Evan Campbell leads the team in scoring with four points (1g, 3a,) McGrath and Adam Chapie each have two goals a piece.  UMass Lowell returns its top six scorers and starting goaltender from a team that went 21-12-6 a year ago. 
 
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS: Merrimack College is 2-0-0 and is ranked 19th in the USCHO Poll after weekend wins against Clarkson, 7-1 and St. Lawrence, 3-1. Senior forward Brian Christie leads the team in scoring with four points.  Senior Forward Ben Bahe and sophomore forward Mathieu Tibbet each have two goals.  Sophomore goalie Collin Delia has seen most of the action and carries a 1.03 GAA and a .972 Save Percentage into Friday's contest.
 
TONIGHT: UMass Lowell and Merrimack College meet tonight for the 122nd time.  For each, it is their first Hockey East conference game.  It is also the earliest in the season the two teams have ever met.  They have never played one another in the month of October.  Their earliest prior meeting was November 1, 2007.  Merrimack won that game, 3-1.  It is the first time since 2010 that they have faced off before the Holiday break.
 
LAST TIME OUT: The River Hawks competed a two-game weekend sweep of Colorado College with a hard fought 2-1 win last Saturday night.  Adam Chapie and Ryan McGrath scored goals and Kevin Boyle stopped 23 of 24 shots to pick up the win.  Two of UMass Lowell's three wins have been by the margin of a single goal.
 
HOCKEY EAST OPENERS: This is the second time that UMass Lowell has faced Merrimack in their Hockey East opener.  The last time was during the 1991-92 season.  The River Hawks won that meeting, 5-4, at the Tully Forum.  UMass Lowell is 15-12-4, all-time, in Hockey East openers.
 
QUCK START: This is the sixth time since UMass Lowell moved to Division I that is has won its first three games of the season.  A fourth consecutive win would equal the team's best start. The 2001-02 River Hawks won their first four and went on to finish 22-13-3.  The 1981-82 ULowell Chiefs hold the school record.  They won their first 19 games and finished 31-4-0.
 
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK: UMass Lowell senior goalie Kevin Boyle was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week after stopping 39 of 42 shots in the River Hawk sweep of Colorado College.  He had a 1.50 GAA and a .929 Save Percentage during the weekend.
 
ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MERRIMACK COLLEGE: UMass Lowell has played Merrimack College more than any other opponent.  They have meet 121 times dating back to their first contest on November 26, 1971.  Merrimack won that first meeting, 5-3, but UMass Lowell holds a 75-37-9 edge in the series.  Merrimack won the first ten meetings between the two teams and 13-1-1 in the first 15.  UMass Lowell's first win, 3-2, in the series came on February 5, 1977, when a Mike McGinn shot from his own blue line found the back of the net.  The River Hawks have won six of the last seven games between the two teams.  They split their two Hockey East meetings a year ago and UMass Lowell defeated Merrimack, 3-1, in the Mariucci Classic Championship game.
 
CIRCLE OF DOMINANCE: UMass Lowell has been a dominant force in the face off circle through the season's first three games and currently leads the nation in face-off win percentage.  The River Hawks have won winning 119 of 198 draws (60.1%).  Junior center Evan Campbell leads the way winning 36 of 53 (67.9%) puck drops.  Senior Michael Fallon and freshman Nick Master have a 22-15 edge (59.5%,) junior Joe Gambardella has won 31 of 55 face-offs (56.4%.)
 
BACK TO BACK: UMass Lowell is playing games on back-to-back nights for the second time this season.  The River Hawks swept the pair of games from Colorado College last weekend.  A year ago the River Hawks were 9-4-1 on the first of consecutive nights, but only 6-5-3 on the second night.
 
POWER PLAY OFF TO A GOOD START: UMass Lowell has taken full advantage of the man advantage scoring four of their eight goals this season on the power play.  Overall, the River Hawks are 4-for-15 (26.7%.)
 
PENALTY KILLING: UMass Lowell has not been disadvantaged when playing shorthanded.  The River Hawks are 12-for-12 when killing penalties this season.  UMass Lowell is one of eight teams in the country to not allow a shorthanded goal this season.
 
LEGENDS TO BE HONORED: Four former UMass Lowell hockey players who left an indelible mark on the program have been named "Legends of Lowell Hockey" and will be honored during Saturday's game against Merrimack College at the Tsongas Center.  The honorees, all of whom were previously elected to the University's Athletic Hall of Fame, include two forwards and two goalies.  Mike McElligott and Steve Woods provide the scoring touch accounting for 132 goals and 311 points.  Mike Geragosian and Brian Doyle combined for more than 100 wins in the UMass Lowell nets.

Quotes from the Coach
Bazin on playing at the Lawler Rink in North Andover
"There's nowhere to hide, it's a terrific little rink, there's a lot of action, a lot of bounces and you have to be prepared for all of them.  Based on our style, we're comfortable in a small rink where there's a lot of physicality.  At the same time some of the young guys may be surprised initially when they get to that rink; things happen awfully quickly."
 
Bazin on Legends of Lowell Hockey
"The Legends of Lowell Hockey celebration should be a great gathering of former players coming together with the fans and their families to take part in Homecoming activities. We congratulate the four inductees and look forward to the ceremony in welcoming them back to the Tsongas."
 
Junior forward Joe Gambardella on playing at the Lawler Rink in North Andover
"It's a nice tight rink so there's nowhere to hide from it.  We're looking forward to going there because we're a greasy team.  We approach every game with the same mentality; we've got to get the job done, work hard and out compete our opponents.  We try to treat every opponent like they are the best team in the nation."