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One accomplishment after another – the UMass Lowell hockey team is doing everything right. The River Hawks are ranked No. 5 on the Nov. 9 CBS College Sports Division I Men’s Poll. See the full rankings at www.uscho.com/rankings.
“It’s a testimony to our players, and the respect that they’re getting,” says head coach Blaise MacDonald. “We played some difficult opponents so far this season and had a decent level of success, and that’s what’s most important – the success – not the polls.”
The River Hawks moved up eight spots after the previous week’s wins over Boston University and University of New Hampshire. This ranking, however, isn’t the highest UMass Lowell has ever been – during the 2001-02 season, the River Hawks were ranked No. 3 in the polls with a final record of 22-13-3 overall.
UMass Lowell in the USA Today Men’s Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll, also ranked fifth, behind University of Denver (third) and Cornell University (fourth). See the full rankings at www.uscho.com/rankings/?data=usatoday.
“We’re ranked three spots ahead of Notre Dame – that puts us in a pretty good class of people we compete with,” says MacDonald. “It gives our university an opportunity to shine in a national light and that can only go in a positive direction for the image of the school.”
Just prior to the Nov. 9 rankings, the River Hawks played the University of New Hampshire Wildcats. The River Hawks beat the Wildcats 6-3 at home with Kory Falite scoring two goals and Carter Hutton stopping 33 shots. The game brought over 4,000 people to the Tsongas Arena Nov. 8.
“The University doesn’t have many events that attract over 5,000 people, so from that perspective, hockey games are important events,” says Skinner. “It’s our only Division I program, so it generates an increased level of interest and visibility, especially playing in Hockey East, which is, from top to bottom, the finest college hockey conference in the nation.”
The River Hawks are now 5-2-1 overall and as of the week of Nov. 9, ranked No. 1, in the conference with a record of 3-1-1, University of New Hampshire is now 2-5-2 overall after losing to UMass Lowell. They moved to third in the conference with a record of 2-1-1 against Hockey East competitors.
“The teams that respond best to the ups and downs of a long season are the ones that will be in the tournament at the end,” says Skinner. “For example, we lost one of our best defenseman - Barry Goers - to an injury on Friday, and he'll be out for at least a month, so our bench strength will be tested early.”