With a 10-5-3 record coming into the Dartmouth Tournament, the River Hawks are ranked seventh in the nation in both USCHO polls and USA Hockey magazine. (Christina Laderoute/Connector)
Hannah Manning
Connector Editor
The UMass Lowell men’s ice hockey team will close out 2016 in Hanover, N.H. and look to add the Dartmouth Tournament to the hearth of tournament wins. But to do so, they will have to get through some very unfamiliar opponents.
The River Hawks head into tournament play with a 10-5-3 overall record, and a 6-3-1 Hockey East record. Ranked seventh in the country, UMass Lowell ended the fall semester with two formidable wins over Hockey East foe Merrimack College.
The tournament will open with a Friday night game against the Colgate Raiders at 4 p.m. UMass Lowell has a 10-7-0 record against the Raiders.
The two teams have not met since 2009.
Colgate enters the Dartmouth Tournament with a 4-9-4 record, and were picked to finish eleventh in the ECAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll.
In contrast, the River Hawks have finished with 10 or more wins before the winter break for the eighth time in their Division I history.
Four goaltenders have been employed by UMass Lowell this season, with freshman Tyler Wall pulling ahead of the pack with 808 minutes played and a 9-4-1 record. Wall is second in Hockey East in goals against average (2.08) and winning percentage (.679).
Wall is presumed to start in the contest against Colgate, but fellow freshman Garrett Metcalf has made a powerful case for himself with two impressive performances against the University of Connecticut and Merrimack.
In his senior season, forward Joe Gambardella has exploded on the scoring front with 24 points, leading the team. In the Dec. 9 win against Merrimack, Gambardella scored his 100th point with an assist on a goal by linemate C.J. Smith. Gambardella is ranked fifth in scoring in Hockey East, with junior forward Smith tied for thirteenth.
Senior defenseman Dylan Zink is a known threat in tournament play, with seven goals and 11 points in nine games. His powerhouse performance was a big factor in securing the River Hawks the Friendship Four bell last season, scoring the shootout goal that won the whole shebang for UMass Lowell.
If the River Hawks win against Colgate, they will move on to play either Army West Point or Dartmouth College. That game will take place on New Year’s Eve at 4 or 7 p.m.
The River Hawks hold a 19-6-0 against Army West Point, with their last game resulting in a 4-0 UMass Lowell win on Nov. 24, 2001.
UMass Lowell also leads their all-time series against Dartmouth, with a 4-3-0 record. The last game against Dartmouth was a 3-2 UMass Lowell win on Dec. 11, 2005.
Neither of the games will be televised. To follow the action, fans may tune into 980 AM WCAP, or watch a paid stream on the Ivy League Digital Network.
