UMass Lowell Unveils 2026–27 Hockey Schedule with Record 21 Home Dates

The countdown is officially on. We are just 96 days away from the puck dropping on the college hockey season, and the UMass Lowell River Hawks have officially released their highly anticipated schedule for the 2026–27 campaign.

Marking the 60th season of UMass Lowell hockey, the River Hawks will play a 34-game regular-season schedule. Front and center in this year’s announcement is a massive advantage for local fans: 21 of those games will be played at the Tsongas Center (19 regular-season contests and two exhibitions), tying the program record for the most home games in a single season.

Early Openers and an ECAC-Heavy Non-Conference Slate

The River Hawks will get an incredibly early look at the ice this year. They open the season with an exhibition matchup against Concordia on October 2, which ties for the third-earliest calendar start in program history.

The official, regular-season curtain-raiser happens one week later when UMass Lowell hosts Clarkson on October 9, followed closely by a home matchup against St. Lawrence on October 10.

In total, UMass Lowell will play 10 non-conference games, with an overwhelming emphasis on old rivalries:

• 8 of those 10 non-conference games will be played against ECAC opponents.
• This represents the program’s second-most games against the ECAC since the historic 1983–84 season—the final year before Hockey East was created (a season where the River Hawks went 4-11-2).

Homecoming Headliners and Autumn Clashes

October and November will keep fans glued to their seats at the Tsongas Center. The premier non-league weekend takes place on October 16 and 17 for Homecoming Weekend, featuring a high-profile two-game home series against the Arizona State Sun Devils, alongside the campus’s annual outdoor fan festival.

Following a home series against Providence, the River Hawks will pack their bags and head to upstate New York at the end of October for a two-game road series against Colgate (October 30–31). When November rolls around, additional ECAC home matchups against Union and RPI will keep the non-conference gauntlet moving before the team heads into a well-deserved bye week over Thanksgiving weekend.

A Historic New Year’s Milestone

The first half of the season wraps up on December 11 against Maine, sending the team into the winter break with 18 regular-season games and one exhibition under their belt.

They will shake off the holiday rust on December 28 with their second exhibition game against Holy Cross, paving the way for a historic second half of the year consisting of 16 remaining games.

A First for the Program: On January 1 and 2, 2027, UMass Lowell will travel to face Princeton, ending a 13-year hiatus between the two programs. The series opener will mark the first time in UMass Lowell history that the River Hawks will play a game on New Year’s Day.

Hockey East Grind and Postseason Push

As conference play takes over the calendar in 2027, the structural grind of the Hockey East schedule will test the River Hawks’ depth. UMass Lowell is scheduled to play four conference opponents three times this year:

• Boston University
• Maine
• Merrimack
• UMass Amherst (The Alumni Edition of the Commonwealth Clash)

The regular season will hit its emotional peak on March 5 for Senior Night, where the River Hawks will play their final regular-season home game against Merrimack. From there, the real season begins, as the Hockey East opening round playoffs are officially set to get underway on March 10.