Opening game ... Yost Arena ... home opener for the opponent ... perennial national power Michigan. From the beginning, this weekend was a set up weekend. The odds of winning another teams home opener are never that good anyway, but when you're playing at Michigan, in front of over 6,000 of the best college hockey fans in the country, well the UML hockey team learned a little this weekend, even while being swept in the two game set. Friday night's game began in the way most would have expected, as a young Lowell team went in and was intimidated by the loud, cheerful atmosphere at the Yost. A opening night crowd of 6,078 was cheering from the opening whistle, as the Wolverines came out firing. A quick rebound goal just 1:38 in put Michigan ahead, and then the River Hawks penalty parade started. This goal wound up being the only one that was scored in 5-on-5 play during the game. Lowell quickly found itself behind 2-0 just four minutes in, and the Hawks just looked frazzled on the ice. But for some reason, this second goal seemed to settle down the young Hawks, as the Hawks carried play for the remainder of the period. A Jeremy Kyte power play tip in off a shot from the point by freshman Josh Reed made it a 2-1 game. The Hawks had a couple of other opportunities to tie the game, but couldn't put the puck into the net. Once the second period started, the game virtually ended. Michigan scored five power play goals in the second period, including two on a questionable five minute major that was called on senior Craig Brown. The Wolverines even got a fluke goal off the side boards which caused starting goaltender Jimi St. John to get heckled even louder by the home fans. The third period was actually a little more even played, even though the shots might not have proven it. While the Wolverines outshot Lowell 14-6 in the period, the Hawks only allowed one goal, thanks to Cam McCormick, who experienced his first college hockey ice time. The score wound up at 8-1, but McCormick actually made a couple of great saves that kept Michigan from reaching double figures. The team took 16 penalties for 43 minutes, quite a few of the calls being questionable, and this was supposed to be the best ref the CCHA had to offer. Michigan wound up with 7 power play goals in 12 attempts, while Lowell went 1 for 6. McCormick stopped 13 of 14 shots he faced, while St. John 18 of 25. I expect the Hawks to come out much better prepared tomorrow night, and play a little bit more physical.
The second night at Michigan showed the possibilities that Lowell can look forward to this year. The Hawks came out with Cam McCormick in the net, his first ever start for Lowell. The Hawks came out a little bit more physical and played a cleaner game than Friday night. Another large crowd of 6,211 was getting nervous as the Hawks managed to stay in the game for a long time. The Hawks special teams let them down again in this one though, as a short handed goal at the 12:55 mark of the first put Michigan ahead. This was the only goal of the first period as McCormick made 6 saves, including a couple of point blank shots. The second period went the same, with both teams playing a defensive brand of hockey and both goalies making great saves. Right after the Hawks went on a power play, they made their second mistake of the night, resulting in another short handed goal at the 10:30 mark. But once again, the Hawks wouldn't let this one slip away that easily, as they made it a 2-1 game with 1:50 left in the second, as freshman Geoff Schomogyi took a shot off the faceoff that beat the Michigan goalie for his first career goal. Freshman Ed McGrane notched his first assist on the play. The Hawks managed to play a close game till midway thru the third, when the Wolverine offense finally got going, scoring three goals in a three minute span starting at 10:36 of the third. McCormick had no chance on a couple of the goals, and even though he only stopped 15 of 20 shots he faced, he looked very good on the ice. The Hawks power play floundered going 0-12 and just 1 for 18 for the weekend. The team will need to rebound next weekend, as they have two more home openers, one Friday night at RPI and then finally Lowell's home opener on Sunday night against Northeastern.
The River Hawks continued their three game road trip against yet another nationally ranked opponent, this time playing the 12th ranked RPI Engineers in Troy, NY. The Houston Fieldhouse crowd of 3,742 most likely anticipated an easy game against the River Hawks, who were coming in 0-2, and had lost by a combined score of 13-2. The Hawks though played tough through out the game, and after outshooting RPI 14-9 in the first, finally got a puck to roll in, as senior John Campbell notched his first goal of the year at 18:47 on a rebound, with assists going to Chris Bell (who took the original shot) and Mark Fontas. Sophomore Jimi St. John held the Engineers at bay till the 17:26 mark of the second, when RPI finally tied up the game. The Hawks took an amazing 19 shots on goal during the second, and had outshot RPI 33-19 thru two, but were left with a tie game at the point. Joel Laing, RPI's goaltender, did a great job, stuffing a variety of tough opportunities by the snake bit Hawks. A power play goal at 14:03 of the third by freshman Marc Cavosie of RPI would prove to be the game winner, as RPI would later add an empty netter to provide the final 3-1 margin. The Hawks were 0-5 on the power play, dropping them to 1 for 23 on the year in that category. The Hawks wound up taking 44 shots in this one, compared to 30 by RPI. This wasted a very played game by St. John, who stopped 27 shots, and remained winless, falling to 0-2 on the year. The Hawks will play Northeastern in the home opener on Sunday night.
Lowell came into the game against Northeastern with an 8-1-1 record against former coach Bruce Crowder. The Huskies came in looking to improve on their 2-0 record, while the Hawks were hoping to get their first win of the year. The more desperate team proved itself to be Lowell, as the Hawks came out firing in this one in front of a sparse Sunday night crowd of just 1,384 at the Tsongas Arena. The Hawks scored just 1:08 into the game, with junior Jeremy Kyte scoring his second goal on the year, with assists going to freshman Ron Hainsey (his first collegiate point) and junior Kyle Kidney.
The Hawks came out hitting in this game, with Kidney, Boulanger, Bell and various others laying out tough hits on the Huskies The momentum generated from the hits continued to grow, as senior Craig Brown scored his first of the year, with Kyte getting the assist at 15:33. The Hawks outshot Northeastern 11-8 in the period, and continued the barrage in the second. Junior Mark Fontas made a great breakaway pass to streaking John Campbell, who made a great move to fake out the NU goalie and the breakaway goal at 3:56 made it 3-0. It was Campbell's second goal of the year. Finally, senior Chris Bell completed the senior hat trick with his first of the year, after a steal and a great pass by Jeff Boulanger at 7:39. A short handed goal by the Huskies at 10:40 of the second completed the scoring, providing the final 4-1 score. Both Lowell and Northeastern went 0-6 on the power play, with the River Hawks now falling to 1-29 on the power play, a paltry 3.4%. They have actually given up more short handed goals than they have scored on the power play. Their short handed play has improved though, as they have given up just two goals in the last 18 power plays for the opponents. Sophomore Cam McCormick picked up his first collegiate win, making 20 saves, including a couple of beauties. The Hawks are now 1-3, 1-0 in Hockey East, and will play home to ECAC foe Union Friday night, before a Hockey East tilt with UNH on Saturday.
The River Hawks played host to the Union Skating Dutchmen (0-4-0) on Friday night, and while many were fearful that the team might be caught looking past Union (to the Hockey East matchup against power house UNH), the team had no such worries. Even though the Hawks (2-3-0, 1-0 Hockey East) gave up the first goal on a Union power play 4:11 into the game, they made it clear that they had no intentions of losing this one, in front of yet another sparse crowd of just 1,391 at the Tsongas Arena. In the process of outshooting Union 18-3 in the first, Lowell notched two goals, including a power play goal by freshman Ed McGrane at the 7:00 mark. The goal, McGrane's first collegiate tally, was assisted by fellow freshmen Ron Hainsey and Josh Reed, as Reed found McGrane on the side of the net for the easy goal. It was Lowell's first power play goal since the first period of the first game of the year. Another first collegiate goal took place at the 10:59 mark, as Hainsey found himself in the slot with an easy shot on goal, thanks to a nifty feed from yet another freshman Stephen Slonina and junior Dan Fontas. The Hawks had a couple more great chances in the period, but Union goalie Brandon Snee, who was under fire the whole night, made a couple of nice saves to keep his team in the game.
The Hawks came out firing again in the second, notching their second power play goal of the game. Jeff Boulanger received a pass from John Campbell, and while Snee stopped the original shot, Chris Bell picked up the easy rebound for what proved to be the game winner at 1:46. The Hawks kept pestering Snee though, and Slonina missed on a 2-0 breakaway, firing above and to the right of Snee's shoulder. Kyle Kidney, being in the right place at the right time, got his first goal of the year at the 15:37 mark, an even strength goal with assists going to Jeremy Kyte and Tom Rouleau. Through two periods, the Hawks had outshot the Dutchmen 30-12. The third wasn't very different, as Kevin Bertram got his first goal of the year, and the teams third power play tally of the night at 1:10. Yorick Treille found McGrane, who spotted Bertram on the blue line and the defenseman's hard shot found the back of the net to make it 5-1. Treille would get his first at 4:13, with McGrane and Brad Rooney picking up assists. Union would get one back at 12:12, while Rooney was in the box for a five minute major for a hit from behind, and that finished off the scoring. Jimi St. John won his first of the year, having to stop 19 shots. The Hawks went 3 for 8 on the power play, but surrendered 2 in man down situations as well. McGrane's 1-2-3 line earned him the first star for the game. Snee gained some respect from Lowell fans, stopping 35 shots, as he was being peppered all night long.
The Hawks now look to reach the .500 mark for the first time this year, hosting the UNH Wildcats tomorrow night, as UNH will be looking to get rid of the frustration of losing 6-0 to RPI.
How can you be disappointed losing to a high caliber team? The River Hawks (2-4, 1-1 Hockey East) once again find themselves answering that question after a tough loss to UNH (4-1, 1-0) in front of a season high crowd of 2,742 at the Tsongas Arena the night before Halloween. For the second time in a 8 day span, the River Hawks arguably outplayed one of the top 10 teams in the country, but lost a heartbreaker, just like they did at RPI the previous Friday night. The Hawks came out hot again in this one, scoring the first goal of the game just 1:15 in. Kevin Bertram's blast from the point got through a screened Ty Conklin to give the Hawks a 1-1 lead. Josh Allison and Chris Bell picked up assists, and the Hawks looked like they were on the way to ending UNH's 7 game winning streak between the two Hockey East rivals.
The first period went back and forth, and the Hawks had a couple of chances to add to the lead, but Wildcat standout goaltender Ty Conklin proved to be a brick wall in the net. So the Hawks took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission having outshot UNH 8-4. The Hawks were hoping to build on the lead in the second, and instead a lose puck found the stick of sophomore sensation Darren Haydar just 30 seconds into the period to tie the game. Both teams had chances to break the tie in the second, including 5-on-3 advantages for both sides, but neither could score. What looked like the tie breaking goal was called off, as the referee said the goal was off the posts. To the untrained eye, it seemed like the puck had been shot before a UNH player pushed a River Hawk into the net and the puck followed them in, but the goal was called off, and no penalty was called either.
The second period ended the same way it had begun, with the score tied at one. The Hawks and Wildcats combined for nine power plays in that period alone. The third period saw much of the same play as the first had. Lowell had many chances, but was repeatedly denied by Conklin. Finally freshman Patrick Foley got the game winner at 8:08 of the third, beating Lowell's Cam McCormick (15 saves on 17 shots). Another questionable call later in the third took away what seemed to be the tying goal as a scrum in front of the net appeared to result in the puck being in the net and the net being off its moorings. Even though it was obvious that at least a minor should have been called for delay of game, as the UNH player just pushed the net off its moorings, nothing was called on the play.
The game ended with the 2-1 score, even though Lowell outshot the Wildcats for the third straight period 11-5, and 29-17 for the game. The Hawks power play fell back into its season long rut (except for the 3-8 performance against Union), going o-9. Lowell did do a great job on UNH's 5 power plays, holding the Wildcats to a total of just three shots on the man advantage. The Hawks now begin a tough four game road trip, all against Hockey East opponents. The trip begins with the first game of the Alumni Cup against UMass Amherst Friday night, followed by games against BC, BU and Maine. If the Hawks can pull off two wins in that set ... it could be an interesting year for Lowell.
The River Hawks went into the Mullins Center hoping to pull out a win over pointless UMass Amherst in the first game of the Alumni Cup and barely even came away with a point. The Hawks played in a daze for most of the game, and the Minutemen made them pay, coming back to tie the game in the third to the satisfaction of the 2,647 in attendance. A lackadaisical first period resulted in a goal less period, as the teams played sloppy throughout. Both had opportunities, but couldn't convert. The Hawks found themselves on the power play to begin the second, and for the third time this year, gave up a short handed goal. A breakaway by senior Jeff Blanchard at 1:06 put the Minutemen up 1-0, and finally seemed to put a spark into the Hawks. Freshman Josh Reed scored his first career goal on the same power play at 2:14, tipping in a pass from John Campbell and Jeff Boulanger. Both teams took 11 shots in the period, and both also had four power play opportunities, but the only power play goal came on Reed's tip in.
The Hawks took the lead for the first time in the third period, as Brad Rooney scored his first goal of the year, getting assists from Yorick Treille and Ed McGrane at 1:03. But prosperity got to the Hawks, as they allowed the tying goal just 4 minutes later at 5:03, and that's how the game ended, a 2-2 tie. Jimi St. John stopped 27 shots for the Hawks, while standout Markus Helanen saved 31, including a couple of beautiful saves. Lowell was 1-6 on the power play, and held UMass to no goals in 6 opportunities. The second game of the Alumni Cup isn't till January 30 (Super Bowl Sunday) at Lowell.
Boston College extended their winning streak over the River Hawks to nine straight games, and in the process improved to 5-1, 3-0 in Hockey East. Even though Lowell (2-5-1, 1-2-1) knew that they couldn't afford to fall behind BC, it was 3-0 after thrd first period, and 2-0 just three minutes in. Brian Gionta's goal 53 seconds into the game made it 1-0, and a power play goal by the Eagles at 2:59 pretty much ended the game. The Hawks gave up another power play goal with just 29 seconds left in the period and were outshot 12-7 in the first. While the penalty kill let the Hawks down in the first, the power play continued its struggles in the second. Having opportunities to get back in the game, Lowell went 0-3 on the power play in the period. They did get an even strength goal from Nick Carso, his first of the year, unassisted at 6:42 to make it 3-1. The Hawks then immediately went on the power play, but it was lights out at 9:25 when BC connected for a breakaway short handed goal.
The Hawks outshot BC 11-9 in the second, but came away down 4-1. Out of those four goals, only one or two max could be blamed on Cam McCormick, who had no defensive help at times. The Hawks and Eagles played a quiet third period, not really testing either of the goalies. Even though Lowell was down by three goals, they only took three shots in the period, and were outshot for the game 28-21. Lowell once again had great chances, but they just can't put the puck in the net. On top of their offensive failures, their power play is just dreadful, succeeding 5 times in 57 attempts this year. They have given up almost as many shorthanded goals (4) as they have scored themselves on the power play (5). The Hawks now travel to Boston University on Friday night, having only won there twice since joining Division I.
The River Hawks struggles against the BU Terriers continued this past weekend, with the Hawks losing yet another tough game, 4-3. Lowell is now a miserable 7-43-4 against BU (6-3, 4-0) all time. The Hawks (2-6-1, 1-3-1) fell behind early in the first, giving up a power play goal just 4:14 into the game. Jimi St. John came out of his net too much, and left a wide open net for BU to shoot at, giving up a quick lead. The Hawks then did something they haven't done since the Union game, back on Oct 29. They scored twice in one period, in a span of three minutes. Jeff Boulanger notched his first of the year, during a 5-on-3 power play, receiving a perfect pass from Josh Reed at the point. John Campbell picked up the other assist. Fellow junior Kyle Kidney then gave the Hawks the lead at 19:22, as Boulanger passed it out of his zone to Chris Bell who found Kidney skinging in from the opposite wing. Kidney's first shot was stopped, but the rebound was banged in for his second of the year. The Hawks were finally rewarded for having outshot an opponent, as they wound up taking 13 shots to just 8 for BU.
The second period worked the same way for the Hawks, outshooting BU again by a 13-8 margin, but the scoreboard belonged to BU. The game was tied up at 4:41 on a rebound goal, and then took the lead at 11:55 on a backhand shot. Coach Tim Whitehead then pulled St. John, hoping to get his team to wake up, and it seemed to work right off the bat, as the Hawks tied the game once again, with yet another freshman picking up his first goal. Mark Concannon picked up a rebound from a shot by Ron Hainsey, just 41 seconds later and deposited it in the net. Nick Carso got credit for the second assist at 12:36. But the Hawks then gave up the game winner just over a minute later at 13:38 as the defense coughed up the puck right in front, and Cam McCormick had no chance to stop it. BU freshmen goalkeeper Ricky DiPietro made that lead stand for the rest of the game, stopping two breakaway attempts as well as a 3-on-1 break. He finished with 29 saves, while St. John finished with 11 and McCormick with 6. The Hawks went 1 for 5 on the power play, and allowed BU one power play goal in 4 attempts. This was the seventh time this year that Lowell has outshot it's opponents. Amazingly, they have lost four of those games. It doesn't get any easier this coming weekend, as Lowell heads to Maine to play the #2 Black Bears, followed by a home game against archrival Merrimack on Sunday afternoon. That home game will be the first at the Tsongas Arena in three weeks for the road weary Hawks. After the Maine game, Lowell will have played only 3 of it's first 10 on home ice.
The Bears then woke up in the third period, but Lowell goalie Cam McCormick was sharp and kept the Hawks in the game. McCormick stopped 15 shots in the third period alone, but two did get by him. Two rebound goals just 12 seconds apart, at 10:04 and at 10:16, proved to be the game winners for the Black Bears. Lowell was held to just four shots in the period, and had no power play advantages in the period either. It was Lowell's 6th loss of the year in which the Hawks had only scored once. McCormick played well for the Hawks, finishing the night with 31 saves. The Hawks loss could once again be blamed on the lack of power play production, as Lowell went 0-6 on the power play in the game.
The River Hawks played their first home game in three weeks on a Sunday afternoon against Merrimack. A crowd of 2,285 was hoping to see the Hawks break a winless streak that had extrended to 5 games (0-4-1 in the time span). But the Hawks offense continued its horrendous play in this one. In a tight first period, Lowell (2-8-1, 1-5-1) fell behind 2-0 allowing goals at 10:07 and at 17:56. While Jimi St. John was beaten twice in the period, Merrimack's Cris Classen was on his way to a great outing for the Warriors. Merrimack (5-5-1, 3-3-1) allowed 9 shots in the period, but held the Hawks scoreless. The Hawks kept the pressure up in the second and third periods, taking 16 shots in each, but were unable to beat Classen. Lowell took 43 shots in the game, but Classen kept every one out of the net. The Hawks went 0-2 on the power play, taking 5 shots, but not able to dent the net on either. Lowell has now outshot their opponents 8 times this year, and yet have lost 5 of those games. The Hawks stay at home Thanksgiving weekend, hosting the City of Lights Tournament. Lowell will play UConn the first night and depending on how they fare, they will play against either Air Force or Yale Saturday night.
The first annual City of Lights Tournament started off with Air Force upsetting Yale 2-0. The River Hawks then had the stage to themselves playing against UConn, which was in its second year in Division I. The Hawks came into the game averaging a paltry 1.9 goals per game and on a six game winless streak. The Huskies (2-7-0) proved to be the cure for the Hawks offense. Lowell (3-8-1) delighted the home crowd of 2,220 by scoring the most goals they had ever scored in Division I. Lowell came out firing early in this one, scoring at the 4:12 mark. It was Lowell's first goal in almost 120 minutes. Senior Chris Bell picked up the rebound off a shot by Jeff Boulanger (Kevin Bertram got the other assist) for his third of the year. The puck never seemed to leave the UConn zone for most of the period, and at 7:59 while the Hawks had the extra skater for a delayed penalty, freshman Andy Wozniewski got his first collegiate goal taking a shot from the point. Bell and Josh Allison picked up the assists. At 10:53 Bell received a breakout pass from Tom Rouleau and after a great move against the boards to lose a defenseman, he then passed to Boulanger on a 2-on-1 for Boulanger's second goal of the year.
The first period ended with that 3-0 score, and Lowell having outshot UConn 16-3. Lowell didn't back off the pedal in the second, adding five more goals, and taking 17 more shots against the undermanned Huskies. Chris Gustafson notched his second of the year (from Dan Fontas and Ed McGrane) at 6:02, Josh Reed also got his second of the year (McGrane and Ron Hainsey) at 11:22. Just 90 seconds later freshman Stephen Slonina made a great move on a partial breakaway to gain his first collegiate goal (Hainsey and Carso). After UConn finally got on the board at 17:15, Lowell officially put the game away thanks to sophomore Yorick Treille. Treille scored twice in a 27 second span late in the period, at 19:09 after stealing the puck away right in front of the net, and then again at 19:36 (from Boulanger and Bertram). Treille then completed the natural hat trick at 2:48 of the third, a short handed goal from Fontas. It was Treille's first career hat trick. At 5:41, Hainsey's second of the year (Reed and Bell) put the Hawks at double digits, but they weren't done yet. Freshman McGrane scored his second of the year at 7:38 (Fontas and Wozniewski) and Boulanger's second of the game at 9:55 (Rouleau and Bell) made it 12-1. The Hawks added one more for good measure, as Chris Bell completed a six point night (Boulanger and Rouleau) at 17:36.
Amazingly even with the final score of 13-1, Lowell didn't score a power play goal, going 0-2 in the game. McCormick only faced 15 shots, making 14 saves. Lowell took 48 shots in the game, got goals by five different freshmen. The line of Bell, Boulanger and Rouleau had an incredible night combining for four goals and 10 assists. Seven different players had at least 3 points in Lowell's offensive explosion. Freshman goaltender Dan Weinreib saw his first collegiate action, stopping all three shots he faced in the third period. Lowell will now play Air Force for the Championship Trophy.
The championship game of the City of Lights Tournament pitted Lowell against a game Air Force Falcon (7-6-1) squad that represented itself well in the tournament. The Hawks (4-8-1) offense slumped again in the first, outshooting Air Force 12-4, but unable to get the puck in the net. All-Tournament goaltender Marc Kielkucki made some outstanding saves keeping his team in the game early. The first Lowell power play goal since the BU game back on Nov 12, gave the Hawks a 1-0 lead at 15:53 of the second. Kevin Bertram's third of the year on a blast from just inside the blue line finally got by Kielkucki, who was screened on the play. It was Lowell's 7th power play goal of the year, in 75 attempts John Campbell and Jeff Boulanger were credited with the assists on the goal. The goal seemed to wake up the Hawks, showing that they could beat the Air Force goalie, but then they couldn't beat the post. Yorick Treille continued his great play on the weekend, stealing the puck in the corner and feeding Dan Fontas point blank, who partially fanned on the shot sending it wide. Both Kyle Kidney and Ed McGrane hit the post before the period ended, leaving the 1,967 in attendance nervous about the outcome.
Lowell outshot Air Force 7-2 in the period, and was at 19-6 thru 2, but only led 1-0. Kidney then hit the post again early in the third, hinting that the Lowell offense was slumping again. But Treille wouldn't allow it. He broke in on the wing after receiving a great pass from Ron Hainsey at 5:50 to make it 2-0. Josh Reed picked up the other assist. Air Force made a game of it at 11:53 on the power play, but a 2-on-1 break just 45 seconds later provided the final margin. Kidney sent in Nick Carso and Mark Concannon, and Carso's pass was on the mark for Concannon's second of the year.
McCormick only needed to make 13 saves, while Kielkucki finished with 31. Joining Kielkucki on the All-Tournament team were Lowell Defensemen Kevin Bertram and Chris Gustafson, UConn forward Matt Herhal, and Lowell forwards Chris Bell and Tournament MVP Yorick Treille. Yale beat UConn in the consolation game. This was Lowell's first two game winning streak of the year, and they will look to continue it playing in a weekend series against UNH.
The UMass Lowell River Hawks were hoping to build on a successful performance at their City of Lights Tournament, but had to play 4th ranked UNH in a weekend series to make that happen. Lowell played yet another tough game, and lost once again to a nationally ranked team, 3-2. The River Hawks (4-9-1, 1-6-1) were dominated for most of the first period by the high flying Wildcats (11-2-1, 6-0-1) but were kept in the game by Cam McCormick (who finished with 27 saves). Late in the first period UNH finally got on the score board thanks to a 2-on-1 break at 14:37. The score was the only one of the first period, and Lowell managed just five shots in the first 20 minutes. Early in the second period, UNH doubled their lead, thanks to a Lowell turnover at the blue line at 1:47. This seemed to wake Lowell up, as they picked up their play after the goal.
Finally Yorick Treille notched his team leading 6th goal of the year at 16:46 to make it a 2-1 game. Treille wound up with an easy goal, as both Kevin Bertram and Dan Fontas were fighting for the puck on the right goal post and it popped to an open Treille who had the empty net to shoot at. Both teams took 11 shots in the period, but could only get one goal a piece out of them. UNH then withstood a Lowell attack in the third, where they outshot UNH 10-6. Darren Haydar was stopped by a beautiful glove stop late in the third, but got a second chance on a breakaway moments later, and put the game away, to the merriment of a sell out crowd of 6,266. His goal at 18:19 made it 3-1, and even though Tom Rouleau would notch his first goal of the year with the extra skater at 19:53 (assists going to Chris Bell and John Campbell), Lowell had lost another Hockey East contest. The game was a clean game, each team only having two power play attempts. Lowell would have to face UNH at home the next night, hoping to avoid the season sweep.
UMass Lowell came home to play what proved to be a road game at the Tsongas Arena on Saturday night. The UNH Wildcats (12-2-1, 7-0-1) fans showed up in droves for this one, but were stunned early in the game as Lowell (4-10-, 1-7-1) picked up a quick goal just 2:32 into the game. UNH's Ty Conklin went behind the net to play the puck and Lowell freshman Ed McGrane poked the puck away from him. Fellow freshman Geoff Schomogyi picked up the puck, skated around the net and put in the empty net goal, as Conklin was totally out of position. It was Schomgyi second goal of the year and gave Lowell the quick 1-0 lead. The Hawks then had a couple of other golden opportunities saved by Conklin. The UNH fans finally had something to celebrate at 9:21 as Corey-Joe Ficek came steaming in on net, had his original shot blocked but in bounced right back to him for an easy goal. There was no further scoring in the period, as each team finished with 11 first period shots.
The second period was just as tightly contested, with both goalies having to come up with huge saves. A quick whistle by referee Fitzgerald cost Lowell a goal on a loose puck in the goal mouth, and that seemed to change the momentum in favor of UNH. A questionable elbowing call on Kyle Kidney ended the period for Lowell with them playing one man down. UNH took advantage early in the third, with Darren Haydar scoring in almost the same fashion as Ficek, as his original shot was blocked, but the rebound came right back to him. The goal at 0:36 gave UNH the lead they would never relinquish, and after a costly turnover by R.J. Tolan in the Lowell zone just over 3 minutes later it was 3-1 UNH. The River Hawks would then pick up a rare power play goal, as Kevin Bertram notched his fourth goal of the year, and third on the power play, on a blast from inside the left point. Brad Rooney and Yorick Treille picked up the assists at 9:44. Late in the third, with Lowell trying desperately to tie up the game, senior Chris Bell's lazy pass at the blue line was picked up by Mike Souza, who found John Sadowski with an easy goal, and the final 4-2 margin was set. Cam McCormick had another good game, with 29 saves, and was left out to dry on two goals. Lowell took 29 shots on Conklin, but were only able to get 2 by him. Both teams wound up 1-4 on the power play. Lowell must now make their northern New York road trip to play ECAC foes Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
When you're a young team, often you play out a season with a learning curve. The curve usually works like a dancer, one step forward, two steps back. This weekend, Lowell took a step forward for thirty minutes of hockey ... and then just fell off the dance floor for the remainder of the weekend. The River Hawks (4-11-2) went to play a Clarkson (4-7-3) team that hadn't won a home game all year. The River Hawks came out trying to prove that they were much better than their record, and for a while they did, stunning the crowd of 2,703 at the Cheel Arena. After a Clarkson defenseman lost control of the pick, Stephen Slonina found Nick Carso breaking in on a two-on-one with Mark Concannon. Carso's centering pass was placed perfectly by Concannon, for the freshman's third goal of the year at 2:51.
The Hawks had a chance to increase the lead around the midway mark of the period as they found themselves on a power play, but gave up their fifth shorthanded goal of the year on a breakaway, tying the game at one. Lowell gave up 16 shots in the period, but Cam McCormick did a great job in the nets to keep Clarkson to just one goal. The Hawks, who took 11 shots themselves in the first, then came out firing in the second. On a power play to start off the period, Chris Bell fired the puck to the point, where Josh Reed dumped the puck off the back boards, and a fortunate bounce found Tom Rouleau at the side of the net for his second of the year just 55 seconds in. Later in the second, the Hawks made it 3-1 as both John Campbell and Jeff Boulanger took shots that were blocked, but once again a fortunate bounce got the puck to Brad Rooney with an empty net. Rooney's goal at 10:33 was his second of the year. The Hawks then quickly found themselves on the power play, and notched their second power play goal of the game, as Kevin Bertram's blast from the point made it 4-1. It was Bertram's fifth of the year, fourth on the power play, at 11:32, with assists going to Rooney and Yorick Treille. The Scarlet Knights then pulled the goalie, and Lowell then fell asleep. The Hawks gave up two goals before the end of the peroid, both on deflections, and all of a sudden it was 4-3. The Knights then came out to play in the third period, full of confidence, and they peppered McCormick with 15 shots. The game tying goal came at 6:59 on a three-on-two, which strangely became a two-on-none, and at 12:55 Clarkson finally took the lead and the game. A final two-on-one break at 18:30 provided the final 6-4 score. Lowell was outshot 42-26, and were lucky to give up only 6 goals, as McCormick played well in net. Lowell did go 2 for 3 on the power play, and held Clarkson to 1-4.
The River Hawks then headed to St. Lawrence on Saturday night to face the Saints at the Appleton Arena. The Hawks (4-12-1) pulled out ahead for the third straight game, as freshman Stephen Slonina broke in and made a beautiful move before putting the puck in the net. Slonina's goal at 8:11 (with assists going to Brad Rooney and Kevin Bertram) gave Lowell the lead, which it held for less than three minutes. A rebound goal at 11:08 tied up the game to the joy of the 2,105 in attendance, and then just 24 seconds later it was 2-1 Saints, on a shot from inside the point by St. Lawrence's Mike Gellard. The Hawks were outshot 13-9 in the period and were kept in the game again by Cam McCormick, who played well for Lowell. Charlie Daniels got his second of the night, and the eventual game winner, at 5:20 of the second, after a defensive lapse got the puck to Daniels just outside the crease alone with McCormick. That goal seemed to wake up the Hawks, who seemed to realize that losing another game before the break could be a killer. But St. Lawrence's Jeremy Symington held off all 10 Lowell shots, and the period ended with the Hawks trailing 3-1.
Lowell came out firing once again in the third, and saw an immediate result, as Chris Bell got his fifth of the year just 48 seconds in, with an assist for Chris Gustafson. Pulling within a goal should have had the Hawks smelling blood, but Lowell wound up just taking three more shots during the entire period, and even though McCormick held SLU at bay, the Hawks wound up losing 3-2. Lowell pulled their goalie with 1:30 to go and on a power play, but never managed a shot even with a 6-on-4 advantage. Lowell was outshot for the game 27-23, and lost for the fourth straight time and fifth in their last eighth time in their last ten games. The Hawks are now off for Christmas break till December 30, when they host Brown in the last Lowell game before the Millenium.
The River Hawks began the second half of the schedule with what seemed like an easy game against the Brown Bears. The Bears came into the game with only one win on the year, and Lowell had been feasting on teams that were playing that bad this year. The Hawks (4-13-1), who started freshman Dan Weinreib for the first time in his collegiate career, were expected to come out firing to prove that the first half of the season was a fluke. Instead they came out flat and emotionless. The Hawks had chances midway through a lackluster first period, only to be denied by Brown goaltender Scott Sterling. Finally at 19:15 the Hawks got on the board, as Kevin Kotyluk notched his first goal of the year. Ed McGrane started the play with a pass to Brad Rooney who found himself right in front of the net. Sterling quickly dove out and poke checked the puck away, but directly to Kotyluk who shot before Sterling could get back in net.
The first period ended with Lowell holding a 1-0 lead and having outshot the Bears 11-8. The Hawks increased their lead at 7:25 on a three on two rush, in which a Bears defenseman kicked in a rebound off a Chris Bell shot. It was Bell's 50th goal of his career, and sixth of the season, with assists going to Josh Reed and John Campbell. The Hawks then began (what is now becoming expected) to fade away. Just three minutes later at 10:28 Brown got on the board on a power play. The Hawks outshot the Bears 14-8 in the period but couldn't add to their lead. Midway through the third, at 9:53, Brown tied the game. A Bear defenseman had the puck in the slot with no defender around, and he beat the helpless Weinreib to make it a 2-2 game. A stunned crowd of 1,770 then saw the Bears score the game winner at 15:32 during a two on one. Weinreib played will in the loss, finishing with 19 saves on 22 shots. The Hawks outshot Brown 30-22, but lost once again after outshooting their opponents. Lowell gets back into Hockey East play next weekend with road games against Northeastern and Merrimack.
A huge Hockey East tilt at Matthews Arena turned into yet another nightmare for the River Hawks, as they lost their sixth straight game, 2-1 in over time. The six game losing streak is the longest in almost three years for the Hawks (4-14-1, 1-8-1) who fell into last place in the league. A very entertaining game throughout, the Hawks and Huskies (9-8-2, 5-4-2) battled through a scoreless first period. Lowell had the best chances of the first period, including a 2-on-0 break, in which Lowell never got a good shot off.
The Hawks took the lead just 46 seconds into the second period, as Chris Bell dropped a pass back to Mark Concannon at the right side of the crease. Concannon's shot was stopped, but the rebound found Tom Rouleau for his third goal of the year. The assist was Bell's 100th point of his career. Cam McCormick made that lead stand through the remainder of the period, stopping all 11 shots he faced, for a two period total of 19. The Huskies came out firing in the third, outshooting Lowell 12-1 in the first eight minutes, which included the game tying goal on a diving tip in by Craig Mischler at 5:35 on the power play. McCormick stood on his head the remainder of the period, giving his team a chance to win the game. He made an amazing 24 saves during the third period alone, as Lowell was outshot 25-8. The last 5 minutes found the Hawks shorthanded almost constantly, including two five on three opportunities that lasted a combined 59 seconds. Northeastern couldn't get the game winner past McCormick though and had to go to OT. The Huskies began the extra period still on a power play, but couldn't put the puck in the net.
Finally at 3:49, the Huskies sent the crowd of 1,642 home happy as Mike Jozefowicz' shot through a screen found the back of the net. The Hawks wasted a splendid performance by McCormick who finished with 47 saves on the game, while the Hawks only took 25 shots. Northeastern was held to 1 for 7 on the power play, while the Hawks went 0 for 5.
The UMass Lowell River Hawks went into their game against hated-rival Merrimack College knowing that they were in last place in Hockey East and desperately needed a win. With UMass Amherst's sweep of Providence, the Minutemen had jumped two points ahead of the Hawks for the eighth and final playoff spot. A sparse crowd of 982 saw an entertaining game in which Lowell goaltender Cam McCormick once again was the difference. The game began slowly as both teams tried to figure out what the others game plan was. The Hawks special teams finally made a dent in a game for Lowell, as the power play, with a success (if you could call it that) rate of 9.9% scored the first goal of the game. Dan Fontas got his first goal of the year, blasting a shot past a screened Cris Classen, with assists going to Yorick Treille and Josh Reed. The Hawks outshot Merrimack 12-6 in the period, which has usually been a bad sign for Lowell this year.
It was 2-0 quickly in the second, as Kevin Bertram blasted his sixth goal of the year by Classen, after Nick Carso had won the faceoff back to Bertram. Unfortunately Lowell once again fell apart after building a lead. Just 26 seconds later, Lowell found itself short handed, and at 4:37 it was 2-1, thank to fabulous freshman Anthony Aquino's ninth of the year (on the other hand, no Lowell player has more than 7). McCormick once again helped hold on to the lead though, making a couple of great saves, including one diving from one side of the net to stop an open goal bid by the Warriors. The Huskies put 15 shots on net in the period, but only got one by McCormick. The Hawks propensity to take bad penalties continued though, and with Merrimack on the power play again early in the third, Tony White tied the game at 2 at 3:56. But this time, McCormick would not let his team lose. For the second straight period the sophomore netminder made 14 saves, and the game remained tied after regulation.
For the second game in a row, Lowell went to OT, but this time they received a much better result. Reed from the left point passed the puck to Tom Rouleau, who skated out of the left corner and shot towards the net. The play, which wasn't a shot, but a pass right onto the stick of a wide open Chris Bell was redirected into the net for the game winner, and Bell's seventh of the year. The senior has now put together a five game point streak, including three goals in that time span. McCormick received the well deserved win, finishing with 34 saves, and 81 for the weekend (on 84 shots, a 96.4% save rate). The Hawks are now tied with Amherst for the last playoff spot, but UMass Amherst has two games in hand. The River Hawks head to Boston College next Friday night, for their only game of the weekend.
For a change, things were looking up. The Boston College Eagles (12-6-1, 6-5-1 in Hockey East) were coming off a heart breaking loss to hated rival BU, while the River Hawks (5-15-1, 2-9-1) were coming off a thrilling OT win at Merrimack. The Hawks had all the momentum to finally end their nine game losing streak to the Eagles. Unfortunately for Lowell and to the joy of the 5,873 in attendance at the Conte Forum, BC didn't read the script. The Eagles came out flying to start the game, and a terrible defensive breakdown at 6:19 allowed Blake Bellefeuille to walk in alone on Cam McCormick, making it 1-0 BC. The post and McCormick helped keep it just a 1-0 game, as the goaltender stopped 10 shots and the post stopped one. Lowell's tendency to take bad penalties continued in the second, as Jeff Farkas made it 2-0 on the power play at 7:21. The Hawks attempted to make a game of it, as Kevin Bertram notched his seventh of the year at 8:45, his team leading fifth power play goal of the year. Bertram's blast from the point was assisted by Chris Bell and Ed McGrane. The Eagles quickly regained their two goal lead just 31 seconds later, thanks once again to the defense just falling apart. While McCormick couldn't be blamed for any of the first three goals, the next one at 12:37 was badly played as a harmless looking shot found the back of the net as the sophomore goaltender went down too early. Coach Tim Whitehead then pulled McCormick at 13:52, hoping to provide a spark for his team, and it worked. Just 54 seconds later, the Hawks made it 4-2, thanks to Bertram's second goal of the night. The senior snuck in from the point, and Yorick Treille's picture perfect pass was slammed into the goal. John Campbell also assisted on Bertram's team leading eighth goal of the year. Dan Weinreib wasn't really tested for the next few minutes, but at 19:10, he gave up a bad goal, allowing a tough angle shot to get by him on a 4-on-3 BC power play. That made it 5-2, and in essence shut the lights off for the Hawks.
Lowell was outshot 22-13 through two periods, and a meaningless goal at 2:02 by BC capped the scoring, helping bring McCormick back into the game. The Hawks had a couple of great chances during the third, but the goal scoring slump continued for the forwards. The Hawks faced 27 shots, McCormick making 19 saves and Weinreib just 2. Lowell was 1-8 on the power play, adding to their season long slump, and gave up 2 power play goals in 5 chances.
UMass Lowell came home for the first time in the new millenium to fact the BU Terriers (14-6-4, 9-1-4), who were ranked #6 in the country. This game had bad signs showing from even before the puck was dropped. The River Hawks (5-16-1, 2-10-1) had lost 20 straight games to nationally ranked teams. They were in last place in Hockey East. They were on the verge of matching their worst record ever. They had scored two goals or fewer in 15 of their 21 games this season. And the signs proved correct. The snake bit River Hawks were shut out by freshman sensation Ricky DiPietro, for his first collegiate shutout, 5-0. The Hawks and Terriers, playing in front of one of the largest home crowds this year (3,369) both were sloppy in the first. Both teams had chances but DiPietro and Lowell's Cam McCormick came up big time after time. Lowell outshot BU 9-7, and the first period ended scoreless. It stayed that way till after the midpoint of the second, when Lowell playing two men shorthanded, gave up their first power play goal of the game at 13:40. BU had been having problems on the man advantage (2 of its last 21), but opened up in this game. Just 17 seconds later, with the second Hawk still in the box, it was 2-0, another power play goal. The Hawks had two golden opportunities to get on the board but were stoned both times by DiPietro.
In the third, Lowell had a five on three of their own beginning at the 5:05 mark for over a minute, but the wall stayed intact in front of the net. At 9:52, a badly misplayed puck by McCormick left an easy empty net goal for BU making it 3-0. The Terriers would add two more power play goals, at 12:55 and 19:58, to provide the final 5-0 score. The Hawks were shutout, and looked really bad in the process, but not according to BU Coach Jack Parker. Parker stated after the game, "I absolutely, positively know that Lowell's not as bad as their record." But that record has them solely in last place in Hockey East, a location they have only ended the year in once, in 1989. The Hawks play a non conference game at Princeton on Sunday, hoping to get something going before the remainder of the Hockey East slate is finished.
The Princeton Tigers played host to the River Hawks for a Sunday afternoon tilt at the Hobey Baker Rink in Princeton, NJ. The River Hawks (6-16-1, 2-10-1) pulled off a slight upset defeating the Tigers (6-8-3, 4-3-3 ECAC) by a final score of 6-2. The Hawks got on the board early with Ed McGrane gaining a power play tally at 4:48. Chris Bell and Ron Hainsey assisted on the freshman's third goal of the year. Fellow freshman Stephen Slonina made it 2-0 at 8:54 with his third of the year, assisted by Kevin Kotyluk. The Hawks outshot the Tigers 18-2 in the first period of Princeton's first game after finals and the winter break. A power play goal at 2:33 of the second made it 2-1 Lowell, and then early in the third Princeton tied it at 1:43. This had been the point when the Hawks had been falling apart this season, but not this time. The Hawks got a short handed goal at 3:56 from senior captain Chris Bell (his eighth of the year) at 3:56. It was only Lowell's second short handed goal this year, and was assisted by Tom Rouleau. The 3-2 lead was enough for Cam McCormick, who stopped 11 shots in the period, and 19 for the game.
The Hawks blew open the game at 12:52, with Kyle Kidney also getting his third of the year, from Craig Brown and Slonina. Just over a minute later at 14:14, the Hawks got their second short handed goal of the night, as the participants from the first one switched rolls. Rouleau scored his fourth of the year, and was assisted by Bell. Senior Craigh Brown provided the final tally at 18:45, making it 6-2 Lowell, with assists from Dan Fontas and McGrane. Lowell was 1-6 on the power play, and held Princeton to 1-9, while getting two short handed goals of their own. Lowell now goes back into the Hockey East schedule, playing two make or break games, one Friday night at Providence and then Super Bowl Sunday at home against UMass Amherst.
The River Hawks, fresh off scoring their highest goal output in almost three months, went to the Schneider Arena to play the free falling Providence Friars (12-13-1, 4-10-0). The Hawks (7-16-1, 3-10-1) won their second game in a row for onlt the third time this year, beating PC 7-2. It was Lowell's highest Hockey East output of the year.
The Hawks just wanted this game more than the demoralized Friars, who seem to have just fallen apart since senior Jerry Keefe left the program. The Hawks got on the board just 4:54 into the game as freshman Ed McGrane's blast from the left circle found the back of the net. Yorick Treille and Dan Fontas assisted on McGrane's 4th of the year. The game was tied just under 10 minutes later as the Friars got a power play goal of a Lowell defenseman's stick at 14:46. Lowell went ahead for good right before the end of the period, as Chris Gustafson's low shot found its way through the crowd at 19:41. The assists went to Jeff Boulanger and Brad Rooney. The Hawks outshot PC 17-2 in the first period, and were up just 2-1. A scoreless second period in which both teams took 8 shots kept the game at 2-1.
The Hawks then came out flying in the third period. Tom Rouleau's fifth goal of the year at 1:10 made it 3-1. Rouleau's rebound goal, on the power play, was assisted by McGrane and Fontas. At 4:34 with the Friars on the power play, the senior Craig Brown completed a perfect two-on-one with Kyle Kidney, for a shorthanded goal that made it 4-1. Lowell just kept the heat on the Friars, making it 5-1 at 7:19. On the power play, Treille put in a rebound goal for his seventh of the year (and first in 10 games), resulting in PC pulling their goalie. The Hawks had no sympathy for freshman goalie Jamie Vanek who was inserted into his first collegiate game. Vanek was lit up for a goal just 44 seconds later, as Josh Allison recorded his first collegiate goal on a shot from the point. That power play goal, assisted by Rooney and Kidney, made it 6-1. The Hawks would give up a two man shorthanded goal at 16:18, but score one on another power play just 36 seconds later, as John Campbell got his third of the year, with assists again going to Rooney and Kidney. The Hawks wound up outshooting PC 35-22 in a penalty filled game (91 minutes in total). Lowell was 3-11 on the power play, while the Friars were 2-10. Lowell's five goals in the third period alone was more than they had scored in all but three games. The Hawks will try and win their third game in a row against UMass Amherst at home Sunday.
The Minutemen of UMass Amherst (10-13-3, 4-10-2) came into the Tsongas Arena needing a win to keep their chances of winning the Alumni Cup alive. With a tie in their first game (2-2 on Nov 5 in Amherst) the Hawks only needed a win to keep the Cup for the second straight year. Lowell (8-16-1, 4-10-1) was also looking to win three games in a row for the first time this year, as well as back to back league games for the first time this year. Surprisingly, with both teams fighting for playoff spots, the first period was a snoozer. The teams combined for 9 shots (Lowell having 5 of those), with only a couple of really good opportunities included in those 9. The Hawks finally realized the stakes involved with winning this game, hopping into the last playoff spot over Providence, and came to play in the second. The announced crowd of 1,834 (half of whom were noticeable by their absence) was awakened just 40 seconds in as Tom Rouleau notched his sixth of the year, picking up a rebound goal. Mark Concannon got the puck to Chris Bell who fanned on his first shot attempt from about 20 feet, but the puck stayed with him and his second shot was blocked by Markus Helanen right onto Rouleau's stick.
The Hawks kept up the pressure, but weren't able to add to the lead till finally at 11:18, Mark Concannon's fourth goal of the year made it 2-0. Right at the end of a power play, Dan Fontas' pass found Yorick Treille who lost the puck, right to Concannon. Concannon roofed the puck and gave the Hawks some much needed breathing room. The Minutemen then had their best flurry of the night, taking a variety of great shots at Cam McCormick during a 5-3 power play but McCormick was up to the challenge. He stonewalled the Amherst offense, and the Hawks left the period with a 2-0 lead and a 21-13 shot advantage. The Hawks tried to put the game away in the third, but Helanen made some great saves keeping his team in it. Finally at 15:09 Brad Rooney made it 3-0 on a screen shot, Rooney's third of the year. Seniors Chris Bell and John Campbell got the assists on the final goal of the game. McCormick picked up his first collegiate shutout, stopping all 17 shots he faced. The sophomore goaltender has posted a 1.33 GAA during Lowell's three game winning streak, with a 93.3% save rate. The Hawks moved into eighth place in Hockey East with their win, but will host Boston College next Friday night before heading to Amherst for the rematch next Sunday.