LOWELL, Mass. – UMass Lowell freshman goaltender Garrett Metcalf (Salt Lake City, Utah) has been named the River Hawk of the Week after stopping 34 of 36 shots (.944 sv%) in his collegiate debut, a 2-2 overtime tie against UConn in the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
The "River Hawk of the Week" is chosen each week in voting by the UMass Lowell Athletic Communications staff. It honors the top athlete, male or female, based on performance during the previous week of competition.
"It was a solid game for him," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "You want it to go that was for a young goalie."
The key moment in the hockey game may have been a save Metcalf made in denying a Jesse Schwartz late in the third period. Schwartz, positioned on the left edge of the crease, appeared to have an open net to shoot at after corralling a deflected shot, but the 6-foot, 4-inch Metcalf dove across the goalmouth to block the shot with his stick. The save kept the scored knotted at two.
"I dove with my stick and I guess a blind squirrel finds a nut every once in a while," said Metcalf.
The tie gave the River Hawks their only point during the weekend. UMass Lowell with a 8-5-3 record is ranked in the Top Ten in both national polls and sits in a three way third place tie in Hockey East with a 4-3-1 conference record.
UMass Lowell returns to action, and the Tsongas Center, on Friday, December 9th as the River Hawks host Merrimack. The two teams will complete their weekend home-and-home series Saturday, 7:05pm, at the Lawler Rink in North Andover.
Tickets for all River Hawks home hockey games are on sale now. UMass Lowell students receive free admission by scanning their ID as part of the "River Hawk Rewards" campaign. Tickets can be purchased at the Tsongas Center Box Office, which is open Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. during the week. Fans can also purchase tickets online at TsongasCenter.com or by calling 866-722-8780.
The UMass Lowell Athletic Department is also selling season, mini-pack and group tickets at this time. Packages can be purchased online at TsongasCenter.com or by contacting Christine Maurais (christine_maurais@uml.edu; 978-934-2181) or Ryan Leach (ryan_leach@uml.edu; 978-934-6280).
