Jan. 15, 2010

Box Score

The #14/15 UMass Lowell River Hawks (12-8-2, 6-5-2 HE) suffered a hard fought loss, 3-2, at #19 UMass Amherst (13-8-0, 8-6-0 HE) on Friday night. Despite a goal and an assist from Jeremy Dehner (Madison, WI) the River Hawks' fell, snapping a four-game unbeaten streak in the Mullins Center.

UMass Lowell will have a shot at revenge as they host the Minutemen tomorrow night at 7 p.m. in the first home game of 2010.

"I like the way we played," said head coach Blaise MacDonald. "We got better and better as the game went on, kept the puck down low. UMass was fatigued, you could see them just hanging on. We just couldn't get any puck-luck to get that next goal in."

The River Hawks got off on the wrong foot, having to kill back-to-back Minutemen power plays early in the game. While UMass Lowell was able to blank the first, UMass Amherst broke down the defense on the second for a score at 6:59 into the opening period. With the River Hawks packed in close to the net, Justin Braun (Vadnais Heights, MN) got the puck into traffic and was able to set up Will Ortiz (Framingham, MA) with a quick pass and tap in for his 11th goal of the season. The early score gave the Minutemen momentum and a 1-0 lead.

UMass Lowell's best opportunity to tie the game in the first came near the 15 minute mark on a nice play by Michael Budd (Burlington, Ont.) and Paul Worthington (Langhorne, PA). Budd handled the puck behind the goal and caught Worthington streaking towards the net. The pass was nearly perfect, but Worthington was heavily defended and his shot ringed off of the post.

The River Hawks came alive in the second, starting with an excellent power play effort that rebuilt their confidence and capped by a coast-to-coast score from Dehner. On an even-strength clear by UMass Amherst, Dehner chased down the puck and brought it behind the Lowell net to gain control. The senior defenseman then carried the puck all the way up ice, weaving through the Minutemen defense, eventually reeling off a shot that appeared to catch goalie Paul Dainton (Genelle, B.C.) by surprise. Dehner's fourth goal of the season, top left shelf, knotted the score at one goal each at 10:06 into the middle stanza.

The start of the third period took a bad turn for the River Hawks as the Amherst broke the tie, taking a 2-1 lead on a put-back goal by James Marcou (Kings Park, NY). On a three-on-two Minutemen rush, Casey Wellman (Brentwood, CA) beat Nevin Hamilton (Ashland, MA) far-side, but his shot caught iron instead of mesh. Despite the initial lucky break, the puck bounced to the center of the crease for an easy tap in by Marcou just 40 seconds into the period.

UMass Lowell persevered despite the dwindling time on the clock as Chris Auger (Belleville, Ont.) scored with 5:06 left in regulation. Dehner controlled the puck in the far corner and shifted it to David Vallorani (Hamilton, Ont.) behind the net. Vallorani carried it around to the near post and sent a perfect pass to Auger crashing on the weak-side. Auger's sixth goal of the year tied the game back up at 2-2.

The good feelings were short lived as Worthington was whistled for interference moments later, setting up a power play goal by Michael Marcou (Kings Park, NY) with 2:19 remaining. Brett Watson (Media, PA) got in close to the net and the puck bounced like a pinball before finding Watson on the weak-side for the score. The defensive-minded Marcou's goal gave the Minutemen the lead, 3-2, and eventually the win.

Hamilton excelled in net, stopping 35-of-38 shots and making several difficult saves to keep the River Hawks in the game. The loss dropped Hamilton to 5-3-2 on the season. UMass Amherst's Dainton was solid as well; picking up the win with 31 saves to improve to 11-7-0 on the campaign.

For the night, the River Hawks went 0-for-5 on the power play and 4-for-5 on the penalty kill. The Minutemen outshot UMass Lowell, 38-33.