Jan. 8, 2010

Box Score

The #14 UMass Lowell River Hawks (11-7-2, 5-4-2 HE) failed to hold their third period lead, but managed a 2-2 tie with New Hampshire (8-7-4, 8-2-3 HE) on Friday night. The tie lands UMass Lowell a point in the Hockey East standings, moving into a tie with UMass Amherst for fourth place in the conference with 12 points.

The Wildcats wasted no time, opening the scoring thanks to a precarious bounce in front of the UMass Lowell net just 1:47 into the game. Matt Campanale (Chester Springs, PA) received a pass from Greg Burke (Lee, NH) and Mike Borisenok (Watervliet, NY) and took a shot from the top of the far circle that hit a River Hawk defenseman. Despite the block, the puck bounced erratically towards the net which caught goaltender Nevin Hamilton (Ashland, MA) by surprise as it trickled up and over his pad. Campanale's score was his second of the season and gave New Hampshire the early 1-0 lead.

UMass Lowell knotted the game back up with 4:22 left in the opening stanza on a rebound goal by Kory Falite (Billerica, MA). Scott Campbell (Navan, Ont.) carried the puck into the Wildcat zone and wrapped around the back of the net before dishing it to Ryan Blair (Ashburn, VA) in the middle. Blair's shot was saved, but Falite buried the rebound for his team-leading 11th goal of the season. The score gave Falite eight goals in 12 career games versus New Hampshire, far and away the most among active UMass Lowell skaters.

The River Hawks took control of the game as the first period wound down, taking a 2-1 lead on Colin Wright's (Burlington, Ont.) fourth goal of the season. Campbell won the faceoff in the Wildcat zone and sent it back to Blair for quick rip at the net. Wright was screening goaltender Brian Foster (Pembroke, NH), but was able to redirect the high shot underneath Foster's glove.

The explosive first period marked the first time UMass Lowell scored two even strength goals in a game since Dec. 11, 2009, a 4-1 win over Princeton.

The Wildcats nearly tied the game back up in the opening moments of the second period. On a frenzy of shots at the River Hawk net-front, the puck found its way through Hamilton's legs, but stopped short of the red line. Hamilton instinctively fell backwards to trap the puck in the crease until the officials whistled the play dead.

UMass Lowell's momentum carried through the remainder of the middle stanza based on a strong defensive performance. The River Hawks were outshot 12-10 in the second period, blocked 13 Wildcat shot attempts and withstood a 5-on-3 New Hampshire power play to maintain the 2-1 lead intact.

The Wildcats caught a break early in the third as Michael Budd (Burlington, Ont.) was whistled for a game misconduct, giving New Hampshire five minutes on the power play. Bobby Butler (Marlboro, MA) and Blake Kessel (Verona, WS) sent the puck down to the near post to Phil DeSimone (East Amherst, NY). DeSimone collected the puck and reeled off a quick, close-ranged shot that found daylight through Hamilton's five hole. DeSimone's fourth goal on the campaign evened the score at 2-2 with nearly 15 minutes remaining in the regulation. Even with a great deal of time left, the game went scoreless as the two teams skated into overtime.

UMass Lowell's best chance in overtime came 1:09 into play as the River Hawks crashed the net with a flurry of shots. Foster was able to keep the net clean until he, and several others, could trap the puck. Play continued back-and-forth, but time ran out before either team could score.

Hamilton shined in net after a tough first period, stopping 24-of-26 shots on net. The senior netminder moved to 5-2-2 on the campaign after making several highlight reel saves in the game. New Hampshire's Foster made 27 saves as he became 7-7-4 in 2009-10.

The River Hawks will have little time to dwell on the game as they travel to Northeastern tomorrow for a 7:30 p.m. start. The game will be broadcast live on NESN. The Wildcats will enjoy more home cooking as they host UMass Amherst on Saturday night at 7 p.m.