Dec. 4, 2010

Box Score

The River Hawks came up empty as Massachusetts scored three third-period goals to down UMass Lowell 5-2 on Saturday afternoon. Senior defenseman Ryan Blair (Ashburn, Va.) had a goal and assist in the loss.

The River Hawks' losing streak grew to seven games as they fell to 2-12-2 on the season and 2-10-0 in conference contests. The Minutemen's upswing continued as they improved to 3-6-3 overall and 2-3-3 in HE play.

The afternoon got off to a rough start as Massachusetts cashed in on an early breakaway. Troy Power (Camarillo, Calif.) found T.J. Syner (Springfield, Mass.) as he broke through neutral ice and the left-winger got behind the defense with speed. Syner shoveled a back-handed shot low on Doug Carr (Hanover, Mass.) for the opening score at 6:44 into play.

The struggles continued a few minutes later when Massachusetts added to its lead at 11:57 into the first. Colin Allen (Chicago, Ill.) collected the puck just shy the blue line and fired a shot into traffic. Danny Hobbs (Shawville, Que.) was screening in front of the net and tipped the shot by Carr.

The River Hawks were finally able to respond in the second period, despite failing to convert on a pair of 5-on-3 power plays. With one player still in the box, Blair skated into the offensive zone and pump faked, then ripped a shot at the net. The quick trigger caught Paul Dainton (Iqaluit, Nunavut) by surprise and the puck sailed by the Massachusetts' captain. The score was Blair's first of the season and cut the Minutemen lead to 2-1.

The second period comeback was completed with less than 20 seconds remaining. Sophomore Riley Wetmore (Swanton, Vt.) skated along the near boards and took a high shot at Dainton. The puck hit the goaltender in the shoulder, bounced up in the air and tumbled down behind him into the net. The score knotted the game at 2-2 and was Wetmore's team-leading seventh of the season.

Despite the immense UMass Lowell momentum, Massachusetts proved resilient as it scored just under a minute into third period play. Doug Kublin (Manlius, N.Y.) fired from the near point and beat the severely screened Carr to reclaim a one-goal lead for the Minutemen.

Over the next several minutes Massachusetts extended its lead to 5-2, with scores from Hobbs and Eric Filiou (Vaudreuil, Que.).

Carr finished with 31 saves while falling to 2-8-1 on the season. Massachusetts' Dainton tallied 25 saves in the win, improving to 3-3-2.

The River Hawks won the battle of special teams, finishing 1-for-3 on the power play and holding the Minutemen scoreless in their only man advantage situation.

Moving forward, UMass Lowell has just two more games remaining before the holiday break. The River Hawks will travel to Princeton next weekend for a pair of contests with the Tigers on Dec. 10-11.