Feb. 6, 2010

Box Score

The #18 River Hawk hockey club (14-12-2, 8-9-2 HE) suffered a 3-1 loss at the hands of Merrimack (10-15-0, 7-11-0 HE) on Saturday night. The loss marks UMass Lowell's first in the Lawler Rink in nearly a decade, dating back to Nov. 12, 2000.

The two teams skated to a scoreless, but entertaining first period. Merrimack controlled the play early, finishing checks and keeping the puck in the River Hawks' zone. UMass Lowell was eventually able to even things with an excellent short-handed opportunity by Kory Falite (Billerica, MA) to give the River Hawks' some much needed momentum. While neither team registered a score, the Warriors edged UMass Lowell in shots, 9-5.

The River Hawks came out with fire in the second period, skating with urgency and scoring a goal at 8:03 into the stanza. David Vallorani (Hamilton, Ont.) led a two-on-two breakaway, centering a pass for Scott Campbell (Navan, Ont.) on Joe Cannata's (Wakefield, MA) weak side. Campbell's tip went wide and into the corner where Vallorani quickly fired a second centering pass aimed for Campbell. Fortunately for UMass Lowell, the puck hit Cannata's back and deflected into the net. The goal was Vallorani's ninth of the season and gave the River Hawks' a 1-0 lead.

Despite the improved play, the middle period ended on a sour note as Merrimack scored a power play goal with just 2:17 remaining. UMass Lowell cleared the puck out of its zone, but it hit the linesman in neutral ice and the Warriors got a fast break as the River Hawks were caught in a line change. Brandon Brodhog (Brooklyn Park, MN) laid the puck up for Jeff Velleca (Waterbury, CT) to hammer home, knotting the game back up at 1-1.

With the game hanging in the balance, Merrimack took control early in the third period. Chris Barton (Calgary, Alb) broke into the UMass Lowell zone on a pass from Stephane De Costa (Paris, France) and drew Maury Edwards (Rocky Rapids, Alta.) out to defend him. Barton used Edwards as a screen and ripped a drag shot through Carter Hutton's (Thunder Bay, Ont.) five-hole at 3:30 into the third.

Things got worse as a peculiar bounce put the Warriors up two goals just one minute later. Da Costa sent the puck behind the River Hawk net and it caught a seam, taking a 90 degree turn directly towards the near post. Hutton dove to block the shot, but Ryan Flanigan (Rochester, NY) knocked it through to put Merrimack up 3-1.

Despite three third period power plays, UMass Lowell failed to net another score. The River Hawks were outshot 33-21 on the night while going 0-for-7 with the man advantage. The Warriors were 1-for-4 on the power play.

Hutton stopped 30-of-33 shots on the night, falling to 8-8-0 on the campaign. Merrimack's Cannata made only 20 saves, but improved to 4-9-0 on the season.

UMass Lowell has two crucial games ahead on the docket. The River Hawks will take part in a home-and-home series with Boston College, playing host on Friday before traveling to the Conte Forum on Saturday. Friday is scheduled for 7 p.m., while Saturday will start at 5 p.m.