Jan. 7, 2011

Box Score

The River Hawks fought back from a four goal deficit in the second period, but ultimately fell short at New Hampshire, 5-2, on Friday night. UMass Lowell picked up scores from Matt Ferreira (Brampton, Ont.) and Riley Wetmore (Swanton, Vt.) in a 2:20 span late in the second period.

The loss, their 10th consecutive, drops the River Hawks' record to 2-15-2 overall and 2-11-0 in Hockey East. New Hampshire got back on track, improving to 11-3-4 on the season and 9-1-2 in conference action.

The Wildcats jumped on the board first, scoring 5:13 into play. Connor Hardowa (Edmonton, Alta.) fired a shot from the near point and Paul Thompson (Derry, N.H.) deflected the puck over the leg pad of T.J. Massie (Lexington, Mass.).

New Hampshire expanded its lead to 2-0 with just over three minutes remaining in the first period. A Colin Wright (Burlington, Ont.) penalty put the Wildcats on the power play at 15:57. Stationed at the goalie's right, Phil DeSimone (East Amherst, N.Y.) put the puck into traffic and Paul Thompson (Derry, N.H.) redirected the shot in the back door at 16:47.

The troubles continued in the second period as New Hampshire picked up two more goals. Blake Kessel (Verona, Wisc.) took a shot from the far point that found its way by a heavily screened Massie at 6:29. John Henrion (Holden, Mass.) followed later in the period with a score from the top of the far circle at 14:38.

UMass Lowell finally broke through on the scoreboard late in the second. Ferreira carried into the offensive zone after collecting a pass from David Vallorani (Hamilton, Ont.) and Maury Edwards (Rocky Rapids, Alta.). Approaching with speed, Ferreira beat Matt DiGirolamo (Ambler, Pa.) high glove-side with 4:27 left in second. The goal was Ferreira's fifth of the season and third in as many games.

With the monkey off their backs, the River Hawks picked up another score with 2:07 remaining in the second. Chad Ruhwedel (San Diego, Calif.) fired a high shot from the near point and Wetmore deflected the puck down into the net. The score was Wetmore's team-leading eighth of the season and cut the Wildcats' lead to 4-2.

Even with the momentum, UMass Lowell could not manage a score in the third period. New Hampshire's Thompson scored an empty net goal with two seconds remaining to complete a hat trick--his second of the season.

For the night, Massie made 19 saves while allowing four goals in his season debut. The Wildcats' DiGirolamo stopped 29-of-31 shots to improve to 11-3-4 on the season. Despite the score, the River Hawks led in shots, 31-24, for the first time since Oct. 29 against Boston University.

The River Hawks finished 1-for-3 on the power play, but allowed New Hampshire to score twice in five man advantage chances.

UMass Lowell will look to snap its 10-game losing streak tomorrow night at Matthews Arena. The River Hawks face Northeastern at 7 p.m.