Jan. 8, 2011

Box Score

Riley Wetmore (Swanton, Vt.) scored the lone goal as the River Hawks lost a narrow 3-1 affair at Northeastern on Saturday night.

UMass Lowell's record drops to 2-16-2 on the season with its 11th consecutive loss and 2-12-0 in Hockey East. The Huskies picked up their second win in as many nights, improving their record to 5-9-2 overall and 5-6-2 in conference play.

The Huskies cashed in on one of their many fast break chances in the first period, scoring the only goal of the opening 20 minutes. Mike McLaughlin (Seaforth, Ont.) beat his defender to the UMass Lowell corner and fired a pass to Brodie Reid (Delta, B.C.) closing in on the net. Reid buried the shot at 18:07 to take the 1-0 lead.

The River Hawks did have several glittering opportunities in the first period, all while short-handed. Among them, Wetmore broke into the Northeastern zone with speed and room to work. Wetmore ripped a close ranged shot at Clay Witt (Brandon, Fla.) and the puck hit the goalie high, bouncing just over the cross bar merely seconds before the first period expired.

The second period offered the same level of speed and open ice play, but UMass Lowell reversed the results, picking up the lone tally. Patrick Cey (Saskatoon, Sask.) back-handed a shot that hit the corner of the cross bar, dropping directly down onto the crease behind Witt. Seizing the opportunity, Wetmore crashed the net at full speed, sending both the puck and himself into the mesh at 2:29 into the second. The score was Wetmore's team-leading ninth goal of the season, while Cey and David Vallorani (Hamilton, Ont.) picked up assists 2 and 7, respectively.

The Huskies flew out of the gate in the third, scoring what proved to be the game-winner just 18 seconds after puck drop. A River Hawk turnover allowed Tyler McNeely (Burnaby, B.C.) to set up Wade MacLeod (Coquitlam, B.C.) for the stunning score.

Undeterred, UMass Lowell dominated puck possession in the third with speed and aggression, but was unable to score. McNeely capitalized on an empty net with 19 seconds remaining to put the game on ice.

Freshman goaltender Marc Boulanger (Olds, Alta.) was outstanding, making several full extension saves to keep the River Hawks in the game. Boulanger made 30 saves, tying his career-high, despite falling to 0-5-1 on the season. His counterpart, Witt, stopped 23-of-24 shots to improve to 1-2-0.

UMass Lowell will now use this week to gear up for a home-and-home series with Massachusetts. The River Hawks will host the Minutemen on Friday night live on NESN at 7:30 p.m.