WORCESTER, Mass. – The No. 5 ranked UMass Lowell hockey team fell to No. 3 Boston College on Sunday night in the NCAA Northeast Regional Final in front of a crowd of 5,474 fans at the DCU Center.

The River Hawks end their season with a 26-11-4 overall record, while Boston College (28-7-4) advances to the Frozen Four on April 10 and 12 at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa.

"Well, first I would like to congratulate Boston College on being the Hockey East representative in the Frozen Four. They're an excellent hockey team and that was a good hockey game tonight," said UMass Lowell Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Systematically I wouldn't change too many things. I thought we played well. I thought that was one of the better hockey games we've played in the last three or four. However, we came out on the short end. It was the third period that did us in. I'm very proud of our guys. Tshere's a lot of resiliency in that locker room, a lot of character. I'm very, very proud of that senior class that battled back from a real adverse situation their first season to come back with three excellent years. Right now it's hard to swallow but in time they'll realize that they were a part of some pretty good teams."

Boston College recovered the lead at 4-3 with 8:44 remaining in regulation, as Teddy Doherty faked a wrister from the glove side, then fed a pass to Ian McCoshen in the high slot who fired it past Connor Hellebuyck (Commerce, Mich.). With 1:33 to go in the game, UMass Lowell regrouped with a timeout and sent out its top line with an extra attacker seconds later. UMass Lowell would continue to bring pressure in the game's remaining seconds, but ultimately came up short against the Eagles.

Just 43 seconds into the final frame, freshman forward Evan Campbell (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) entered the Boston College zone at a wide angle and slid the puck under the stick of Boston College's Michael Sit. The puck slowly trickled past Demko and the River Hawks went up 3-2, leading for the first time of the night. Campbell finished the night with a game-high six shots on goal. Boston College quickly responded to UMass Lowell's momentum when Ryan Fitzgerald netted the equalizer 21 seconds later off a quick backhander that found its way through the legs of Hellebuyck, returning the game to a 3-3 draw.

Hellebuyck stood strong between the pipes, casting aside Boston College's heavy pressure down low, including a close scoring opportunity from Ryan Fitzgerald that dislodged the net midway through the frame. At the opposite end, Demko shut down the River Hawks' firing squad with a series of quick saves late in the middle period to keep the score tied at one.

The Eagles got on the board in the second period with a goal from Bill Arnold with 2:26 to go in the frame. Arnold picked up the rebound off a shot from Johnny Gaudreau to lift the Eagles to a 2-1 lead. The River Hawks, however, wasted no time and again answered the Eagles' tally with one of their own 50 seconds later. Sophomore defenseman Christian Folin (Gothenburg, Sweden) sent in a slap shot from the point and Josh Holmstrom (Colorado Springs, Col.) capitalized on the opportunity for the River Hawks, netting the rebound to send both teams back to their respective locker rooms with the game tied yet again at 2-2.    

The Eagles were first to strike at 12:57 in the first frame. Johnny Gaudreau and Kevin Hayes pressured the zone on a two-on-one down low, where Gaudreau sent a late pass to Hayes who buried it for the first tally of the evening. With 3:13 remaining in the first period, the Eagles returned to the penalty box, sitting Ryan Fitzgerald going for a two-minute boarding call. The River Hawks capitalized on the man advantage, when Ryan McGrath (O'Fallon, Mo.) dished a pass to Derek Arnold (Foxboro, Mass.) at the point who then directed it laterally to Michael Kapla (Eau Claire, Wis.) on the opposite side. Kapla sent a roaring slap shot through the legs of Demko to make it a 1-1 game.
 
UMass Lowell outshot Boston College 32-29 in the game and went 1-of-3 on the power play.

Hellebuyck made 25 saves in the contest, while BC's Thatcher Demko stopped 29 shots on the evening. Hellebuyck, Folin and Joseph Pendenza (Wilmington, Mass.) were named to the NCAA Northeast Regional All-Tournament Team for their efforts over the weekend, joining BC's Gaudreau (Most Outstanding Player), Hayes and Michael Matheson.