MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- Sophomore defenseman
Dylan Zink (Madison, Wis.) posted a career-high two goals to pace the No. 7 ranked UMass Lowell hockey team to a 3-1 victory against Hockey East rival Merrimack College in the Mariucci Classic Championship Game on Saturday night at Mariucci Arena.
Zink has now tallied five goals in his last four games for the River Hawks and has a team-high eight goals for UMass Lowell this season.
"We are very proud to win this year's tournament," said River Hawks Head Coach
Norm Bazin. "They don't give you much, they are an excellent hockey team, they are very well coached and are very big especially down the middle. Our gameplan was to get pucks behind their defensemen and do as good of a job at possesing the puck."
UMass Lowell improves to 14-3-3 overall on the year, while Merrimack falls to a 11-6-2 record. It marks the first time the River Hawks have won two regular-season tournaments in one year.
Merrimack's Dan Kolomatis opened the scoring just 6:49 into the first period and the Warriors went to the locker room with a 1-0 lead despite being outshot by the River Hawks, 14 to 4.
Zink got the River Hawks on the on board at 11:49 of the second period off a wrist shot from the left point that beat Tironen over his blocker, off a feed from junior forward
Adam Chapie (Oxford, Mich.) in the low slot.
Zink scored the game-winner with 3:49 left in regulation to make it a 2-1 game and sophomore Evan Campell (Port Coquitlam, B.C.) lit the lamp for the sixth time this season just two minutes later to seal the win for the River Hawks.
UMass Lowell junior goaltender
Kevin Boyle (Manalapan, N.J.) recorded 21 stops in his 11th win of the year (15th start), while Rasmus Tirronen totaled a career-high 41 saves in the losing effort for Merrimack.
The River Hawks won 36 of 58 faceoffs (62%) on the night, led by Campbell who finished the night 17-of-23 (74%) from the faceoff dot.
The River Hawks return to action on Saturday, January 10th against UConn (7pm) in Hockey East play at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.
