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MANCHESTER, N.H. – The No. 4 UMass Lowell hockey team defeated No. 9 Cornell, 5-0, in the NCAA Northeast Regional Semifinals on Saturday afternoon at the SNHU Arena to advance to the regional finals for the seventh time in program history.  
 
After a tightly contested first period that saw just one goal, the River Hawks tallied two more in each of the next two stanzas to hand Cornell its first shutout of the season and secure a spot in an NCAA regional title game for the third time in four years.
 
Freshman forward Ryan Lohin (Chadds Fords, Pa.) registered a personal-best two goals in the contest, while junior forward Ryan Collins (Newton, Mass.) chipped in with a career-high two assists. Senior defenseman Michael Kapla (Eau Claire, Wis.) registered his 75th career helper to expand upon his program record for assists by a Division I defenseman, as well.
 
"We're excited to get by that opponent," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "I'd like to congratulate Cornell on an outstanding season. We knew they were a tough opponent from the scout, and they gave us that and more. It was a tough game, despite what the score might indicate. We felt it was a hard-fought battle and we were fortunate to get contributions from all four lines. And we got contributions from our special teams, and that helped us open it up."
 
The action heated up early, as Cornell found the back of the net just 54 seconds into play, but upon further review, the goal was overturned to keep the game scoreless.
 
Both sides battled to gain the upper hand in the early minutes, trading five shots each before UMass Lowell was able to break open the scoring at 6:34. Sophomore forward Ryan Dmowski (East Lyme, Conn.) gave his squad the 1-0 edge when he crashed towards the net to get in position to fire a one-timer top shelf. Collins was awarded the helper on the play after connecting with Dmowski, who picked up his second career postseason tally.
 
The River Hawks, who carried that 1-0 margin into the first intermission, continued to attack in the second, adding a pair of scores to create a three-goal cushion after 40 minutes of play. Lohin was the first to tack onto the lead with a slap shot at 6:04, before junior forward C.J. Smith (Des Moines, Iowa) poked one home at 16:26 to make the score 3-0. UMass Lowell looked to grab a third point in the second period, but the goal was officially overturned, following a River Hawk penalty.
 
Defense controlled much of the third until the River Hawks took advantage of a five-minute major by Cornell, extending the difference to 5-0 with a pair of goals on the man-up opportunity. Lohin netted his second goal of the game when he collected a rebound off the post and wristed a hard shot behind the Cornell goalie. Sophomore forward Connor Wilson (Calgary, Alberta) then secured the decisive win as he buried the final goal of the outing with less than two minutes to go.
 
Freshman goaltender Tyler Wall (Leamington, Ontario) finished with 19 saves en route to his 25th win of the season. His 25 wins rank first in the nation among rookie goalies. Sophomore Nick Master (Broomall, Pa.) dominated faceoffs for the River Hawks, going 18-for-23 on the day, as well.
 
No. 2 seed UMass Lowell will face No. 4 seed Notre Dame in the Northeast Regional Final on Sunday, March 26th. Puck drop is set for 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, March 25 at the SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H. and will be televised live on ESPNU.