HARTFORD, Conn.—A second period tally from junior Andre Lee (Karlstad, Sweden) was not enough to help the No. 15 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (7-2-2, 5-1-0 Hockey East) fend off the Connecticut Huskies (7-6-0, 5-4-0 HEA) in a 2-1 loss at the XL Center Sunday afternoon.
 
Lee's unassisted breakaway marked the lone point on the River Hawks' scoresheet in the matinee clash. The Swedish forward now owns a three-game scoring streak after registering five goals in the last three games for UMass Lowell.

On defense, senior Owen Savory (Cambridge, Ontario) stopped 18 of the Huskies' 20 shots on goal. Savory also played an instrumental role on the penalty kill, helping the River Hawks' special teams unit stifle all five of the Huskies' extra-man opportunities. 
 
"It was a good hockey game. I thought it was a case of too little too late. I thought we made a real good push in the third period and fell short. All good things, I guess, do come to an end," commented Head Coach Norm Bazin. "We played a very good team who was a little bit better than us tonight. We'll use this time here this week to give thanks, reset and play an important game next Saturday."
 
The first period marked a highly defensive 20 minutes for the River Hawks. In the net, Savory shut down eight shots on goal from the Huskies to keep them off the board. Senior Jon McDonald (Livonia, Mich.) and graduate student Connor Sodergren (Tewksbury, Mass.) blocked a pair of shots to help UMass Lowell keep UConn at bay, with three of those blocked shots coming on the penalty kill.
 
The Huskies' early offensive pressure broke through the River Hawks' steady blueline just seconds into the second frame, as UConn's Ryan Wheeler snuck one through Savory's pads to send the River Hawks down, 1-0. UConn added to its second period scoring with another close-range shot midway through the period from Jake Flynn to knock UMass Lowell back to a two-goal deficit.
 
Eager to gain momentum, the River Hawks found their footing with 3:09 left in the period. Knocking the puck away from UConn's Harrison Rees, Lee barreled down the ice uncontested and put away a backhanded shot to slice the Huskies' lead in half heading into the second intermission.
 
Despite taking an 11-3 advantage in shots in the third, the River Hawks' late-game efforts were not enough to overcome the 2-1 margin as UConn claimed the win.
 
Next up, the River Hawks travel north to Portland, Maine on Saturday, Nov. 27, to battle the Maine Black Bears at the Cross Insurance Arena. Puck drop is set for 5 p.m.