LOWELL, Mass. – Senior captain Charlie Levesque (Russell, Ontario) tallied the lone goal for his squad, as the No. 20 UMass Lowell hockey team was handed a 2-1 loss by Hockey East foe New Hampshire.
 
"It's a tough one to swallow," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "I thought we came out with some energy and the guys were alert, however, still not up to our standards as far as managing the puck and finishing. Missed opportunities is the best way I can describe this game. The opponent was very good. They battled hard. Hockey East is very difficult and we proved that again tonight where a team came in here and stole points on our home ice, so we're going to have to be better in several areas."
 
With this decision, eight of the River Hawks' last nine games against the Wildcats have now been decided by one goal or less. In addition to Levesque, freshman Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Marek Korencik (Zilina, Slovakia) also each tallied a point on the night.
 
Although the River Hawks earned the first power play chance of the contest halfway through the first, it was New Hampshire that opened the scoring at 11:31 when Jackson Pierson floated one just inside the post.
 
After the break, junior Zach Kaiser (Orangeville, Ontario) fired on a breakaway, but was robbed by the post. The Wildcats then created a two-goal buffer in the second when Nick Cafarelli sent a back-handed dish over to an oncoming Tyler Ward for a one-timer on goal at 11:04.
 
UMass Lowell continued to battle, though, and cut the difference to back to one just over two minutes later, as Levesque got a stick on a blistering wrister by Korencik.
 
The River Hawks dominated the possession in the third, putting 10 shots on goal, compared to just three for UNH. The team also earned its first penalty shot opportunity of the season, but sophomore Matt Brown (Wood Ridge, N.J.) was unable to convert, as the Wildcats staved off the attack throughout the duration of the contest to secure the outcome.
 
The teams will wrap up the series tomorrow night, Saturday, February 6, in Durham, N.H.