NORTH ANDOVER, Mass.—Despite a shorthanded goal in the second period from senior Lucas Condotta (Georgetown, Ontario), the No. 10/9 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (13-4-3, 10-3-1 Hockey East) came up short against Merrimack (11-10-1, 6-8-0 HEA) in a 3-1 decision at Lawler Rink Friday night.
 
Condotta was credited with the River Hawks' lone goal against the Warriors. Sophomore Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) and junior Blake Wells (Blackie, Alberta) joined Condotta on the scoresheet with assists on the captain's shorthanded tally. Between the pipes, senior Owen Savory (Cambridge, Ontario) made 21 stops in the crosstown clash.
 
A scoreless first period favored the host Warriors as they held a marginal 10-7 advantage in shots on goal. The River Hawks defense held strong, however, stifling two Merrimack power plays to head into the first break scoreless.
 
The River Hawks' special teams unit sprung to action midway through the second frame as both teams hunted for the lead. Although down a man as the team went on the penalty kill, UMass Lowell managed to swing momentum in their favor and capitalize on the shorthanded opportunity. Meehan flicked the puck out of the River Hawk zone to Condotta, who raced down the ice to wrangle the pass. Wrapping around the net, the veteran forward stuffed the disk past the skate of Merrimack's Hugo Ollas to pick up the first of the night.
 
Taking advantage of back-to-back power plays, the Warriors retaliated with two extra-man goals to send the River Hawks into the third down by one. 
 
Despite a sizeable 10-4 shot on goal differential in favor of UMass Lowell in the third, the Warriors managed to sneak one past the River Hawks' defense to net another. Although the visiting squad applied the pressure and pulled Savory late in favor of the extra attacker, the River Hawks were unable to overcome the deficit and suffered the 3-1 loss on the road.
 
UMass Lowell looks to bounce back into the win column on Saturday, Jan. 22, when they return to the friendly confines of the Tsongas Center to face the Warriors for the final game of the series.