PROVIDENCE, R.I.—Despite goals from senior Reid Stefanson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) and sophomore Brehdan Engum (Burnsville, Minn.), the No. 16 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (17-8-3, 13-7-1 Hockey East) could not complete its comeback effort on Saturday night, falling 3-2 to No. 19 Providence (19-13-2, 10-11-1 HEA) at Schneider Arena.
 
Graduate students Connor Sodergren (Tewksbury, Mass.), and Nick Austin (St. Louis Park, Minn.) along with freshman Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) and junior Ryan Brushett (Montreal, Quebec) all dished out assists in the conference tilt to make their way into the points column.
 
Putting in work on both ends of the ice, Engum finished the night with a team-high four blocks to help lead the River Hawks defense. Between the pipes, senior Owen Savory (Cambridge, Ontario) finished with 28 total saves against the Friars.

"The guys battled hard tonight. They made a good push, but time ran out to get the equalizer. We'll now move onto next weekend," commented Head Coach Norm Bazin. 
 
Although both teams saw an evenly matched offense in the opening frame, the Friars quickly pushed out to a 2-0 lead over the River Hawks after just 20 minutes. The Friars kept the River Hawks at a distance with a third tally midway through the second period after an unfortunate miscue landed the puck on the stick of an unattended Nick Poisson.
 
After a holding call sent the River Hawks onto the power play, UMass Lowell gained its footing to launch its late-game comeback effort. Snagging the pass from Austin, Stefanson held the puck as he waited for the right opportunity to strike. With a clear lane thanks to a screen from Sodergren (Tewksbury, Mass.) in front of the net, Stefanson's patience paid off as he fired one past Jaxson Stauber to spark the River Hawks' offense heading into the third period.
 
The River Hawks pressured the Providence defense throughout the final 20 as they chased down the 3-1 lead. Heavily outshooting the home team, 14-5, UMass Lowell's high-volume attack paid off when a long-range shot from Engum broke through netfront traffic to bring the River Hawks within one.
 
Pulling Savory with two minutes to go, UMass Lowell went 6-on-4 after a Friars' penalty sent them down a man in the final moments. Despite several quality chances in the Providence zone, the River Hawks' comeback effort fell short, falling 3-2 on the road to split the season series.
 
UMass Lowell gets a break from conference action next weekend when they host LIU for the second time this season at the Tsongas Center on Friday, Feb. 25. Puck drop is slated for 7:15 p.m.  
 
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To purchase single game tickets, learn about group ticketing opportunities or unlock deep discounts with season tickets, visit www.GoRiverHawks.com/tickets or contact Tyler Kenney at Tyler_Kenney@uml.edu / (978) 934-5739