BOSTON, Mass. – Despite freshmen
Adam Cardona (Beaconsfield, Quebec) and
Jaiden Moriello (Saugus, Mass.) each securing their first collegiate points, the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (4-6-0, 1-5 Hockey East) fell to No. 8/9 Boston University, 6-1, Saturday night at Agganis Arena in Boston.
Cardona scored the lone goal for the River Hawks in the third period and Moriello picked up the assist along with sophomore
Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.). Defensively, sophomore
Mitchell Becker (Rogers, Minn.) and freshman
Sean Kilcullen (Kensington, Md.) led the way with two blocked shots apiece. Pavicich got the nod in net, making 25 saves.
"They're a very good hockey club. We knew we'd have our hands full if we brought our A game," said Head Coach
Norm Bazin. "I wasn't really dissatisfied with the first or second period. I thought play was fairly even. Everything they touched it seemed to go in the back of our net, so I'll have to watch the film and we need to improve and be better next week."
The River Hawks were aggressive out of the gates on both ends, putting seven shots on goal before the Terriers could get one of their own. They successfully killed off the first penalty of the game at 7:30, but Sam Stevens and Quinn Hutson each scored back-to-back goals for BU to take the 2-0 lead.
UMass Lowell did not take their foot off the gas, however, peppering BU goalie Mathieu Caron with four shots before drawing a penalty at 18:26. Four more River Hawk shots were fired during the man advantage, but they could not find the back of the net, and the first period concluded with a 2-0 score and 26 seconds remaining on their power play.
Another strong first possession for the River Hawks kicked off the second period. Bentley had a great opportunity 49 seconds in, when a loose puck emerged in front of the net, and he fired a shot that Caron managed to step in front of.
Pavicich turned in some crucial saves in the period, including one at the 2:27 mark where he stretched out on a breakaway to deny BU's Jeremy Wilmer. He then went on to silence the Terriers on a power play, but BU eventually picked up their third goal from Lane Hutson on a 5-on-3 at the 9:26 mark. The River Hawks threatened with their second power play opportunity with 6:16 remaining, but to no avail and both teams went into the second intermission with the score at 3-0.
After the Terriers got called for a slashing at 3:18 of the third, the River Hawks found themselves on another power play. Pavicich was pulled, giving them six skaters as they continued to apply pressure. Their three shots were not enough to get on the board, and the Terriers followed it up with two Quinn Hutson goals at 6:12 and 12:24.
Cardona and the River Hawks retaliated just 26 seconds later, when Bentley pushed a pass up to Moriello in the offensive zone. Moriello settled the puck and sent a pass across the zone to Cardona, who ripped one far side on Caron and into the upper left corner, giving him and Moriello their first collegiate points as River Hawks.
The teams traded off possessions and with less than two minutes to go, the Terriers added a Jack Hughes goal and the matchup concluded at 6-1.
The River Hawks have a quick turnaround, as they travel to Merrimack for a midweek game one on Wednesday, November 15 at 7:00 p.m. The home-and-home series finale is set for Saturday, November 18 at 6:05 p.m. at the Tsongas Center.
To purchase season tickets, single game tickets or mini plans, visit
www.GoRiverHawks.com/Tickets. To access deep discounts with a group of 10 or more, contact Matt Spolidoro (
Matthew_Spolidoro@uml.edu) or Ted Gosselin (
Ted_Gosselin@uml.edu) or call (978) 934-5738.
