LOWELL, Mass. – Despite a third period goal from sophomore Nick Rhéaume (Trois-Rivieres, Quebec), the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (4-4-0, 1-3-0 Hockey East) dropped a 3-2 decision to No. 1 Boston College (7-1-0, 2-0-0 Hockey East) on Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.
 
Sophomore Jack Collins (Canton, N.Y.) joined Rhéaume on the scoresheet with a goal in the first period. Both freshman Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) and graduate student Nick Granowicz had an assist each on Collins' goal, while Granowicz picked up his second helper of the night to Rhéaume in the third. Graduate student Alex Peterson (Collegeville, Pa.) led the squad with three blocked shots on the night.
 
Junior Luke Pavicich (Clarence Center, N.Y.) got the call between the pipes for the River Hawks and posted 28 saves. With the result, he moves to a 2-2-0 record on the season.
 
"I thought it was a good hockey game, I liked the effort. I didn't like our second period," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "You play the games that are handed to you and we're in every game, so that's a positive out of it. We've got a few guys that could certainly be in our top 12 and they're not here right now, so we're breaking in some young guys, and you always want that next goal. In my opinion, we played a very good hockey team, and we were chasing them most of the weekend and that's not a way to play hockey in the Hockey East, it's a tough league."  
 
The River Hawks had a resilient first period, fighting through a five-minute major, limiting Boston College to just one Cutter Gauthier power play goal and finding the back of the net at the very end. With just eight seconds remaining in the first, Collins took a Vaarwerk pass from the corner and buried it to tie it up at one. Granowicz worked hard to initiate the scoring sequence, stealing the puck from an Eagles player in the corner and feeding it to Vaarwerk, who controlled it long enough to find a lane to Collins for the equalizer.
 
Though the River Hawks matched the Eagles' nine shots in the second period and won 14 of 22 faceoffs, it was special teams that was the difference. Both teams had two power play opportunities in the period, but the tie was broken on a Boston College power play goal from Will Smith at the 4:04 mark, before the visitors added one more from Ryan Leonard at 13:23 to make it 3-1. Junior Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) had what looked to be a power play goal for UMass Lowell with just under four minutes to go, but a goaltender interference call took it off the board. Both teams spent the remaining minutes on the chase for possession, and the game went into the second intermission at 3-1.
 
Pavicich defended the River Hawks' cage exceptionally in the third period, blanking the Eagles with a handful of essential saves to keep the score the same. With just under 13 minutes to go, Pavicich shut down a threatening Eagles possession with three rapid-fire pad saves, including two directly in front of the net that caused Pavicich to lay out.
 
UMass Lowell got within one just over halfway through the third, when Rhéaume breathed life into the offense, snapping a tough-angled backhand shot past Boston College goalie Jacob Fowler. It started when Vaarwerk got physical on the boards with an Eagles defenseman, causing him to give up the puck to Granowicz, who gained possession near the blue line and sent a pass to a surging Rhéaume. His initial shot was blocked, but he collected the rebound and cut the deficit to one with 9:05 left.
 
Pavicich continued to silence the Eagles throughout the remaining minutes, making four more saves before the empty net effort began. The River Hawks fired five shots during the man-up advantage, but the one-goal Boston College lead held, concluding the game with a score of 3-2.
 
Next up, the River Hawks will take on Hockey East foe and #9 ranked Boston University in a two-game, home-and-home series, beginning at the Tsongas Center on Friday, November 10 at 7:15 p.m. Puck drop for Saturday's game two at BU is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at Agganis Arena in Boston.