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Men's Ice Hockey
Marek
Rich Gagnon
5
Winner Merrimack MER 19-12-1, 14-8-0
3
UMass Lowell UML 16-12-3, 10-8-3
Winner
Merrimack MER
19-12-1, 14-8-0
5
Final
3
UMass Lowell UML
16-12-3, 10-8-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 F
Merrimack MER 2 1 2 5
UMass Lowell UML 1 1 1 3

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History

Game Recap: Men's Ice Hockey |

No. 19/20 River Hawks Upended by No. 17/16 Merrimack, 5-3

LOWELL, Mass.—Despite three-point nights from senior Carl Berglund (Hammaro, Sweden) and graduate student Filip Fornää Svensson (Linköping, Sweden), the No. 19/20 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (16-12-3, 10-8-3 Hockey East) came up short in a 5-3 decision against No. 17/16 Merrimack (19-12-1, 14-8-0 HEA) Friday night at the Tsongas Center.
 
Berglund's three points matched his single-game season high set earlier in the year against Miami (OH). Fornåå Svensson's trio of points marked a season-high for the graduate transfer student and also extended his current point streak to three consecutive contests. Freshmen TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) as well as junior Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) all dished out an assist in the tilt. In net, graduate student Gustavs Davis Grigals (Riga, Latvia) finished the night with 22 saves.
 
"I thought it was a good hockey game tonight. I thought we got caught chasing for a bulk of it," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Regardless, we crept back in. I liked our resiliency. I liked our pushback, but it takes a lot out of you playing a chasing game. That's not a recipe for success in Hockey East with all these good teams. Credit to them. They had a deep group, and they showed it tonight."
 
Merrimack jumped out to an early lead in the first 10 minutes of play after a pair of lucky bounces skipped past Grigals into the cage. Shifting the tides, UMass Lowell picked up the intensity as the team crashed its way into the offensive zone. Rifling in a long-range shot just off the blueline, Schweighardt placed the puck perfectly on target for Fornåå Svensson, who reached in his stick for the tip-in to bring the score within one at the end of the first.
 
The River Hawks came out renewed and reorganized to open the second period. Just 4:07 into the middle frame, Berglund earned his first of the night. Receiving a cross from Meehan on the boards, Fornåå Svensson cracked a shot right off the pad of Merrimack's Zach Borgiel which popped back out into play. Berglund, sneaking in on the far side, landed at the right spot in just the nick of time to deflect the puck and beat Borgiel for the equalizer.
 
Though momentum seemed to shift in favor of the home squad, the Warriors stifled the excitement with a power play goal just minutes later to regain the lead. The River Hawks continued to pressure Borgiel to no avail as they headed into the final twenty minutes staring down a one-goal deficit.
 
Once again, Berglund breathed life into the UMass Lowell offense early in the frame. Just seconds into a power play opportunity, Bentley grabbed a pass from Meehan in the slot and sent it ahead to Fornåå Svensson just outside the crease. The Swedish-born forward spun to avoid the poke check from his defender and flung the puck to Berglund, who barreled in on the weak side. Berglund wasted no time tapping in his second of the night to level the score once again at 3-3.
 
UMass Lowell kicked it into high gear in the final minutes as they looked for their first lead of the night, but a late string of goals from Merrimack crushed the comeback efforts and sealed the 5-3 loss.
 
Making the quick trip to North Andover, the River Hawks hope to secure the split against the Warriors on Saturday, Feb. 25, at Lawler Rink. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
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Players Mentioned

Carl Berglund

#18 Carl Berglund

F
6' 2"
Senior
Ben Meehan

#14 Ben Meehan

D
6' 0"
Junior
TJ Schweighardt

#4 TJ Schweighardt

D
5' 10"
Freshman
Filip Fornää Svensson

#13 Filip Fornää Svensson

F
6' 4"
Graduate Student
Dillan Bentley

#19 Dillan Bentley

F
6' 4"
Freshman
Gustavs Davis Grigals

#30 Gustavs Davis Grigals

G
6' 1"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Carl Berglund

#18 Carl Berglund

6' 2"
Senior
F
Ben Meehan

#14 Ben Meehan

6' 0"
Junior
D
TJ Schweighardt

#4 TJ Schweighardt

5' 10"
Freshman
D
Filip Fornää Svensson

#13 Filip Fornää Svensson

6' 4"
Graduate Student
F
Dillan Bentley

#19 Dillan Bentley

6' 4"
Freshman
F
Gustavs Davis Grigals

#30 Gustavs Davis Grigals

6' 1"
Graduate Student
G