LOWELL, Mass. – The No. 17/16 UMass Lowell ice hockey team (6-2-0, 2-1-0 Hockey East) fell short, 5-2, against No. 9 Boston University Saturday evening at the Tsongas Center, concluding the two-game series with a split.

Senior Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden) and freshman Libor Nemec (Bratislava, Slovakia) scored the UMass Lowell goals, while senior Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario), graduate student Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.), graduate student Nick Anderson (Orono, Minn.) and junior Scout Truman (Lethbridge, Alberta) all collected assists.

Defensively, junior TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) led the way with four blocked shots, with Meehan just behind him with three. Graduate student Pierson Brandon (Irvington, N.Y.) collected two, while seven other skaters gathered one apiece. Graduate student Henry Welsch got the starting nod in net for the River Hawks, making 13 saves. Junior Beni Halasz (Budapest, Hungary) played the third period between the pipes, making seven saves.

"The better team won tonight," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Last night I thought we were the better team and tonight they definitely were."   

The first period was a battle, as Welsch and the UMass Lowell defensive unit kept the Terriers scoreless with great saves and blocked shots. Junior Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) had the first scoring chance for the River Hawks with just under eight to go on a rebound, but it was just saved by Boston University goaltender Max Lacroix. The Terriers then went on the power play at 14:15, and a huge save by Welsch to begin the disadvantage helped kill off the penalty along with crucial blocked shots. The River Hawks got a power play of their own at the 18:20 mark due to a Terriers cross check. They were unable to find the back of the net with the man advantage and the scoreboard read zeroes going into the break.

Boston University scored twice to begin the second period at the 1:01 and 1:44 marks, but the River Hawks responded on a power play at 6:05. Jonsson sniped a wrist shot past Lacroix, after Cole and Meehan set up the sequence with crisp passing in the offensive zone. After another pair of Terriers goals, Nemec scored his second goal of the series on a power play at 17:11, with a smooth backhanded helper from Truman, who received a long pass from Anderson. Boston University then went on to conclude the period with a goal at 18:06 to bring it to the third period with a 5-2 score.

Halasz entered the net for the River Hawks for the third and it was another battle to begin the period. The River Hawks' penalty kill unit once again found success, killing off two penalties to keep the score the same and move to 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. With just under three minutes to go, on a 4-on-4, freshman Chris Delaney (Hopkinton, Mass.) had a scoring opportunity in front of the net, but it was saved and the clock struck zero with a score of 5-2.

The River Hawks will now travel to Vermont for a two-game road series next weekend, on Friday, November 15 and Saturday, November 16. Game one is set for 7:00 p.m., while game two will begin at 6:00 p.m.