BOSTON – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team (8-18-4, 4-12-3 Hockey East) dropped a 4-0 decision against RV/No. 20 Northeastern (14-13-2, 7-12-0 Hockey East) on Saturday evening at Matthews Arena.
 
Although leaving scoreless, the River Hawks totaled 42 shots on goal, compared to the Huskies' 28, with 17 different skaters collecting at least one in the matchup. Defensively, sophomore Mark Cooper (Cambridge, Ontario) led the way with four blocked shots, as sophomore TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and senior Jake Stella (Karlstad, Sweden) each tallied two. Four River Hawks tied with one block apiece, as well. Senior Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) got the nod between the pipes, making 24 saves.

"Tonight, we had the effort and the first period we were looking for," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Despite that, we fell short and certainly will look back at some earlier missed opportunities. We finish the weekend with a split and we'll continue to build on the last few weekends."
 
The River Hawks came out hot in a battle of a first period, finishing with a 16-5 shots lead. The squad peppered Northeastern goalie Cameron Whitehead and had a prime scoring chance from junior Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) on a power play at the 14:34 mark. Cole took a close range shot from the right side of the net that ricocheted off the pipe, and he immediately gathered the rebound and pushed the puck on net, but it was just saved. After trading off possessions for the reminder of the first period, both teams hit the locker room with a 0-0 score.
 
Scoring chances were plentiful for both teams in a hard-fought second period. Welsch made a crucial save on a Northeastern breakaway at the 8:44 mark to keep the game scoreless, while the River Hawks had two opportunities to score from the slot, but neither found the back of the net. Immediately following a UMass Lowell penalty kill, the Huskies got on the board with a Gunnarwolfe Fontaine goal with just 2:58 left. Just over a minute and a half later, Northeastern was called for a penalty with 1:36 remaining. The River Hawks threatened on the power play to close out the period, but the score remained 1-0 when the clock struck zero.
 
UMass Lowell won the shots battle again in the third period, 12-8, but it was the Huskies that got on the board twice at 2:10 and 12:28, before adding an empty net goal with 4:25 remaining. The best chance of the period came from junior Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.), who found himself in open space in front of the net and fired a wrister on net that skimmed the glove of Whitehead and whizzed over the crossbar. The River Hawks fired 16 shots throughout the remainder of the final period, but to no avail, and the game would end with a score of 4-0.
 
Next up, the River Hawks will host No. 10 Providence next Saturday, February 24, for a single-game set at 6:05 p.m.