LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team (1-3-0, 1-1-0 Hockey East) fell, 6-0, against No. 2 Western Michigan (3-1-0, 0-0-0 NCHC) Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.

Defensively, the River Hawks's penalty kill went 4-for-4, while blocking 15 shots. Five different players collected two apiece, while five collected one each. Freshman Austin Elliott (Strathmore, Alberta) got the start between the pipes for the River Hawks, making 25 saves, while senior Samuel Richard (Sainte, Catherine, Quebec) played  

It was a battle to begin the game, with plenty of blocked shots and saves by both goaltenders. Jak Vaarwerk and Chris Delaney collected quality shots on goal for the River Hawks, but it was Western Michigan that got on the board first at the 8:25 mark.

Following the goal, the squad killed off a penalty, before Dalyn Wakely had a prime scoring opportunity on a breakaway that went just wide. With Elliott making multiple stops in net, the River Hawks drew a power play chance of their own with 1:35 left, but could not cash in, despite a chance in front of the net from Bentley as time expired.

To begin the second period, Western Michigan added two more at the 2:56 and 5:20 marks, making it 3-0, but the River Hawks did not let up, tallying four more shots on net, including a solid breakaway from TJ Schweighardt that just caught the pad of the goaltender, before the Broncos scored with 37 seconds remaining in the period.

Richard took over goaltending duties to start the third period, and after a Western Michigan goal at the 2:50 mark, the squad got on the offensive with a shots from Vaarwerk and Jay Ahearn in the slot, before a UMass Lowell power play. Despite going scoreless on the power play, the River Hawks gained from momentum from the man advantage, putting pressure on Western Michigan in the offensive zone. Senior Jack Collins (Canton, N.Y.) had a great chance in front on a rebound. Toward the end of the game, following a Broncos shorthanded goal, freshman August Classon (Stockholm, Sweden) fired a pass that was just saved, but the clock eventually hit zeroes with a 6-0 score.

Next, The River Hawks travel to Erie, Pennsylvania to take on Mercyhurst on Friday and Saturday, October 24 and 25. Game one is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., while Saturday's game two will begin at 5:00 p.m.