TROY, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team (5-7-0, 3-3-0 Hockey East) fell just short, 2-0, at RPI (3-9-0, 2-2-0 ECAC) on Saturday afternoon at Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.

Defensively, freshman Luke Shipley (Powell River, B.C.) led the team with five blocked shots, while senior TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and freshman Nate Miskey (Melfort, SK) each had two. Five different skaters added one blocked shot each. Senior Samuel Richard (Sainte-Catherine, Quebec) got the nod in net for the River Hawks, making 22 saves.

"It was a better effort today," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "The guys came focused and ready. Unfortunately, we were snakebit around the net. We did not have enough sustained offensive zone time this weekend to get the positive results. We will use this week to work on a variety of topics."

The first period was a battle, with just 13 combined shots. The River Hawks killed off two back-to-back penalties starting at the 6:15 mark and Richard came up with five crucial saves during that stretch to keep it scoreless. UMass Lowell then had a power play of their own later on in the period at the 15:00 mark, with Mirko Buttazzoni and Luke Shipley collecting quality scoring chances, but the period concluded with a blank scoreboard.

The squad had a hot start to the second period offensively, getting to the front of the net and pressuring the RPI goaltender and defensive unit. The River Hawks then killed off a penalty at 3:47 before collecting more scoring chances from Dalyn Wakely and Jay Ahearn that were just saved. Following the kill, they drew a penalty and went on the power play at 12:10 and despite going scoreless on the man advantage, the team gained momentum and controlled the puck in the offensive zone for most of the remainder of the period but could not find the back of the net and the game went to the third at 0-0.

UMass Lowell brought the momentum to the third period, continuing to control the puck possession game and create solid offensive looks, while Richard and the defensive unit limited RPI's opportunities on the other end. Late in the period, at the 12:15 mark, RPI opened up the scoring to make it 1-0, before adding an empty netter at 18:43 to conclude the game at 2-0.

Next up, the River Hawks travel to Lake Placid, N.Y. to compete in the Adirondack Winter Invitational. They face off against Clarkson on Friday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m., before taking on St. Lawrence the next day at 4:00 p.m.