LAKE PLACID, N.Y. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team (5-8-0, 3-3-0 Hockey East) fell, 2-0, against Clarkson (4-10-0, 1-5-0 ECAC) in game one of the Adirondack Winter Invitational on Friday evening at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The River Hawks went a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill, while freshman Nate Misskey (Melfort, SK) and junior Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) led the way with three blocked shots each. Senior TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) picked up two blocked shots and three other skaters added one apiece. Freshman Austin Elliott (Strathmore, Alberta) got the nod in net for the River Hawks, making 29 saves.

It was a hard-fought first period, as the teams went back-and-forth trading off scoring opportunities. UMass Lowell's first prime chance came at the 7:59 mark, when sophomore Mirko Buttazzoni (Langley, B.C.) made a nifty move to get around a defender and almost snuck one past the Clarkson goaltender. Sophomore Chris Delaney (Hopkinton, Mass.) also collected a  chance later in the period in front of the net off a smooth pass from senior Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) but just missed wide. Elliott was a wall on the other end, stopping all 13 shots on goal he faced to keep the scoreboard blank and send the team to the locker room with a 0-0 score.

Despite a Clarkson goal at the 6:15 mark of the second, the River Hawks answered with pressure in the offensive zone, including consecutive chances from sophomore Dominic Payne (North Vancouver, B.C.), sophomore Lee Parks (Ottawa, Ontario) and Delaney. They kept the momentum going just minutes later with a freshman Dalyn Wakely (Port Hope, Ontario) shot that squirted through the goaltender's pads and nearly crossed the goal line before getting poked out of the crease. The Golden Knights added a 4-on-4 goal at 13:37 to make it 2-0, and the River Hawks continued to fire away offensively in response, but the game went to the third with a two-goal deficit.

The third was another battle, with UMass Lowell adding more scoring attempts towards the end, including a Bentley wrister that ricocheted off the post, while Elliott continued to keep the Clarkson offense at bay with nine saves. However, the squad could not find the back fo the net to close the gap and the clocks hit zeroes with a 2-0 final score.

Next, the River Hawks return to Herb Brooks Arena tomorrow, Saturday, November 29 to take on St. Lawrence in game two of the tournament at 4:00 p.m.