CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team (6-10-0, 3-5-0 Hockey East) wrapped up its home-and-home series with No. 15/14 Boston College (10-5-1, 7-3-0 Hockey East) with a 3-1 setback at Conte Forum in Chestnut Hill, Mass.

Freshman Diego Buttazzoni (Langley, B.C.) scored the lone goal for the River Hawks with assists from sophomores Libor Nemec (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Mirko Buttazzoni (Langley, B.C.). Freshman Josh Mori (Richmond, B.C.) led the team with three blocked shots, while seniors TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) and Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) each had two and seven different skaters collected one apiece. Senior Samuel Richard (Sainte-Catherine, Quebec) got the nod between the pipes for the River Hawks, making 32 saves in his fifth start.

"I thought it was a good hockey game tonight," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Obviously, you want to be on the winning end. I liked the effort and both third periods on both nights were excellent, but too little too late, and that's been the story for our last couple weeks, so we have to find out a better formula for starting out strong."

It was a physical first period, and it was senior Connor Eddy (Victoria, B.C.) that had the first chance for the River Hawks on a breakaway at 3:06, but his shot went just wide. BC went on the power play at the 5:12 mark, but the penalty kill unit kept the Eagles at bay with tight defense and blocked shots in addition to pivotal saves from Richard to keep it scoreless. After the kill, the squad picked up a man advantage of their own, bringing the pressure and firing quality shots on goal, but could not find the back of the net. Boston College added goals at the 14:15 and 16:46 marks, but UMass Lowell continued to create offense throughout the remainder of the first, as sophomores Lee Parks (Ottawa, Ontario), Nemec and Mirko Buttazzoni all had prime chances in the crease, with Nemec's and Buttazzoni's coming on a 4-on-4, but they caught the goaltender's pad.

Later on, another opportunity arose on a 2-on-1 with Diego Buttazzoni and freshman Dalyn Wakely (Port Hope, Ontario), but Wakely's one-timer from the stick of Buttazzoni was saved. At the end of the period, with 23 seconds left, UMass Lowell was called for a penalty and not long after, as time expired, the Eagles were called for roughing, causing 1:37 of 4-on-4 hockey to start the second period.

Just over one minute into the second, Boston College was called for interference, giving the River Hawks a 5-on-3 chance, where Bentley had a near-goal off the crossbar. After the Eagles' first man came out of the box, the River Hawks cashed in on the power play at 3:11, making it 2-1 on Diego Buttazzoni's second goal of the year. It started with Mirko Buttazzoni feeding Nemec in the slot, before Nemec found Diego Buttazzoni in the right faceoff circle and he fired a blast that deflected off the goaltender and into net. Boston College answered back at 14:21 to make it 3-1, but the River Hawks maintained some offensive pressure, with one-timers from Jay Ahearn and Wakely that were just saved.

The beginning of the third was back-and-forth, with both teams trading off possession of the puck. At the 7:52 mark, the River Hawks were called for a five-minute major and game misconduct, but still managed to get some shots on goal, including a good look from sophomore Dominick Rivelli (Highland Park, Ill.). With just over 20 seconds left on the disadvantage, Boston College was called for a penalty, making it 4-on-4 and giving the River Hawks the successful kill. The fight continued throughout the rest of the period, but neither team could get on the scoreboard and the game concluded at 3-1.

Next, the River Hawks hit the road to take on Maine next Wednesday, December 10 at Cross Insurance Arena in Portland, Maine for their final game before the holiday break. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.