BOSTON, Mass. – The No. 13 UMass Lowell ice hockey (14-11-3, 7-9-2 Hockey East) team fell, 2-0, at Northeastern (10-14-3, 5-9-3 HockeyEast) Friday night at Matthews Arena in Boston, Mass.

The River Hawks outshot the Huskies, 34-30, and junior TJ Schweighardt (Manahawkin, N.J.) led the team with five blocked shots, while sophomore Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) added two and five other skaters each collected one. Graduate student Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) got the nod between the pipes, making 28 saves.

Despite a Northeastern goal at the 5:24 mark, the River Hawks threatened in the first period, pressuring in the offensive zone and outshooting the Huskies 13-11. Senior Stefan Owens (Midlothian, Va.), along with a handful of other River Hawks had great scoring chances throughout the period, but they were just saved.

After a River Hawks penalty at the beginning of the second, Northeastern was awarded a penalty shot, scoring on it at the 2:19 mark of the period. UMass Lowell managed to mount some offense in response, gathering scoring opportunities, while Welsch made crucial saves on the other end. Eventually, each team was called for matching penalties around the midway point of the period, with the River Hawks losing another man to the penalty box to make it 4-on-3. Welsch came up big during the penalty kill to keep the Huskies scoreless and help the squad kill off the Northeastern power play chance. UMass Lowell picked up a power play of their own with just over five minutes left, tallying two shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net and the period concluded with a 2-0 score.

In the third, the River Hawks controlled the puck in their offensive zone for the majority of the period, collecting 13 shots on goal compared to Northeastern's two. There were a handful of close calls on River Hawk shots including ones from sophomore Vaarwerk, junior Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) and Schweighardt, but all were saved and the 2-0 score remained until the clock hit zero.

Next, the River Hawks will move on to host Northeastern tomorrow, Saturday, February 15 at 6:05 p.m. at the Tsongas Center.