LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team (14-9-3, 7-7-2 Hockey East) battled hard, but ultimately fell short, 5-3, against Vermont (10-13-3, 5-9-2 Hockey East) at the Tsongas Center Friday evening.

Freshman Chris Delaney (Hopkinton, Mass.) led the way with two points for the River Hawks on a goal and an assist, while senior Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) and graduate student Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) each tallied one goal apiece as well. Senior Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden), freshman Mirko Buttazzoni (Langley, B.C.), junior Dylan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) and graduate student Pierson Brandon (Irvington, N.Y.) all collected an assist as well in the matchup.

Seven different skaters had a blocked shot, with Buttazzoni and Brandon leading the way with two each, while five others all blocked one shot each. Junior Beni Halasz (Budapest, Hungary) got the nod in net, making 23 saves.

"It was a good half game for us," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "I thought we made a push in the third period, I thought our faceoffs were decent, but those are the only positives I can come up with. I did not think we were on. We were not sharp and there is no excuse for it."  

The first period ended with the score knotted up at zero with each team firing off 10 shots on goal. Junior Connor Eddy (Victoria, B.C.) had the first great scoring chance for the River Hawks on a breakaway opportunity just over five minutes in, but his backhand attempt was just saved. Junior Scout Truman (Lethbridge, Alberta) followed that up with a chance of his own, making a move on the goalie, but his shot went just wide of the right post. Each team was called for a penalty towards the end of the period, but the 4-on-4 carried over to the second period as it ended scoreless.

Immediately following 4-on-4 play at the beginning of the second, the River Hawks were called for a penalty and Vermont got on the board at 3:17 just after the penalty was killed, followed by another goal at the 4:00 mark. 52 seconds later, the Catamounts added a goal to make it a three-goal lead.

The River Hawks then retaliated at 10:04, gaining momentum from a power play and scoring just after it expired, when Cole gets a stick on a Bentley rebound next to the pipe and jabs at the puck until it crossed the goal line for UMass Lowell's first of the game. Delaney then made it a one-goal game at the 15:43 mark, finishing a loose puck off the stick of Buttazzoni for his eighth of the year. Just under two minutes later, the Catamounts found the back of the net again to make it 4-2 heading into the third.

The River Hawks once again got themselves within one goal when Meehan sniped one to the back of the net from the high slot at the 8:23 mark of the third period. Delaney made it happen with a hustle play to jar the puck loose from a Vermont defender to the stick of Meehan. The squad continued to pressure in the offensive zone for the rest of the period, outshooting the Catamounts 13-3, but Vermont sealed it with an empty net goal with 1:39 remaining.

The River Hawks will now have a quick turnaround, as they travel to No. 11/10 UConn tomorrow, February 8 at 3:30 p.m. at the XL Center in Hartford, Conn.