LOWELL, Mass. – The UMass Lowell ice hockey team's (10-18-0, 6-12 Hockey East) comeback fell short Saturday night at No. 19 Massachusetts (17-11-0, 10-8-0), as they faced a 5-2 setback.

Freshman Josh Mori (Richmond, B.C.) scored a goal with an assist for a two-point night, while sophomore Libor Nemec (Bratislava, Slovakia) potted the second goal for the River Hawks. Junior Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) collected two assists in his 100^th career game, while sophomore Dominic Payne (North Vancouver, B.C.) joined him with one helper of his own.

Defensively, freshman David Adaszynski (Burnaby, B.C.) led the team with three blocked shots, while freshman Diego Buttazzoni (Langley, B.C.) was just behind him with two. Five other skaters added one blocked shot apiece. Freshman Austin Elliott (Strathmore, Alberta) got the start in net for the River Hawks, making 16 saves, before senior Samuel Richard (Sainte-Catherine, Quebec) entered the game in the third period and made nine saves.

"The more urgent team won," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Last night I thought that was the case also, but tonight, certainly they were the better team."

It was a unique first period, as Massachusetts opened the scoring with two goals at 5:01 and 5:29, followed by a third goal that was reversed following a successful UMass Lowell challenge for goalie interference. Not long after, the River Hawks made it a one-goal game after a Mori slapshot deflected off a Massachusetts player and into the back of the net at 13:32. The play started when Payne found Vaarwerk behind the net, who fed Mori at the blue line for a one-timer. The River Hawks used this momentum to apply pressure offensively, but the game went to the first intermission with a 2-1 score.

Both teams lit the lamp in the second, as Nemec tied it up at the 11:13 mark. Mori fought for the puck against the boards in the corner, while Vaarwerk scooped it up and sent a nice feed to the slot where Nemec made a move on the goaltender and finished on the backhand for his third of the year. The Minutemen answered at 15:32 to take a 3-2 and send it to the third period.

In the third, Massachusetts scored a shorthanded goal at 1:58, and the River Hawks battled back and tallied chances on a power play at 11:06, as well as a scrum in front of the net shortly after. Freshman Cole Lonsdale (Mississauga, Ontario) found himself with some solid looks at 15:46 and 16:31 as well, but to no avail. The squad picked up more opportunities late in the period with the empty net, but eventually the game concluded with a score of 4-2.

Next, the River Hawks will head up for a road series at Vermont on Friday and Saturday, February 13 and 14. Game one is set for 7:00 p.m., with a 6:00 p.m. puck drop on Saturday.