NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – The No. 9 UMass Lowell ice hockey team's (13-22-0, 9-16-0 Hockey East) comeback effort fell short at No. 8 Merrimack (18-15-2, 11-12-2 Hockey East), 5-3, on Wednesday night in the Hockey East Opening Round.

Senior Jack Collins (Canton, N.Y.), senior Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) and sophomore Dominic Payne (North Vancouver, B.C.) all lit the lamp for the River Hawks, while sophomore Chris Delaney (Hopkinton, Mass.) and freshman Nate Misskey (Melfort, SK) each tallied two points on two assists. Freshman David Adaszynski (Burnaby, B.C.) also added one helper.

Defensively, Adaszynski led the team with three blocked shots, while Delaney and sophomore Dominick Rivelli (Highland Park, Ill.) each had two and six different skaters picked up one apiece. Senior Samuel Richard (Sainte-Catherine, Quebec) got the nod between the pipes for the River Hawks, making 25 saves.

"Not the result we were looking for tonight," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "I was expecting a little bit of a different game from some of our guys, but it did not quite go as planned and you have to tip your hat to the opponent. They played a hard game, and I thought we were getting better as the game went on. I thought we made a push in the third period, and it was not enough."

The River Hawks generated several offensive opportunities in the first period, finishing with a 10-9 edge in shots on goal. After Merrimack struck just 1:12 into the game, the River Hawks responded with sustained pressure in the offensive zone and evened the score at 17:33 when Collins netted his first goal of the season. Misskey and Delaney each put shots on net to create the chance before Collins collected the loose rebound and buried the equalizer. Merrimack regained the lead just over a minute later, however, taking a 2-1 advantage into the first intermission.

In the second, UMass Lowell came out on top of the faceoffs battle, 10-8, and collected quality looks on two power play opportunities, but could not find the back of the net. The Warriors added two goals at the 6:51 and 15:30 marks, making it 4-1 heading into the third.

The River Hawks put up a fight in the third, once again winning the faceoff battle, 17-9, and scoring two goals to get back in the game. Bentley sent one by the goaltender from the faceoff circle just five seconds after a power play ended at 13:43, taking it all the way from the defensive zone. This started momentum for UMass Lowell, and Payne scored his second of the year exactly three minutes later, receiving a nifty, backhanded feed from Delaney and ripping a slapshot to the back of the net to make it a one-goal game with 3:17 remaining. Late in the third, Merrimack scored on the River Hawks' empty net, concluding the game with a 5-3 score.