UMass Lowell Falls to Maine in Hockey East, 3-1

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A big series started on Friday night at Tsongas Center in front of a crowd of 5,462. The #7 Maine Black Bears (14-4-2, 6-2-2) came to town to take on the #8 UMass Lowell River Hawks (12-5-2, 5-4-1). This is a weekend battle for sole possession of a top-four spot in Hockey East which would give home ice in the Hockey East quarterfinals.

Your starting goalies on Friday night were, Henry Welsch (9-2-1, 2.50 GAA, 992%) for the River Hawks. Maine went with Albin Boija (12-4-2, 1.92 GAA, 927%). Through the first ten minutes of the first period, both teams went up and down the ice at a good pace. The best chance belonged to the River Hawks when Connor Eddy picked up a clearing pass at center ice and broke in all alone only to be stopped by Boija. Maine’s best chance came off a scramble in front of the River Hawks net when centerman Nolan Renwick tried to stuff one past Welsch. Instead, he was turned aside. The first penalty went to Maine’s Charlie Russell for cross-checking at 16:56.

UMass Lowell did not convert putting a couple of shots on goal with Scout Truman having the best shot on goal from the right side of the net that was turned aside by Boija. The period ended scoreless with the River Hawks outshooting Maine by a 12-7 margin.

The second period started at even strength and then, the River Hawks connected on the game’s first goal off a 2-on-1 rush started by Lee Parks who played give and go with Truman. It would be Truman who would feed Parks who then went upstairs to beat Boija for his third of the season at 1:36. 1-0 UML. The second power play of the night went to UML. Maine’s defenseman Brandon Holt went off for a cross-check at 9:47. After the PP, Maine got a great chance on a 2-on-1 into the UML zone. Owen Fowler, former River Hawks now a Black Bear, rang one off the left post with a wrist shot. Maine tied the game at 1-1 on a goal by Black Bear captain David Breazeale who fired a wrist shot that Welsch tried to stop with his stick but instead, the shot clanged off the stick and went between his legs at 14:31. The assist went to Thomas Freel. The goal for Breazeale was his third of the year. The period ended 1-1. Shots were 12 for Maine and 19 for two periods. For UML, they had 8 in the period, and 20 for the game.

The third period got going with each team at even strength. Maine took the lead on a net crash goal by Harrison Scott. An odd-man rush led to Scott finishing at the goal mouth on the right side for his team-leading 14th of the season. Freel and Ross Mitton picked up assists at 11:18. UML now had work to do with seven and a half minutes left. UMass Lowell pressed the attack looking for the tying goal. With 2:40 left, the teams played 4-on-4 hockey after roughing calls were made against Truman and Feel at 17:20. Maine had a great chance off a breakaway but Breazeale was stopped by Welsch. Seconds later, Welch was pulled for the extra skater and Maine made that a bad decision as Scott scored his second of the game and 15th of the season into an empty net at 18:07. The assist went to Frank Djurasevic to make 3-1 Maine. That would end up as the final score at Tsongas.

Maine’s head coach Ben Barr thought his team played “A good hockey game.” He believed that the River Hawks were winning battles in the first half and he also mentioned how he thought his team got better with that as the game went along. On Harrison Scott who scored two goals on the night, Barr called him a “difference maker.”

Coach Norm Bazin was a bit more subdued after the game. He said his team “Needs to be better in many areas.” While he admitted it was a close hockey game, he thought his team was not good enough in all three zones. As he said, “This is Hockey East and there are plenty of tough teams to face every night.”

Saturday night, the two teams meet again at 6:15.