
On Friday night, an important series in Hockey East began at Tsongas Center between Providence College (15-5-3, 5-4-3) and UMass Lowell (12-7-3, 5-5-2). Both teams enter this weekend coming off losses. For the Friars, they are coming off losing twice to Boston College while the River Hawks are coming off a disappointing loss to Stonehill last Saturday night.
Your starting goalies for Friday night’s game were Boston Bruins draft pick Phillip Svedebäck (11-8-1, 2.34 GAA, 918%) for Providence and for the River Hawks, it was Beni Halasz (3-3-1, 2.13 GAA, 926%). It would take the Friars 3:42 to score the game’s first goal. Tanner Adams, off a great goalmouth pass, scored his 10th of the year. His centerman, Logan Will, made the pass from right to left to get the assist with the other going to defenseman Andrew Centrella. 1-0 Providence.
The Friars made it 2-0 at the 8:10 mark as Will notched his eighth of the year assisted by John Mustard. Will was able to pounce on a loose puck in the right circle and beat Halasz. The River Hawks wasted little time in getting both goals back. The first was at 11:13 when Pierson Brandon, down from his point spot, took the punch and cut in front of Svedebäck and roofed a backhander to get UML on the board at 2-1. The goal was Brandon’s 3rd of the year. Matt Crasa got the lone assist. Twelve seconds later, Lee Parks tied the game at 2-2 with his 4th of the season. Ian Carpentier and Owen Cole assisted on the play. After the flurry of goals, the rest of the period was quiet. The first period ended 2-2 and shots in the first were 12-11 UML.
The second period started at even strength. Providence retook the lead on a nice play that ended with Aleksi Kivioja scoring his first of the season at 3:05. Braiden Clark made the play with a nice pass below the goal line on the left side and found Kivioja for the goal. Guillaume Richards also picked up an assist. 3-2 Providence. UML took advantage of a Friars penalty to Austin May to tie the game at 3-3. Chris Delaney got his seventh of the year on the power play at 6:05 when he put home a rebound of a point-blank shot and beat Svedebäck on the backhand. Carpentier (2A) and Nick Anderson assisted on the goal. The power-play goal was the River Hawks’s 16th of the season in 62 chances. Providence’s first power play came at 8:19 as UML’s Parks went off for hooking. The Friars PP which came into the game at 19% (13-for-68) had one great chance from Mustard who barrelled down the left wing boards, cut to the middle, and put a shot on that Halasz stopped. The period ended tied at 3-3. Shots were 9-6 Providence. The two-period totals were 20 for the Friars and 18 for UMass Lowell.
The third period started at even strength. Halfway through the period, the up-and-down action continued. Both teams had chances to untie the game but both goalies were up to the task. With 8:47 left, the game was there for the taking. Who was going to take it? With under five minutes left, Tanner Adams had a good look that was stopped by Halasz. At 17:22, the Friars went back on the power play with a chance to win the game. UMass Lowell defenseman Jack Robilotti was sent off for holding but UML killed off the penalty. Providence was now 0-for-3 on the man advantage. The period ended at 3-3. Shots in the third were 6 for UML with a three-period total of 24. The Friars had seven for a total of 27.
Three-on-three overtime hockey was next. Providence received a golden opportunity when at 1:13 Jak Vaarwerk went off for tripping. UML would survive and the Friars were now 0-for-4 on the PP. The OT ended tied at 3-3. It was now shootout time at Tsongas. In the shootout, the River Hawks won 1-0 as Dillian Bentley got the only goal. It came on the first shot of the shootout.
After the game, both coaches talked about how the crowd was treated to a good hockey game. Friars head coach Nate Leaman was not happy with his team’s power play saying “It needs to step up.” The Friars were also without its point leader Trevor Connelly, who left the game earlier with an undisclosed injury. UMass Lowell headman Norm Bazin likes the way his PK has been playing better the last four weeks. He also praised his team effort in the third, saying “It was our best period of the game.”
Saturday afternoon, these two will meet again, this time in Providence.
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