River Hawks Strike Back: UMass Lowell Dominates Third Period to Earn Weekend Split Against Friars

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LOWELL, M.A.—After a disappointing performance on Friday night, the UMass Lowell River Hawks made the necessary adjustments and returned to form on Saturday, securing a decisive 5-1 victory over the Providence College Friars before a crowd of 4,970 at the Tsongas Center.

The win gives the River Hawks a crucial weekend split and moves their record to $4-4-0$ ( $2-2-0$ in Hockey East). Following the game, UMass Lowell Head Coach Norm Bazin stated his team “needed a game like this” after the previous night’s lackluster result.

Early Edge and a Shocking Ejection

Both coaches elected to start their fourth lines after a physical finish to Friday’s contest, which Providence won 5-2. The River Hawks came out with high energy, nearly scoring just 17 seconds into the game, only to have the goal waived off after video review.

However, the sequence led to the game’s first significant event: UML left wing Mirko Buttazzoni was assessed a game misconduct for a comment made during the scrum. Despite getting two power-play chances later in the period, the River Hawks failed to register a shot on goal, and the period ended scoreless with shots $8-6$ in favor of UML.

Shorthanded Spark Lifts River Hawk

The second period saw the game’s first goals, with UMass Lowell quickly finding its stride:

UML Takes Lead: Jay Ahearn scored his fourth goal of the year at $4:01$ off a beautiful $2$ -on- $1$ rush. The play was set up by Libor Nemec, who executed a nifty spin move at his own blue line before taking the puck down the left side to feed Ahearn.
The Shorthanded Answer: Providence then went on the power play, leading to an extraordinary sequence. First, TJ Schvveghardt blocked a shot in his own zone and took off on a $4$ -on- $1$ break, firing a wrist shot to the top shelf for the shorthanded goal at $15:42$ . This was the sixth short-handed goal allowed by Providence this season.
Friars Respond: Just 34 seconds later, Providence finally cashed in on the same power play, with Jonathan Fauchon beating goalie Austin Elliott ( $22$ saves on $23$ shots) to make it $2-1$ .

The period ended with UMass Lowell maintaining the $2-1$ lead, despite Providence holding the shot advantage after two periods ( $17-14$ ).

Third Period Barrage Seals the Victory

The third period belonged entirely to the River Hawks, who used a major penalty to blow the game open.

Power Play Success: At 4:50, Providence’s Roger McQueen was assessed a five-minute major penalty for grabbing the face mask. The River Hawks made the Friars pay, converting twice during the lengthy man advantage.
- Lee Parks scored his second of the year at $6:01$ .
- Nate Misskey scored his first collegiate goal at $9:43$ (with an assist from Nemec, his second assist of the period).
Final Score: The goals put UML up 4-1. After Providence pulled goalie Jack Parsons ( $21$ saves on $26$ shots) for an extra attacker, Jak Vaarvverk added an empty-net goal at $18:41$ to secure the 5-1 final score.

Providence coach Nate Leaman acknowledged his team “gave the game away” in the third period, adding that he is looking for more production from his junior class given the lack of seniors on the roster.

With the win, UMass Lowell now sits at $4-4-0$ overall, $2-2-0$ in Hockey East, while Providence drops to $3-3-1$ , $1-1-0$ in league play.

Next weekend, the River Hawks will play a home-and-home series against UNH, starting Friday night at the Tsongas Center.