One Last Win at Home: River Hawks Celebrate Seniors with Gritty Upset of Terriers

Read Time:3 Minute, 12 Second

On Saturday night at the Tsongas Center, the UMass Lowell River Hawks played host to the Boston University Terriers. It was Senior Night for six members of the team, and the River Hawks were determined to end their home schedule on a high note. The victory improved their home record to 4–11–0; however, the mark still represents a third straight season with a losing home record—a stretch that has occurred only once before in the 58-year history of UMass Lowell hockey (1988–92).

First Period: Terriers Strike First

Graduating senior Samuel Richards (5-8-0) earned the start in goal for UML, facing off against BU’s Mikhail Yegorov (15-13-0). Early in the first, after killing off a penalty, the Terriers struck first. At 4:09, Owen McLaughlin netted his fifth of the season, tapping in a goal-mouth pass from Sacha Boisvert at the left post. Cole Hudson also assisted on the play.

Down 1–0, the River Hawks surged, but Yegorov remained sharp, denying high-quality chances from Lee Parks, Connor Eddy, and Dillian Bentley. Despite three power-play opportunities for UML in the opening frame, they went 0-for-3, and the period ended 1–0 in favor of BU.

Second Period: A Milestone Goal

The second period began with BU on a carry-over power play, where UML’s Jak Vaarwerk nearly tied the game on a shorthanded breakaway, only to be stopped by Yegorov’s blocker. The River Hawks eventually found the equalizer at 7:12 when Jay Ahearn stuffed home a shot for his 13th of the year. The goal marked a major milestone: Ahearn’s 100th career point.

Dillian Bentley and TJ Schweighardt provided the assists. For Bentley, the point marked a career-high 23 on the season, while Schweighardt also set a career-best with his 14th assist. The teams headed into the final intermission deadlocked at 1–1.

Third Period: A Wild Finish

While the game featured ten unsuccessful power plays through two periods (0-for-4 for BU, 0-for-6 for UML), the final frame was decided at even strength.

The Lead: At 3:42, Diego Buttazzoni beat Yegorov high on the blocker side for his 6th of the year off a pass from Libor Nemec, giving UML a 2–1 lead.
The Cushion: At 8:38, David Adaszynski knocked in a rebound off a Bentley shot to make it 3–1.
The Response: BU’s Cole Eiserman cut the lead to 3–2 with a blistering one-timer off a faceoff win by Kamil Bednarik with six minutes remaining.
The Empty Netter: With two minutes left, BU pulled Yegorov, and Jak Vaarwerk launched a shot from inside his own blue line for an empty-net goal to make it 4–2.
The Squeezer: BU didn’t quit, as Gavin McCarthy scored at 18:32 to make it 4–3.

The Terriers stormed the UML zone in the final seconds, but the River Hawks won a critical faceoff with 7.2 seconds left to secure the 4–3 victory.

Coach’s Corner

Boston University head coach Jay Pandolfo expressed frustration after the game, citing too many penalties and an 0-for-4 power play that has struggled all season. “A lack of solid effort is what really bothers me,” Pandolfo noted.

On the other bench, Norm Bazin was pleased to send his seniors out with a win. He praised Dillian Bentley for his year-over-year improvement and TJ Schweighardt, who will graduate with a double major. Bazin also highlighted the physical presence of Connor Eddy and the character of Richards and Ahearn, calling them “good kids” who represented the program well.

Up Next: The River Hawks will hit the road this Wednesday night for the first round of the Hockey East Playoffs.