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LOWELL, Mass. — On Friday night at the Tsongas Center, the UMass Lowell River Hawks opened their 2026-27 season against the Clarkson Golden Knights. This marked the 30th all-time meeting between the two programs dating back to 1978, with the River Hawks entering the night holding a 14-13-2 series record (5-4-1 at Tsongas). All-time in season openers, UMass Lowell came in 30-24-5 overall and 13-12-3 at home. The starting goaltenders for Friday’s matchup were Shane Soderwall for Clarkson and Austin Elliott for UMass Lowell.
First Period: River Hawks Build Early Advantage
The first goal of the season was scored by UMass Lowell’s Libor Nemec at 8:23 of the opening period to give the River Hawks a 1-0 lead, with assists credited to Jak Vaarwerk and Nicholas Wellenreiter. Vaarwerk created a 2-on-1 rush in the neutral zone, carrying the puck into the Golden Knights’ end before finding Nemec with a crisp left-to-right pass that Nemec buried past Soderwall.
Later in the frame, Jacob MacDonald doubled the lead off an offensive-zone faceoff, slipping the puck past Soderwall on the right side. Dalyn Wakely picked up the assist after winning the draw back to MacDonald from the left circle.
With less than a minute left in the period, Clarkson got on the board at 19:23 when Adrian Misaljevic gathered a rebound off a Talon Sigurdson shot in front of Elliott and netted his first goal of the year. Assists were awarded to Sigurdson and Zack Sanzo. The period ended with UML holding a 2-1 lead, outshooting Clarkson 6-4, with both teams going 0-for-1 on power-play opportunities.
Second Period: Misaljevic Ties the Game
The second period opened with increased pace as UMass Lowell’s overall speed—a key attribute favored by head coach Norm Bazin—was on full display throughout the first 24 minutes. The highlight save of the frame occurred when Clarkson forward Hayden Reid split the UML defensemen and walked in clean on Elliott; Reid attempted a forehand move, but Elliott stayed poised to make the save.
At the 17:45 mark of the period, Misaljevic struck for his second goal of the night, unleashing a slap shot from the right point that beat Elliott. Sigurdson earned his second assist of the game on the play alongside Bryce Sookro. The second period concluded tied 2-2, with UMass Lowell holding 24 seconds of carryover power-play time. Clarkson outshot UML 8-5 in the second, knotting the overall shot count at 11-11 through 40 minutes.
Third Period: Major Penalty Proves Decisive
Clarkson successfully killed off the remaining 24 seconds of the penalty to start the third period, dropping UML to 0-for-3 on the man advantage. Shortly after the kill, UML’s best scoring chance came when Nicholas Wellenreiter broke in all alone, only to be stopped by Soderwall.
Clarkson received a major opportunity at 6:37 when River Hawks forward David Adaszynski was assessed a five-minute major and a game misconduct for a hit to the head. The Golden Knights capitalized on the power play at 9:48 when Remi Gelinas scored from just inside the right faceoff circle off passes from Owen Van Steensel and Ty Brassington. It proved to be the lone goal of the five-minute power play, bringing Clarkson to 1-for-3 on the night and giving them their first lead at 3-2.
UML earned one final power-play attempt at 13:55 following a kneeing minor on Jace Letourneau, but failed to convert, falling to 0-for-4 overall. Elliott was pulled in favor of an extra attacker with a minute remaining, and the River Hawks peppered Soderwall with a barrage of late shots, but the Clarkson goaltender stood tall to secure the 3-2 victory. Clarkson outshot UML 9-7 in the third period, finishing with a 20-18 edge in total shots.
Hard-fought season opener in Lowell! Right back at it tomorrow!
RECAP: https://t.co/ufipOWwDC5
#UnitedInBlue https://t.co/5bADSbS8Qg
— UMass Lowell Hockey (@RiverHawkHockey) October 10, 2026
Postgame Reactions
Clarkson head coach JF Houle expressed satisfaction with his team’s performance, noting that despite some initial jitters at the start, they improved steadily as the game progressed. Houle highlighted that getting pucks deep on UML’s defensemen was crucial to their success. He commended Soderwall’s performance—who finished with 15 saves on 17 shots—and emphasized the roster’s depth, calling it the deepest squad he has managed during his tenure at Clarkson. The Golden Knights now travel to face Providence on Saturday night.
UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin felt it was a strong game overall, though he expressed disappointment in his team’s inability to capitalize around the net. While he liked the offense his group generated, Bazin noted that Clarkson simply executed one more key play. He identified the third-period five-minute major as the turning point, as it forced him to heavily rely on key skaters during the penalty kill. UMass Lowell returns to action at the Tsongas Center on Saturday afternoon to host St. Lawrence at 4:00 PM.
Author Profile
- John is VP of NGSC Sports and head of our New England operations. He covers sports in the America East, Big East, ACC, Hockey East conferences.
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