After a one-goal loss on Friday night, the UMass Lowell River Hawks were looking for a split of their weekend home series with Arizona State. As has been the case in the seven games between the two programs, the team that scored four or more goals won. On Friday night, it was the Sun Devils who came out on top.
UMass Lowell made a change in net, with Cole Moore, a transfer from Bowling Green, making his River Hawks debut. For the Sun Devils, Samuel Urban, Friday night’s winner, was back in goal.
As was the case Friday night, the Sun Devils struck early. Richard Baran beat Moore with a wrist shot from the left point for the game’s opening tally and his first collegiate goal. He received a cross-ice pass from the right boards from Daniel Shlaine, with the second assist going to Ben Kevan at the 3:23 mark. The first period ended with ASU leading 1-0. The River Hawks had a pair of power-play chances that they failed to capitalize on, though they managed six shots on those man advantages. Shots in the opening frame favored UML, 14-10.
The second period started at even strength. UML tied the game on a Dalyn Wakely goal off a feed from Jacob Macdonald. Wakely gathered the pass, drove down the slot, executed a backhand-to-forehand move, and beat Urban glove-side at 1:35 for his third goal of the year. Kuzma Voronin also picked up an assist on the play.
With 5:50 left in the period, ASU had a prime opportunity to retake the lead. Wakely took a double minor at 14:10, and shortly after, a poor line change resulted in a too-many-men penalty for the River Hawks at 15:12. The Sun Devils cashed in on the 5-on-3 power play when Nathan Behm scored from the left side of the net at 16:30. The assists went to Jonas Woo, who delivered the cross-ice pass from right to left, and Ben Muthersbaugh.
ASU extended its cushion to 3-1 on a wrist shot from the left point by Filip Nordberg that beat Moore high glove-side, with assists credited to Jack Beck and Jack O’Brien. The second period closed with the Sun Devils up 3-1, despite UML leading in shots 17-10 for the period. Missed opportunities—including two 3-on-1s and a 3-on-0 for the River Hawks—proved to be the difference maker.
Mori the sniper 🎯
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— UMass Lowell Hockey (@RiverHawkHockey) October 18, 2026
For the second straight night, the River Hawks trailed heading into the final period. They cut into the deficit at 3:04 when Josh Mori netted his first goal of the year off an assist from Kolin Sisson to make it 3-2.
Off an offensive faceoff, the Sun Devils restored their two-goal cushion. Muthersbaugh scored his second goal of the year (and second point of the night) at 9:34, sneaking the puck past Moore just inside the far post off the right-wing boards. Cade Littler earned the assist after winning the draw.
UML pulled Moore with 2:09 remaining for the extra attacker and called a timeout with 45.4 seconds left to set up a final push, but Arizona State held on to secure a 4-2 victory and complete the weekend sweep.
After the game, Arizona State head coach Dave Hakstol noted that Saturday’s contest presented its fair share of challenges. While he felt his team moved the puck much better, he criticized allowing four odd-man rushes from 180 feet away.
UMass Lowell head coach Norm Bazin was equally displeased with those missed opportunities, stating his team got “too cute” with the puck when it wasn’t necessary. While Bazin praised Moore for a solid performance in net, he expressed frustration over the second-period too-many-men penalty, which directly led to ASU’s power-play goal.
The River Hawks now turn their focus to Hockey East play, preparing for a home-and-home series against No. 7 Providence College. The action begins Friday night at the Tsongas Center with a 7:15 p.m. puck drop.
The River Hawks now turn their focus to Hockey East play.
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