MAINE SHUTS OUT UMASS LOWELL, 3-0, TO SWEEP WEEKEND SERIES
Senior captain Tanner House collects three assists in game for Black Bears

Senior forward Tanner House posted three assists for the Black Bears

LOWELL, Mass. - UMass Lowell hockey was shutout for the second consecutive night, 3-0, by Maine in the Tsongas Center on Saturday night in front of 4,326 fans. Despite the loss, River Hawk goaltender Doug Carr (Hanover, Mass.) made 35 saves and held the Black Bears scoreless on four power play chances.

Saturday marked the first time UMass Lowell was shutout in consecutive games since Oct. 21-22, 2005 against Providence. The River Hawks fall to 4-24-2 overall and 3-20-0 in Hockey East action. Maine improves to 14-10-6 with their third straight win and 11-8-4 in conference play.

The Black Bears came out fast and strong, with Gustav Nyquist (Malmo, Sweden) picking up a tally at 8:38 into play. Off of a neutral zone faceoff, Brian Flynn (Lynnfield, Mass.) tossed a pass into the River Hawk zone for Nyquist. The speedy forward beat the defense and Carr for the score, his 14th of the season.

Maine picked up another tally before the opening period ran out, coming off of the stick of Joey Diamond (Long Beach, N.Y.). With a wide-open four-on-four ice surface, Tanner House (Cochrane, Alta.) played give-and-go with Diamond over the length of the ice until Diamond finished with a close-ranged shot at 15:01.

With a two goal advantage, the Black Bears picked up an insurance score midway through the second period. During a UMass Lowell power play in the Maine zone, House won the face off to Nyquist who blew past the defense and beat Carr with a one-on-one breakaway at 9:31 into the second.

The River Hawks weren't without opportunities as Scott Campbell (Navan, Ont.) nearly snuck the puck through Dan Sullivan's (York, Pa.) five hole shortly after Nyquist's second goal. David Vallorani (Hamilton, Ont.) also had several Grade-A chances over the duration of the game.

UMass Lowell's Carr finished with 35 saves as he fell to 3-12-1 on the season. Maine's Sullivan tallied 28 saves to pick up his second consecutive shutout, the first Black Bear to accomplish the feat since Jimmy Howard in 2002-03.

The River Hawks will look to bounce back next weekend in a home-and-home series with Providence College. Maine aims to keep its momentum while hosting Merrimack for a pair in the Alfond Arena.