Sophomore defenseman Brehdan Engum scored the game-tying goal for the River Hawks
UMass Lowell And Michigan State Skate To 2-2 Tie
Sophomore defenseman Brehdan Engum scored the game-tying goal for the River Hawks

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass.- Precision shooting by junior Andre Lee (Karlstad, Sweden) and sophomore Brehdan Engum (Burnsville, Minn.) kept the UMass Lowell men's hockey team (1-1-1, 0-0-0 Hockey East) in the fight against Michigan State (3-1-1, 0-0-0 Big Ten), battling to a 2-2 tie at the Tsongas Center on Friday night.

In total, five different River Hawks registered points in the home opener. With a helper apiece, junior Carl Berglund (Hammaro, Sweden), graduate student Connor Sodergren (Tewksbury, Mass.) and junior Brian Chambers (Weymouth, Mass.) joined Lee and Engum on the final scoresheet with a point each.

Throughout 65 minutes of action, the River Hawks handily outshot the Spartans, putting up 39 shots to the visiting team's 17. Senior Reid Stefanson (Winnipeg, Manitoba) led the charge for UMass Lowell, registering a team and career-best seven shots. Between the pipes, senior Owen Savory (Cambridge, Ontario) made 15 total stops.

"It was awesome to see some life in the building and to have that energy. 40 shots is pretty good after a long layoff. I was proud of the effort, there's no question. Could the execution have been better? No question. We've got to be better in that department," remarked Head Coach Norm Bazin. "At the same time, they're a good hockey team. They were 3-1 coming into here. They're quick. They're workman-like. We've got to be better in a few hours."

The River Hawks came out strong against the Spartans, dominating time in the offensive zone early on in the match. Despite UMass Lowell's gritty offense, Michigan State was first to strike. Stealing the puck off a scrum behind the net, the Spartans took advantage of the snag to catch the River Hawks off guard and take a 1-0 lead with 5:32 left in the first.

In a second period plagued by penalties, the River Hawks broke through the chaos to lock up the game. As Michigan State regained full strength off a 5-on-3, UMass Lowell fought for possession along the boards. Grabbing the loose puck from Sodergren, Lee fired in a shot through an open sliver above the right shoulder of Spartan goalie Drew DeRidder to tie the teams at 1-1 heading into the third.

The River Hawks continued to pepper the Spartan blue line with shots as they looked to take the lead in the last period. An unlucky pair of calls against UMass Lowell sent out the River Hawks special teams to hold off Michigan State's 5-on-3 opportunity around the six minute mark.

Although UMass Lowell squelched the first penalty to bring out an extra skater for the remaining minute of the penalty kill, the Spartans struck while the iron was hot. With seven seconds left on the man-up opportunity, Michigan State's Jeremy Davidson tucked one past Savory to take the 2-1 lead at 9:37.

Down one goal with the seconds ticking away in regulation, the River Hawks shattered Michigan State's stalwart defense to lock things up. Passing the puck back and forth as they barreled down the ice, Engum connected with the pass from Chambers and fired it over the left pad of DeRidder to send the teams to extra minutes in an electric fashion.

With five minutes on the clock, both squads headed to 3-on-3 action in overtime. Continuing their high-pressure offense, the River Hawks continued to outshoot the Spartans, 6-3, looking for the golden goal. Standout performances between the pipes, however, kept the teams scoreless in the bonus frame, ending the night in a 2-2 tie.

The River Hawks return to home ice on Saturday, Oct. 23, on the hunt for the win against Michigan State. Puck drop is set for 6:05 p.m.