Junior forward Brian Chambers had a pair of assists for the River Hawks
UMass Lowell Skates To 3-3 Tie With Long Island University
Junior forward Brian Chambers had a pair of assists for the River Hawks

Box Score

LOWELL, Mass.-Power play goals from junior Ryan Brushett (Montreal, Quebec) and senior Lucas Condotta (Georgetown, Ontario) helped spark the No. 19 UMass Lowell hockey team's (4-1-2, 2-0-0 Hockey East) come-from-behind effort to tie Long Island (2-5-1), 3-3, in a midweek matchup Wednesday night at the Tsongas Center.

Leading the team on the scoresheet, junior Brian Chambers (Weymouth, Mass.) dished out two assists to finish with a team-high two points against the Sharks. Led by Brushett and Condotta, the River Hawks power play unit finished 2-for-5 on the night, while the penalty kill went 1-for-3. Rounding out the UMass Lowell scoring run, graduate student Connor Sodergren (Tewksbury, Mass.) added a game-tying goal of his own in the second, marking his first of the season.

Between the pipes, sophomore Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) ended the night with 17 stops on 20 saves in his third appearance of the season.

"Overall, I thought it wasn't a great effort. But, at the same time, we learned a lesson in urgency. We still got a point, so I guess we got to be happy about something," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "Power play was good, couple of looks and a couple of goals. I thought that was a step forward for our team. I wasn't displeased with the goaltending. I don't think he saw either one. So, it was one of those situations where I'll take those power play looks, I'll take the step forward in that department."

UMass Lowell held the early advantage on offense, outshooting the visiting Sharks 9-7 and winning nine of 14 faceoffs in the first. Despite the River Hawks' edge on attack, Luck favored LIU as PJ Marrocco snuck in a goal at 14:53 to get the visitors on the board first.

The Sharks kept scoring in their favor moving into the second frame. Going on the power play, LIU's Spencer Cox pushed the Sharks to a 2-0 margin just 46 seconds into the period off a long-range shot.

The tides turned against the Sharks after a second period holding call gave the River Hawks a chance to strike with a power play goal of their own. Moving the puck around the perimeter, graduate student Nick Austin (St. Louis Park, Minn.) pushed the puck down to Brushett from just under the blue line. A well-set screen from Sodergren then gave Brushett the opportunity for a quick snipe off the wrister that filtered into the top right corner of the net to cut the Sharks' lead down to 2-1 at 9:12.

With under five minutes left in the period, Chambers fired one at LIU's Kris Carlson in hopes of closing in on the one-goal lead. Knocking the puck away, the Sharks struggled to corral the loose puck in front of the net, allowing Sodergren to swoop in. Beating Carlson blocker side, the veteran quickly flicked in the shot off the backhand to lock up the teams at 2-2 to head into the second intermission.

A set of power play opportunities to start the period ignited UMass Lowell's special teams once again. Just seven seconds into the extra-man advantage, Condotta picked off a pass on the doorstep from Chambers. Catching Carlson off guard, the captain tucked the puck around the right pad of the goaltender to give UMass Lowell its first lead of the game at 5:38 in the third.

With time expiring in the third, the Sharks pulled the goaltender in favor of the sixth skater. Unwilling to concede, LIU caught Welsch off guard in the slot with just over a minute left in play to send the squads to overtime.

Despite a pair of shots from both sides in the bonus frame, neither team found the back of the net, ending the night with a 3-3 draw.

The River Hawks take a break from action before returning to the Tsongas Center on Friday, Nov. 12, to take on conference opponent Northeastern. The Hockey East showdown will be broadcast on NESN+ starting at 7:15 p.m.