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Senior goaltender Darion Hanson made 30 saves for the Huskies
Hanson's 30 Saves Backstop UConn To 2-1 Win Over UMass Lowell
Senior goaltender Darion Hanson made 30 saves for the Huskies

Box Score

HARTFORD, Conn. - The UConn Huskies got a pair of second period goals from defensemen Ryan Wheeler (Lancaster, NY) and Jake Flynn (Bridgewater, MA) on the way to posting a 2-1 Hockey East win over No. 15 nationally ranked UMass Lowell on Sunday afternoon from the XL Center.

The Huskies snapped a three-game skid and dealt the River Hawks their first Hockey East loss of the season and ended their nine-game unbeaten streak. UConn is now 7-6-0 overall and 5-4-0 in the league. UML moves to 7-2-2 and 5-1-0 on the year.

After a scoreless first period, UConn got the game's first goal just 26 seconds into the second period on Wheeler's second goal this season. Flynn would provide the game-winner at the 8:20 mark scoring his first of the season just as a UConn power play came to an end.

UConn graduate student Darion Hanson (East Bethel, MN) would make it stand-up in goal, stopping all 11 shots he faced in the third period to preserve the win on his way to a 30 save afternoon.

UML's lone goal came from Andre Lee at 16:51 in the second period. The River Hawks held a 31-20 edge on shots. Goaltender Owen Savory made 18 saves.


1st period:

Just like Saturday's match-up, the first period proved a tight 20 minutes of hockey with UConn holding a slim 8-6 edge on shots.


2nd period:

UConn ended their scoring drought just 26 seconds into the second period as Wheeler notched his second goal of the season. Senior Jachym Kondelik (Budejovice, Czech Republic) got the Huskies started on a rush into the zone, feeding Kevin O'Neil (Latham, NY) up the right wing. O'Neil fed the trailing Wheeler into the slot who one-timed it past Savory five-hole for a 1-0 lead.

The Huskies made it 2-0 at the 8:18 mark scoring on the power play. Sophomore Ryan Tverberg (Richmond Hill, Ontario) bolted up the left wing into the zone and carried the puck around the net, feeding Flynn at the point. Flynn fired a one-time chance on net, hitting the post with the puck coming off the back of Savory's pad and into the net for his first of the season.

The River Hawks got one back at 16:51 as Lee scored his third goal of the weekend series. On a 4-on-4 sequence, Lee created a turnover on his own blue line and turned it into a break-away chance, beating Hanson on the back-hand in the top-right corner to make 2-1.


3rd period:

UConn's Hanson made a great early period save, sliding post to post for a stop on a 3-on-2 River Hawk chance to keep the game at 2-1. UMass Lowell would pull Savory in the closing minute for the extra skater but struggled to keep possession in the zone and UConn's defense held up to get the split on the weekend.


Up Next:

UConn will play host to Colgate in a non-conference match-up at the XL Center on Saturday, November 27 at 4 pm.