EAST LANSING, Mich.-The No. 16 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (2-2-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) faced a heartbreaking 4-3 loss on the road to Michigan State (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) on Thursday night at the Munn Ice Arena.
Seniors Carl Berglund (Hammaro, Sweden) and Brian Chambers (Weymouth, Mass.) led the team in points for the second-consecutive contest with two each. Berglund dished out a pair of assists, while Chambers scored the opening goal and added an assist on the power play. Graduate student Filip Fornåå Svensson (Linköping, Sweden) extended his scoring streak to two with the lone power play goal of the night in the second period. Freshmen Scout Truman (Lethbridge, Ontario) and Nick Rhéaume (Trois Rivieres, Quebec) saw career firsts in East Lansing. Truman net the equalizer in the third for his first collegiate goal, while Rhéaume dished out the assist for his first point as a River Hawk.
On defense, junior Brehdan Engum (Burnsville, Minn.) was a standout presence on the blueline with a team-best three blocks, while graduate student Gustavs Davis Grigals (Riga, Latvia) made 21 saves.
Chambers got the ball rolling for the River Hawks in the Thursday night clash with his first point of the night at 2:53 in the period. The senior barreled down the ice through the slot as his linemate Berglund snagged possession of the puck behind the goal. Berglund then clipped a centering pass back to Chambers, who stuffed it between the legs of Michigan State's Dylan St. Cyr for the opening tally.
The Spartans' offensive intensity built as the period trudged on, but the UMass Lowell defense went to work providing net front coverage. Defensive partners Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden) and Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) brought a physical barrier for UMass Lowell, throwing their bodies in front of Michigan State's shots to help slow their attack.
The River Hawks' top line earned another chance to light the lamp on the penalty kill after a Michigan State miscue gave Berglund the breakaway chance. Speeding down the center, Berglund maneuvered the puck out of St. Cyr's reach, but the Spartan netminder shut down the shot with a kick save. Michigan State capitalized on the key save to shift momentum in its favor and take a 3-1 lead late in the frame. Despite several chances on net off the sticks of the River Hawks, the Spartans held the two-goal advantage as the teams headed to the first break.
A call against Michigan State with just 15 seconds left in the first brought UMass Lowell back to the ice on the man advantage. The River Hawks wasted no time tipping the scales back in their favor on the power play with a goal just 49 seconds into the second from Fornåå Svensson. Chambers took the first chance on net, firing one from close range that bounced wide past St. Cyr. Alone at the opposite faceoff dot, Fornåå Svensson snagged the rebound and snuck in a quick one-timer past the glove of St. Cyr to bring the team back within striking distance.
The River Hawks continued to chase the equalizer as the puck dropped for the third. Down by just one, the wait was short-lived for UMass Lowell. Just 1:14 into the frame, the team found its way back into the zone. Truman, keeping the puck out of reach of his defender, bounced the puck off the boards to classmate Rhéaume. The forward immediately flung the pass back to Truman, who turned and ripped the shot off the post and into the net to lock both teams at 3-3.
With under 10 minutes left in regulation, Michigan State earned a one-on-one chance after a blocked shot bounced into the neutral zone. Spartan's Tanner Kelly and Fornåå Svensson raced for the puck, but Kelly got the advantage and fired an attempt on net that was kicked away swiftly by Grigals. A call against the River Hawks, however, gave Kelly the one-on-one opportunity once against on the penalty shot. Despite an initial save by the graduate transfer netminder, the puck took an errant bounce to ultimately push Michigan State up 4-3 to take the first win of the series.
UMass Lowell returns to the Munn Ice Arena tomorrow night on the hunt for the split. Puck drop is set for 7:30 p.m.
