EAST LANSING, Mich. - The No. 16 UMass Lowell River Hawks (3-2-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) pulled out a gritty 3-2 win over Michigan State (2-2-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) Friday night at the Munn Ice Arena to secure the split.
The River Hawks shared the scoring wealth in the tilt, with three different River Hawks lighting the lamp. Sophomore Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) got the offense rolling in the opening frame with his first of the season on the doorstep. Senior Carl Berglund (Hammaro, Sweden) and graduate student Jon McDonald (Livonia, Mich.) both added goals in the second to push UMass Lowell to victory over the Spartans.
McDonald added to his stat line with a team-high four blocks on the night. Junior Brehdan Engum (Burnsville, Minn.) matched McDonald's total with four blocks of his own plus a shot on goal. Getting the nod, junior Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) stopped a career-high 38 shots to grab his first win of the season between the pipes.
UMass Lowell came out swinging in the first, playing fast and physical off the opening draw. Just three minutes into the action, the River Hawks earned their first solid chance on net. Similarly to their first clash with the Spartans, Berglund battled for the puck on the boards and tipped a pass back to Chambers in the slot. The senior hit a quick shot at St. Cyr, but a penalty against Michigan State awarded UMass Lowell a penalty shot at 3:11.
Berglund stepped up to the plate for the one-on-one with the Michigan State netminder. Maneuvering up the ice, Berglund went for a glove-side shot but was denied by the left pad of St. Cyr to keep things scoreless early.
The stalemate ended seconds later, however, thanks to a shot off the stick of Cole. Cycling the puck around the perimeter, McDonald sent a pass off the boards behind the cage to Stella on the goal line. The graduate transfer pushed a quick backhand to the left pad of St. Cyr, but Cole was quick to the rebound. After the initial shot was deflected, the Ontario native went for the second touch and lifted it up and into the cage for a 1-0 lead.
Impressive efforts by the River Hawks' blueliners kept Michigan State's quest for the equalizer under control for the remainder of the frame. A late hit by the Spartans with just .6 on the clock sent UMass Lowell to the break looking at a five-minute advantage to start the second period.
Berglund sparked UMass Lowell's steady power play push with a one-on-one chance shortly after the puck dropped on the middle block. Soon after, sophomore Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden), graduate student Filip Fornåå Svensson (Linköping, Sweden) and senior Zach Kaiser (Orangeville, Ontario) took their chances on net, registering several grade A chances before the lengthy penalty expired.
Putting up 14 shots to the Spartans' nine, the River Hawks continued to pressure the Michigan State defense in the back half of the period. Staying high up in the zone, UMass Lowell's aggressive forechecking gave way to their second of the night after a chance poke check from Chambers knocked the puck out of Michigan State's reach. Stretching to keep possession, Chambers made a diving pass back to Berglund on the doorstep, who snapped it through the five-hole for the 2-0 advantage.
A penalty against Michigan State with 2:02 left in the second put the River Hawks back on the power play to close out the period. Though the Spartans controlled the faceoff, sophomore Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) and Cole chased down Michigan State's Nash Nienhuis for two-on-one pressure along the boards. A scrum ensued as the three skaters fought to knock the puck loose, with Crasa ultimately winning the foot race for the disk. With just 22 seconds on the clock, the sophomore turned and ripped a centering pass to an advancing McDonald who clapped in a one-timer to move to 3-0 heading into the third.
The Spartans cut the lead down to two early with a power play goal off the stick of Matt Basgall just 1:51 into the frame. A career performance by Welsch in goal marked the difference maker in the final 20 minutes. The junior made several critical saves for the River Hawks in the final minutes of the non-conference clash, including a point-blank glove save with 9:28 left on the clock.
Pulling St. Cyr for the extra attacker, Michigan State crept within striking distance with just 2:27 remaining as Spartan freshman Daniel Russell sniped one through traffic. An untimely call against UMass Lowell just seconds after the goal put the River Hawks down a man for the remainder of play. Welsch's acrobatic backstopping in the final minutes saw the junior shut down multiple close calls from the Spartans to ultimately secure the 3-2 win and the series split.
UMass Lowell kicks off conference action next Saturday, Oct. 22, with a quick trip to Boston to face off against the No. 7/8 Northeastern Huskies at Matthews Arena. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m.
