Junior forward Jake Stella scored two goals for the River Hawks
UMass Lowell Skates Past Vermont, 4-0
Junior forward Jake Stella scored two goals for the River Hawks

Box Score - Highlights

LOWELL, Mass.-Two goals from senior Jake Stella (Karlstad, Sweden) helped lead the No. 17 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (6-3-0, 3-1-0 Hockey East) to a 4-0 shutout over the visiting Vermont Catamounts (2-5-1, 0-5-0 HEA) Friday night in front of a crowd of over 4,000 fans at the Tsongas Center.

"Today was an identity game for our team. I felt that it was a team shutout performance, and everyone contributed to that success," remarked Head Coach Norm Bazin.

Stella's team-high two goals marked his first in a River Hawk uniform as well as a season high for the transfer. Aside from Stella, three other River Hawks put up a pair of points. Freshman Scout Truman (Lethbridge, Ontario) scored the game-winner and dished out an assist. Senior Ryan Brushett (Montreal, Quebec) and sophomore defenseman Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden) picked up two helpers each. Junior defenseman Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) rounded out the scoring for UMass Lowell with a third period goal to close out the night.

Junior goaltender Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) notched his first shutout of the season and the second of his career to move to a 4-1-0 season mark.

"Special teams played a big part in the win with both the penalty kill and the power play contributing. Henry was good when he had to be, and it was nice to see Stella break through tonight," commented Bazin. "We saw several lines create some valuable offensive zone time when we needed it most. This is a quality team with excellent speed and tomorrow will be another tough test for our group."

Truman kickstarted the offense in the second period after a quiet opening 20 locked both teams at zero. With Vermont's Gabe Carriere out of the net, Brushett forced his way behind the goal line to apply the pressure. Brushett's man-on defense forced Carriere miscue on the pass and give the puck right back to UMass Lowell. With a wide open net, Brushett sauced Truman the puck for an easy 1-0 lead.

Stella followed up Truman's eventual game winner with his first two lamp lighters as a River Hawk. The Swedish-born forward picked up his first extra-man tally of the night thanks to a stretch pass from Brushett in the neutral zone to close out the second period with a 2-0 lead. He added to his point total for the night in the third period after a 5-on-3 opportunity gave UMass Lowell's special teams another chance to shine.

Meehan capped the high-scoring night for the River Hawks with his second of the year on the power play. After his initial shot was deflected off the right pad off Carriere, Meehan brushed his defender off with a quick spin move and fired in the follow-up to secure the 4-0 win.

The River Hawks close out the two-game series with the Catamounts on Saturday, Nov. 5, at the Tsongas Center. Game time is set for 6 p.m.