AMHERST, Mass. - The No. 16/16 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (9-6-1, 5-4-1 Hockey East) battled to a 1-1 tie against the No. 15/15 Massachusetts Minutemen (7-5-3, 3-5-1 HEA) Saturday night at the Mullins Center, clinching the critical extra conference point after a thrilling shootout victory thanks to seniors Carl Berglund (Hammaro, Sweden) and Ryan Brushett (Montreal, Quebec).
Sophomore Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) net the second period equalizer for the River Hawks for his first collegiate goal and point. Defensemen Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden) and Jon McDonald (Livonia, Mich.) were credited with the helpers on Bentley's power play snipe. The special team's tally marked UMass Lowell's first man-up goal since November 4, when the River Hawks put up three against Vermont in a 4-0 shutout at the Tsongas Center.
Between the pipes, Gustav Davis Grigals (Riga, Latvia) made a season-high 36 stops and stopped both UMass shootout tries to clinch the tie and bonus point in the conference standings.
The River Hawks made their first push right off the opening faceoff. Brushett rushed for the net and tried to slip in an early tally but was held up last minute for the denial on the doorstep. Sophomore Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) followed up with a solid crack at the net only for the shot to be knocked down by Minutemen netminder Luke Pavicich.
UMass picked off a pass in the neutral zone and made the break for Grigals between the pipes, but the 6-1 netminder stifled the puck. Senior Zach Kaiser (Orangeville, Ontario) registered the River Hawks' best chance of the first frame 3:41 into play when he rang one off the pipe just inches off target.
Although Grigals held strong on back-to-back attempts, the Minutemen earned a 1-0 lead at 6:19 on the game clock. A defensive miscue allowed UMass' Taylor Makar to skip around his man and lift one into the net. The graduate transfer quickly regrouped, however, immediately shutting down two close encounters with the Minutemen to keep them off target.
Two late period power plays gave UMass Lowell pivotal opportunities to strike. Junior defenseman Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) earned three shots on target in the four-minute stretch, including two that dinged off the pipe. Despite the close calls, the River Hawks headed to the locker room down 1-0 after 20.
The Minutemen nearly extended the lead just around four minutes into the second. Grigals, getting caught outside the crease, made a diving reach back to the goal line to just tip the puck away. Senior Marek Korenčik (Zilina, Slovakia) came through with a timely stick in the crease to rob the Minutemen of the chance right at the red line.
Sophomore Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) nearly leveled the score with 7:07 left in the second. Crasa grabbed the puck off a drop pass from Kaiser along the boards. The forward went for a cross but lost possession as he was locked up with two UMass defenders. Cole came in quickly to take his shot, but he hit just inside the left post and was denied the scoring chance.
The equalizer finally came for the River Hawks with a quick flick from Bentley in the final minute of the period. UMass' Ryan Lautenbach retreated to the box with 2:48 on the clock. Kept off target for the majority of the two-minute window, the River Hawks dumped the puck into the zone for one last press before the power play expired. Winning the battle on the boards, Crasa sent a pass back to McDonald up by the blue line. McDonald crossed to Jonsson for the one-timer down the slot. Bentley, positioned just off the right-side post, collected the deflected shot off Pavicich's left pad and sniped the inside of the far side pipe for the 1-1 score heading into the third.
Clashing defenses kept both sides in a back-and-forth chase for the lead in the third period. Grigals shut down two key opportunities for the Minutemen as the River Hawks fired off their own down the other end of the ice. With 2:18 left to play, UMass Lowell earned a chance to steal the lead on the power play but came up short to force overtime.
After a scoreless 3-on-3 fight, the teams headed to the shootout. Berglund easily scored on the opening chance, skillfully firing one past Pavicich for the advantage. Grigals made quick work of UMass' first attempt before Brushett stepped up to the plate. With a nifty dangle on the doorstep, Brushett swiftly worked his way around Pavicich to force the Minutemen to score or forfeit the point. Luckily, Grigals stood steady between the pipes to knock down the final shot and secure the win.
UMass Lowell caps its pre-holiday slate next Friday, December 9, on the road against Dartmouth. Puck drop for the non-conference tilt is set for 7 p.m.
