STORRS, Conn. - The No. 5 seeded UMass Lowell men's hockey team (18-14-3, 11-10-3 Hockey East) is heading back to TD Garden for the Hockey East Tournament after taking down No. 4 seed Connecticut (20-12-3, 13-9-2 HEA) in a thrilling 2-1 victory at the Toscano Family Ice Forum on Saturday night.
Senior Blake Wells (Blackie, Alberta) and sophomore Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) lit the lamp for the River Hawks in the quarterfinal showdown. Junior Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.), graduate student Jon McDonald (Livonia, Mich.) and freshman Owen Fowler (Tewksbury, Mass.) all notched assists on the night. A major competitor on both ends of the ice, graduate student Filip Fornåå Svensson (Linköping, Sweden) led the team's shot-blocking efforts against the Huskies with three.
Between the pipes, graduate student Gustavs Davis Grigals (Riga, Latvia) made a season-high 40 saves and allowed just one goal to help the River Hawks stay alive.
"We're excited to be moving on. Certainly, it was no easy task. We came into a hostile environment with a great facility. It's the first time we've played in this facility," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "We had the start we were hoping for tonight. I thought we defended our net front fairly well. Our goaltending was strong, and we found a way."
An early push from UConn forced the River Hawks onto the defensive to open the game, but Grigals stayed cool under pressure to knock down several near chances off the jump. The UMass Lowell blueliners went to work on the backcheck, preventing another rush from the Huskies into the zone and shifting play in favor of the River Hawks.
An interception from Meehan changed the tune for UMass Lowell, sparking a two-goal first to capture an early advantage. Meehan cut the UConn break short in the neutral zone and quickly dashed his way down the boards on the near side. Patient with the puck, Meehan sauced a centering pass toward an advancing Wells. The senior came in quick with a tip on the doorstep to launch the puck past UConn's Arsenii Sergeev for a 1-0 lead at 8:51.
Earning the lone power play of the first, the River Hawks turned on the heat as they continued to fire off shots. Despite not capitalizing on the man-up opportunity, the River Hawks struck once again at 14:35. Cole stood steady at the dot, winning the draw and sending it back to senior Jake Stella (Karlstad, Sweden) on the perimeter. Closely marked by his defender, Stella dropped the puck back to McDonald, who sat just under the blue line. McDonald then pulled back before ripping in a shot that deflected off Sergeev and back into the slot. Cole came in with a reach, losing his balance as he pushed the puck up and over blocker side to secure a 2-0 lead to cap the opening twenty minutes.
UConn forced the River Hawks to play a defensive second period as the home squad fought against the deficit. Grigals continued his standout goaltending as he shut down shot after shot from the Huskies to prevent a comeback spark. UConn nearly sliced the deficit in half off a one-on-one break, but Cole sped back on the forecheck to shut them down. Another goal-scoring opportunity kept the River Hawks on their toes, but Meehan swooped in at the last second with relentless force to knock away possession. The Huskies took a final crack at Grigals with three seconds in the middle block, but the Latvian-born goalie gloved it down to keep the 2-0 margin.
With a trip to the semifinals on the line, the third period was a chase on both ends of the ice. Connecticut put up quite a battle, keeping the River Hawks to just one shot on target in the final frame. The defense held strong, however, throwing bodies in front of shots. The Huskies cut through the traffic to net one with 1:29 left in regulation, but Grigals and the UMass Lowell blue lines denied the comeback to seal the 2-1 win.
The River Hawks return to action next Friday, March 17, at TD Garden for the 2023 Hockey East Tournament semifinals. Their opponent will be determined following the conclusion of the remaining quarterfinal matchups.
