LOWELL, Mass. - A two-goal night from sophomore Nick Rhéaume (Trois-Rivieres, Quebec) helped the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (5-6-1, 2-5-1 Hockey East) claim a 3-2 overtime victory against Merrimack College (4-6-1, 2-4-1 Hockey East) Saturday night at the Tsongas Center.
The win gives the River Hawks three points on the week in the Hockey East standings, after playing to a 1-1 tie against Merrimack on Wednesday evening. Rhéaume and fellow sophomore Scout Truman (Lethbridge, Alberta) led the team with two points each, as Truman collected a goal and an assist. Juniors Isac Jonsson (Ängelholm, Sweden) and Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) each added a helper as well. Senior Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) got the nod in net for the second consecutive game, making 15 saves in the victory.
"Another tight hockey game. I thought both games were as tight as can be this week," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "We're playing a very good team that is well-coached, and I didn't expect anything less. I thought we got a little better as the game wore on and we scored on the power play. Overall, I am happy for the guys, because it's been gnawing at them, and there you go. Hopefully it's a sign of things to come."
The first period saw stout defense and back-and-forth action, with seven combined blocked shots and just 13 shots on goal. The first and best scoring opportunity for the River Hawks came when sophomore Mark Cooper (Cambridge, Ontario) sent a shot off Merrimack goalie Hugo Ollas' pad and to the stick of junior Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario), who backhanded the rebound off the side of the right post. Both teams traded possessions for most of the period, until Alex Jefferies got Merrimack got on the board first with just 45 seconds remaining, sending the game to the first intermission with a 1-0 score.
The River Hawks gathered momentum in the second period, and just over four minutes in, Truman got them on the board, potting one to tie the game at one. After Mitchell Becker brought it in from their defensive zone and had his shot deflected into the corner, Crasa collected it and sent a backhand pass to Truman in front of the net, who whizzed it by Ollas for the equalizer.
Defensively, UMass Lowell kept the Warriors at bay, limiting them to just five shots on goal in the second. Late in the period, at 14:46, Merrimack was called for a five-minute major, giving the River Hawks a hefty power play opportunity. They fired off ten shot attempts during the man advantage, but none could find the back of the net, and both teams entered the locker room knotted up at two.
After winning the opening faceoff of the third period, sophomore Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) narrowly missed a goal, one-timing a graduate student Filip Fornää Svensson (Linköping, Sweden) pass just 16 seconds in to keep the pressure on the Warriors. A mere 29 seconds later, Rhéaume gave the River Hawks the lead, sniping a wrister past Ollas to make it 2-1. The Quebec native snagged the puck after a Merrimack miscue near the blue line and found himself a pocket of open ice, where he set up his shot, and sent it to the back of the net unassisted.
Towards the halfway mark of the third, Merrimack responded with a goal of their own, tying it up on a Mark Hillier tip that snuck right under the crossbar. The River Hawks did not let this slow them down, however, as they continued to create chances offensively, including two redirects from Cole at 13:09 and 15:42 that were saved. The remainder of the period was all UMass Lowell, totaling seven shot attempts, five being on goal, in the final five minutes, but the game remained tied at the end of regulation, sending it to overtime.
Welsch made two crucial saves to begin the overtime period, keeping Merrimack off the board before committing a penalty just over one minute in, giving the River Hawks a 4-on-3 power play. The squad took full advantage of the circumstances, as Rhéaume nailed the game-winner just 35 seconds later. The River Hawks moved the puck smoothly into their offensive zone with crisp passes between Jonsson, Truman and Cole. Jonsson made the last pass to Rhèaume, who one-timed a slapshot and ended the game with his second goal of the night and fifth of the season.
Next up, the River Hawks will host the Turkey Leg Classic, on Friday, November 24 and Saturday, November 25, when they will face off against Bentley and Army. Both games are scheduled for 4:00 p.m. puck drops.
