BURLINGTON, Vt. - Two first-period goals lifted the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (6-9-1, 3-6-1 Hockey East) to a 2-1 victory against Vermont (4-6-1, 3-4-1 Hockey East) Sunday afternoon at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington, Vt.
Junior Stefan Owens (Midlothian, Va.) and graduate student Alex Peterson (Collegeville, Pa.) each potted their first goals of the season in the victory. Sophomores Nick Rhéaume (Trois-Rivieres, Quebec) and Dillan Bentley (Peoria, Ill.) picked up the assists on Owens' goal, while freshmen Girts Silkalns (Talsi, Latvia) and Shawn O'Donnell (Crescent, Pa.) each earned their first collegiate assists and points on Peterson's game-winner.
Defensively, 12 different River Hawks totaled at least one blocked shot, with four skaters blocking two for a team total of 16. Senior Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) earned the nod in net, making 27 saves in the win.
"The guys took another step, building on their effort from Friday," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "I felt the 3rd period was our best period salvaging a split this weekend. Never easy to get points on the road and today was no different. We needed a strong effort from our d-core, coupled with a balanced attack to get the job done. Henry Welsch stood strong when we needed to kill back-to-back penalties in the 2nd. I thought Stella and Peterson had their best performances of the season so far. We'll get home and rest for a day before preparing for non-conference action to finish the first half."
The River Hawks came out hot in the first period, finding the back of the net twice just under two minutes apart. Owens got it started at the 7:51 mark, beating Vermont goalie Gabe Carriere on a breakaway. Rhéaume dished a pass to Bentley from blue line to blue line, where Bentley directed it to Owens, who was speeding into the offensive zone. He collected the puck and made a move on the Carriere before finishing it, getting the River Hawks on the board.
Not long after, at 9:42, Peterson scored his first goal in a UMass Lowell uniform, one-timing an O'Donnell pass from behind the net. Silkalns got the sequence started with a shot on goal that rebounded from the body of Carriere to the stick of O'Donnell, who wrapped around the net and delivered a backhanded pass out front to Peterson. The River Hawks' defense was stout on the other end, allowing just six shots on goal, which Welsch was able to corral, and the squad went to the first intermission with the 2-0 lead.
Despite tallying just three shots on goal in the second period, Welsch and the River Hawk defensive unit continued to halt any Catamount opportunities, helping maintain the two-goal advantage. At 12:32, Vermont drew a penalty, giving them a man advantage, but Welsch got in front of their two shots on goal and freshman Sean Kilcullen (Kensington, Md.) blocked another to help kill of the power play. They did the same with 2:15 remaining, not allowing any Vermont shots on a power play chance, bringing the game to its second intermission with the same score.
Early scoring chances from freshman Jak Vaarwerk (Clarence, N.Y.) and sophomore Scout Truman (Lethbridge, Alberta) set the tone for the third period, as the River Hawks racked up eight shots on goal compared to the Catamounts' seven to keep the pressure on them. Late in the period, with just over one minute remaining, Vermont got on the board with a Timofei Spitserov goal to make it 2-1, but UMass Lowell held on, finishing the weekend with the 2-1 victory and three points in the Hockey East standings.
Next up, the River Hawks will take on Holy Cross in a home-and-home series, starting at home on Friday, December 8 at 7:15 p.m. They will head to Worcester the next night for the series finale at 7:00 p.m.
