PALM DESERT. Calif. - Three different players tallied two points, as the UMass Lowell ice hockey team (11-4-2, 5-3-1 Hockey East) edged Michigan Tech (10-7-2, 7-3-2 CCHA), 3-2, in the first round of the Coachella Valley Cactus Cup at Acrisure Arena in Palm Desert, California, advancing to the championship game.
Freshman Lee Parks (Ottawa, Ont.) scored the game winner on the power play with under two minutes to go and picked up an assist earlier in the contest to finish with two points. Senior Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) also collected a goal and an assist for two points, while graduate student Ian Carpentier had two helpers. Graduate Pierson Brandon (Irvington, N.Y.) also scored for the River Hawks for his second of the year. Freshman Mirko Buttazzoni (Langley, B.C.) joined them on the scoresheet with an assist as well. Graduate student Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) got the nod between the pipes for the River Hawks, making 13 saves for the win.
"Our guys had to show some resilience today," said Head Coach Norm Bazin. "We played against a well-coached team with excellent defensive zone structure. Scoring chances were hard to earn but the guys stuck with their process throughout the contest. Our conditioning will continue to improve but remains a work in progress after the long Christmas layoff. We have a quick turnaround tonight before playing for the tournament championship tomorrow." After Michigan Tech opened up the scoring two minutes in on a power play, Crasa responded for the River Hawks at the 13:01 mark with a goal off a pass from Carpentier in front of the net. Parks fed Carpentier to earn the secondary assist and help start the sequence and tie it up. It was a battle throughout the end of the first and the entirety of the second period, as neither team found the back of the net. The River Hawks defense stepped up during this stretch, allowing just one shot on goal in the second period, which was saved by Welsch. The River Hawks won the third period to give them the victory. Brandon did not waste any time in the third, scoring just over two minutes into the period. He one-timed a Crasa feed, and sniped it past Michigan Tech goaltender Derek Mullahy. Carpentier got it to Crasa to earn himself an assist, as well. After Michigan tech answered at the 13:02 mark to tie it up, the River Hawks lit the lamp once more with just 1:41 remaining in the game. Lee Parks took a Buttazzoni pass next to the next and skated towards the goalie before swiping a shot through the five hole for the game-winner. The win advances UMass Lowell to the championship game tomorrow, Saturday, January 4 against the winner of the Omaha and Holy Cross game. The game will take place at 7:00 p.m. PST.
