LOWELL, Mass. - Senior goalie Rico DiMatteo (Calgary, Alberta) recorded his first win as a UNH Wildcat and four different 'Cats found the back of the net as the University of New Hampshire men's hockey team defeated No. 17 UMass Lowell, 4-1, on Friday night at the Tsongas Center in Hockey East action.
Senior forward Conor Lovett (Franklin, Mass.) senior forward Robert Cronin (Plymouth, Mass.) sophomore defenseman Brendan Fitzgerald (North Reading, Mass.) and sophomore forward Nick Ring (Hingham, Mass.) each scored for UNH, while DiMatteo made 14 saves. Junior forward Morgan Winters (Osprey, Fla.) had a multi-point game with two assists for two points.
The Wildcats improve to 12-15-6 (4-14-5 Hockey East), while the River Hawks fall to 15-14-4 (8-12-3 Hockey East).
UP NEXT:
- The Wildcats will conclude the regular season versus No. 17 UMass Lowell on Saturday, March 8 at 7 p.m. at the Whittemore Center at Key Auto Group Complex for Senior Night presented by Service Credit Union on ESPN+.
- Tickets can be purchased at UNHWildcats.com/BuyTickets or by calling the ticket office at (603) 862-4000. Don't miss the most exciting family entertainment in New Hampshire.
Score: New Hampshire 4, #17 UMass Lowell 1
Records: UNH 12-15-6 (4-14-5 Hockey East); UML 15-14-4 (8-12-3 Hockey East)
Location: Lowell, Mass. (Tsongas Center)
Date: Friday, March 7, 2025
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- The Wildcats took a 1-0 lead at 5:31 of the first period when Lovett fired a one-timer from the slot stick side after receiving a pass from behind the net by senior alternate captain Connor Sweeney (North Andover, Mass.) for his fifth goal of the season. Senior defenseman Colton Huard (Foothill Ranch, Calif.) also posted an assist on the goal.
- At 10:21 of the second period, UNH increased the lead to 2-0 when Cronin sent a wrist shot from just above the slot to the upper glove side corner of the net for his 14th goal of the season. Junior forward Cy LeClerc (Brentwood, N.H.) and Winters each recorded an assist.
- Then at 14:03, Fitzgerald netted his first collegiate goal when he blasted a loose puck from the slot to the stick side to make the score, 3-0. Sophomore forward Ryan Conmy (Alexandria, Va.) tallied an assist.
- Libor Nemec cut the UNH lead to 3-1 at 15:39 of the third period, but with 16.4 seconds remaining Ring posted a power play goal when he deked the goalie and scored on a backhander stick side for the 4-1 final. Sophomore forward J.P. Turner (East Falmouth, Mass.) and Winters were each credited with an assist.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- UNH outshot UML, 35-15.
- The Wildcats went 1-7 on the power play, while the River Hawks went 0-3.
- DiMatteo posted 14 saves, while Henry Welsch tallied 31 saves.
BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:
- The Wildcats have won five straight versus the River Hawks.
- Conmy posted his 60th career point as he has 29 goals and 31 assists over 66 games.
- Cronin has a career-high 14 goals and 25 points this season.
- Winters now has eight career multi-point games.
