(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell) The River Hawks celebrate after their 4-0 win against Michigan State last Saturday night
Matt Micale
Connector Editor
The River Hawks had a stellar performance last Saturday night, winning against the 3-1-1 Michigan State Spartans with a final score of 4-0. The game took place on UMass Lowell’s home ice at the Tsongas Center with a loud student presence.
Goals for the River Hawks came from Nik Armstrong-Kingkade with two, Carl Berglund and Lucas Condotta, each with one. Both goalies, Pierce Charleson for Michigan State and Henry Welsch for UMass Lowell, ended the night with 27 saves each.
This win pushes the River Hawks to a record of 2-1-1. The first game of the weekend matchup with Michigan State on Friday night ended in a 2-2 tie after overtime. Former New England Patriot linebacker Rob Ninkovich was present at Saturday’s game, signing autographs for fans.
The first period of Saturday night’s game started with a lot of back-and-forth chances from both teams. River Hawk defenseman Marek Korencik had a strong shot on net about halfway through the first but was ultimately unable to score.
UMass Lowell continued with the scoring chances and were eventually able to capitalize on a power play. Berglund scored on this power play about 10 minutes into the first marking his first goal for the season. The assist on the goal came from Reid Stefanson and Nick Austin.
Michigan State responded aggressively to the first goal but could not make anything out of their scoring chances. Welsch made some impressive saves and did not allow any pucks past him. The Spartans had another chance to score on a power play late in the first but were only able to get one shot off which was also saved by Welsch.
Welsch had nine saves entering the second period and made another easy one about one minute into the second. The River Hawks then entered a five on three, two minutes into the period from both a hold and a slash, but the power play was successfully killed by the Spartans.
Immediately following the power play, River Hawk forward Condotta scored off of a rebound giving UMass Lowell a two-goal lead. The assist on the goal came from Ryan Brushett and Matt Crasa.
An interference was called on UMass Lowell’s Korencik five minutes into the second period. However, they were able to get a shorthanded goal late into the penalty kill. The goal was scored by Armstrong-Kingkade, and it was his first of two that night.
The River Hawks were able to kill another power play in the second and ended the period with a three-goal lead.
The third period began with some physicality between both teams, but no penalties were called. The Spartans had three power plays in the period but only had three shots and no goals to show for them.
Armstrong-Kingkade scored his second goal for the River Hawks nine minutes into the period extending the lead to four and scoring the last goal for either team. The game ended with a 4-0 win for UMass Lowell.
About the game, River Hawk head coach, Norm Bazin, said, “The players came back on the second night after a long layoff and had a good effort. Obviously, you get a few goals on special teams, you chip in with some great goaltending and usually that’s a recipe for success… we’re pleased with the two points.”
The River Hawks will face off against the Boston University Terriers next weekend with games in Boston on Friday and Saturday night. Hopefully for fans, UMass Lowell will be able to continue their success after their win against Michigan State.
