(Photo Courtesy of the Lowell Sun) “Fan cheer on the UMass Lowell hockey team.”
Sarah Mahannah
Connector Editor
The UMass Lowell hockey team lost in their Homecoming season opener at the Tsongas Center. They lost 2-1 in overtime versus the University of Connecticut on Friday, October 27.
There were many fans in the stands, over 6,500 rooting for the River Hawks. It was the first game in the Hockey East conference this season for both teams, causing much tension to see who could pull off a win.
Things were looking good for the River Hawks. They have had a good run so far this season. Their last series at Colgate garnered them many points. This series led to junior Matt Crasa scoring four goals, bringing him up to 6 when combined with the two from his games against Alaska Anchorage. This now makes him second in the nation.
Sophomore Scout Truman also made some amazing strides for the River Hawks, gaining three assists in both games in their series, giving him six overall. Junior alternate captain Nick Granowicz scored two goals in game two, which would be his first goal as a River Hawk.
This put the River Hawks in good spirits for their game against UConn.
The first period was pretty uneventful at first for both teams. There were a lot of shots on goal on both sides, but both goaltenders were able to fend off the pucks. UMass Lowell would end up on the board first, just shy of 14 minutes into the period. Sophomore defenseman Mitchell Becker was able to shoot the puck past UConn goaltender Arsenii Sergeev.
The second period would be much more eventful for the River Hawks. They were able to give themselves some scoring opportunities. The first was when junior Isac Jonsson one-timed a pass in front of the goal, but unfortunately it was denied.
Junior goaltender Henry Pavicich made 13 saves in the second period. He was able to fend off the Huskies when they had a 5-on-3 advantage. Still, no goals were scored, so the River Hawks were able to go into the final period up one.
The third period would be very similar to the others, with many shots on goals and opportunities to get the puck in the net. Pavicich was able to keep the Huskies off for a while, with 14 saves in the period, including a great sliding grove save about halfway into the period.
With less than two minutes left in the game, the River Hawks were given a penalty for tripping.This led the Huskies to have a power play for the rest of the game. With a little over a minute remaining, UConn junior forward Chase Bradley was able to score a goal, tying the game.
The River Hawks and Huskies ended up going into overtime. It would be a 3-on-3 overtime.
Both teams had many good scoring opportunities and took every chance. Unfortunately for the River Hawks, Uconn would be the one to win in overtime. At the 3:40 mark, senior defenseman Andrew Lucas would give the Huskies the winning goal.
