(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “The River Hawks came back from a tough loss to take the win against Merrimack.”
Jake Messer
Connector Editor
After a tough 4-0 defeat to #1 Boston College, the #8 River Hawks were able to split their weekend series with a 3-2 win over their Hockey East rival Merrimack in a tense, hard-hitting game.
“I thought it was a challenging hockey game here tonight,” said Head Coach Norm Bazin. “We needed a response, and we got it, and I thought the older guys in the room led the way. I liked the response. It’s hard to get points in the Hockey East and we did what we had to do against a good team to get it done tonight.”
The first game of the weekend was a rough watch for River Hawk fans, as the team didn’t come out with their expected high intensity and execution, which has been a staple for the team this season. Their play wasn’t egregious, but giving up five penalties to the best team in the country isn’t a recipe for success.
“We were definitely off tonight in many respects,” said Bazin. “I thought we gave a little energy in the first for a while and then the 5-on-3 happened, and it zaps your energy. It just wasn’t a good game for UMass Lowell tonight.”
It may have been a difficult loss for Lowell, but they can use this game as a blueprint of what not to do and what needs to be done better if they do end up facing Boston College again in the playoffs later this season.
The River Hawks had to quickly put this loss behind them, as the Merrimack Warriors were coming to Lowell the next night, seeking to avenge their 6-3 loss at home back in October.
The sold-out crowd was treated to an excellent, hard-hitting game that saw the River Hawks come out on top with the win and three points.
The first period saw the River Hawks dominate time of possession, keeping the Warriors on their toes, and controlling the pace of the game. With less than a minute to play in the first period, the River Hawks were able to jump out in front thanks to a blue-line blast from sophomore Jak Vaarwerk.
In the second period, the game would be tied up. The Warriors were able to capitalize on junior netminder Beni Halasz’s mistake. While on the powerplay, the River Hawks were chasing down a cleared puck, but when Halasz came out to play it, he misplayed it and gave it right back to the Warriors, leading to a short-handed goal.
The River Hawks would bounce back from this mistake, as five minutes later freshman Lee Parks would zip the puck into the bottom left corner of the net, giving them a 2-1 lead.
The lead wouldn’t last long, as the Warriors were able to respond three minutes later with a wrist shot that found its way into the back of the net. The River Hawks would have some great chances but were unable to break through. The second period came to a close all tied up at two goals a piece.
Two minutes into the third period, the River Hawks jumped out in front once again. Another blue-line blast was by the Warrior’s goalie, this time the blast came from graduate student Jack Robilotti. His goal would end up being the game-winner, a pretty nice cap off to Robilotti’s 150th career game.
For the rest of the game, the River Hawk’s defense stepped up and shut down Merrimack’s offense, only allowing five shots on goal the rest of the third period, giving the team a crucial victory at home.
“The guys wanted to get it done,” said Bazin after the game. “They knew that yesterday wasn’t indicative of how we can play. Despite the unusual second period, I thought we played a good game today.”
Looking ahead, Lowell will host Vermont on Friday night. They will then head south to play Connecticut on Saturday afternoon. This weekend can show the rest of the conference that Lowell is not to be trifled with come playoff time.
