(Photo courtesy of UMass Lowell Athletics) “Senior Jack Collins gets ready for a faceoff against Mercyhurst.”
Jason Cooke
Connector Editor
Just like that, the UMass Lowell men’s hockey team is back on track.
Albeit it was against a non-conference opponent in Mercyhurst, UML swept its series on the road to bounce back from a 0-2 weekend against Western Michigan, the defending national champions.
The River Hawks did so in thrilling fashion, winning Saturday night’s contest by a 4-3 margin after potting three unanswered goals in the third period to overcome a 3-1 deficit.
Mirko Buttazzoni and Dillan Bentley, two returning stalwarts to UML this season, both added two goals in the come-from-behind victory. Buttazzoni posted 3-14-17 last year as a freshman and is already off to a strong start to his sophomore campaign.
The late rally came after the River Hawks won Friday night’s contest by a 4-0 margin. The two-game set marked the first-ever meeting between the two programs as UML makes the trek back to the Mill City with a 3-3 record.
“I felt good about our effort tonight,” said head coach Norm Bazin. “It didn’t go according to script, but this group dug deep and got the job done. In many ways, we played better than the first night but the group we faced played with some desperation. We had to overcome some bad bounces, and it will serve as a confidence builder for the season ahead.”
Samuel Richard set the tone between the pipes on Friday, turning in a 30-save shutout to backbone the UMass Lowell win.
The River Hawks potted two goals in the first frame and never looked back, cruising to the 4-0 win. Jay Ahearn, TJ Schweighardt, Lee Parks and Connor Eddy all lit the lamp for UML.
Here are three takeaways from UMass Lowell’s weekend:
Unlocked scoring touch
UML mustered just six goals through its first four games of the season en route to its 1-3 start. After putting up four tallies in a 4-0 win over Merrimack in the home opener, UMass Lowell suffered a 4-1 setback to the Warriors before being outscored by an 8-1 margin in the two-game sweep at the hands of Western Michigan.
But after a pair of four-goal outbursts last weekend at Mercyhurst, perhaps UML can take its goal-scoring touch back into Hockey East play for a two-game series with Providence.
And the River Hawks tapped into a wide array of contributors. A total of six different skaters found twine in the two wins.
Power play finding groove
Even better news for UMass Lowell? Its power play went an impressive 4-for-7 last weekend after starting the season 2-for-16.
Special teams keyed the River Hawk win on Saturday, as Lowell enjoyed a 3-for-4 success rate on the man advantage to mount a successful comeback against Mercyhurst. All three set-ups varied.
On Buttazzoni’s goal, the River Hawks went high to low — as Chris Delaney sent a puck from the top of the point to an uncovered Buttazzoni for a one-timer along the goal line. Then, Bentley capitalized on a simple yet effective passing play to cut the Mercyhurst lead to 3-2. After winning a battle in the corner, Wakely collected the puck at the point before drawing a defender toward him and dishing it to the left flank to Bentley.
The final power play tally came as a result of a faceoff, as the River Hawks won the draw before zipping the puck across the blue line for another Bentley one-timer. Get the defense moving. Win puck battles. Get shots on net. All simple yet important qualities of a power play unit finding its form.
Wakely fitting in
With a roster smothered in newcomers — 15 to be exact — UMass Lowell will certainly need to acclimate its new talent to be a competitive squad this season in Hockey East.
Wakely, a freshman, has settled in quite nicely. The Port Hope, Ontario, native currently leads the River Hawks in points and assists (0-6-6) and has proven his playmaking capabilities. He tallied three helpers last weekend. The center has also been effective at the dot, going 11-of-15 in the faceoff circle in the two games.
