LOWELL, MA (Oct. 28, 2006) - Jeremy Hall (Mays Landing, NJ) scored with 26 seconds remaining to force overtime as UMass Lowell and Providence College skated to a 2-2 draw Saturday night in college hockey action at Tsongas Arena.
With the tie, the River Hawks move to 2-2-2 on the season and 1-0-1 in Hockey East play. Providence is 1-4-1 overall and 0-1-1 in league play with the draw.
After very little offense from either side in the first 57 minutes of play, the two teams traded goals just over a minute apart in the final minute 90 seconds of regulation.
Colin McDonald (Wethersfield, CT) scored the late goal for Providence, at 18:39, when he drove the net on the right win and forced the puck over the goal line before the net came off its moorings.
Hall provided the heroics for the River Hawks as he scored an extra-attacker goal at 19:34. The goal was set up by Jason Tejchma (Muskegon, MI) and Paul Worthington (Langhorne, PA). The assist for Worthington extends his assist/point streak to four games.
Providence controlled play for much of the first two periods, despite giving the River Hawks the first four power plays of the contest. Jon Rheault (Deering, NH), PC's top goal scorer from a season ago, scored the game's first goal nearly halfway into the contest. The power play goal came at 9:55 of the second and was assisted by Matt Taormina and Cody Wild.
Tejchma answered for the River Hawks, scoring his fourth of the young season at 12:35 of the third on a scramble in front of the net. Tejchma has points in two straight games.
Carter Hutton (Thunder Bay, ONT) made 24 saves for UML to earn the tie and is unbeaten in his last two starts. Tyler Sims (Grand Blanc, MI) stopped 26 saves for Providence in the draw.
"We just didn't have any rhythm to our game. And that happens," said UML head coach Blaise MacDonald. "We got better as the game went on and I think played our best hockey late in the third into overtime. It feels like a win to get a tie like that. To see two of our seniors get big goals and Carter Hutton have a good game, that should go a long way in the development of a young team."
Four of the last seven contests between UMass Lowell and Providence have gone to overtime. However, none of those games ended in a tie. The last tie between the River Hawks and Friars happened on February 8, 2002 at Schneider Arena.
With a win Friday at BU and the tie Saturday against Providence, UMass Lowell took three of a possible four points in its first weekend of Hockey East play for the 2006-07 season.
The River Hawks return to the ice Friday when they host Boston University. UML hosts Merrimack Saturday night. The Friars host Boston College Tuesday night and travel to Massachusetts Friday.