Boston, Mass. - Wade MacLeod scored a pair of goals, including the tying goal in the second period but UMass Lowell's Kory Falite scored the game-winner at 12:36 in the third period to lift the River Hawks to a 3-2 win over Northeastern on Saturday at Matthews Arena. Joe Vitale and Chris Donovan both had two assists on MacLeod's goals.
Northeastern fell below .500 to 14-15-3 overall and 11-12-2 in Hockey East with the loss while UMass Lowell moved to 15-13-4 overall and 10-11-4 in Hockey East.
The first three goals of the game were scored in just over a minute. UMass Lowell scored the first goal at 14:14 in the first period when Barry Goers got a shot on Northeastern goalie Brad Thiessen that trickled into the net. A Northeastern player cleared the zone and Goers picked it up, skated in through the right circle and shot it on Thiessen.
Less than a minute later Mike Potacco made it 2-0 UMass Lowell when he scored from the top of the crease at 15:03. Ben Holstrom passed it to the middle from the right circle and Falite and Potacco banged it around in the crease for the score.
MacLeod scored his first goal when he shot in the rebound of a Vitale shot from in front of the net at 15:16. Donovan had backhanded a pass from the Northeastern zone that Vitale picked up and skated in with. Vitale's rebound came right out front for MacLeod to shoot in.
MacLeod tied the score at 2-2 when he scored his second goal of the game at 11:10 in the second period. Donovan came out of the corner with the puck and backhanded a shot through the slot. MacLeod tipped it just inside the left post for the score.
Falite's game-winner came at 12:36 in the third period. He one-timed a pass from Goers that Thiessen initially stopped. The puck with straight up and came down and bounced in the goal with several players fighting in the crease.
Northeastern mounted pressure late in the third period and had several chances in the final minute with Thiessen out of the net but the Huskies couldn't get the score. UMass Lowell outshot Northeastern, 41-32, in the game.
Northeastern completes the regular season next weekend with a home-and-home series against Boston College. The Huskies play at Conte Forum on Friday night at 7 p.m. before hosting Boston College at Matthews Arena on Saturday at 7 p.m. Both games will be on 890 ESPN Boston and WRBB Radio and Saturday's game will be live on GoNU.TV.