AMHERST, Mass. - The UMass hockey team used a three goal third period and three points from Danny Hobbs to get past the UMass-Lowell River Hawks 5-2 on Saturday afternoon at the Mullins Center. Hobbs netted two goals and added an assist, while Michael Pereira added three helpers for the Minutemen (3-6-3, 2-3-3 HEA). Paul Dainton made 25 saves to help the Mass Attack extend their unbeaten streak to four games while Doug Carr made 31 stops for UMass Lowell (2-12-2, 2-10-0 HEA). UMass will head to Orono next weekend for a Sunday matchup with the Maine Black Bears at 4 PM.
Massachusetts held a 36-27 lead in shots, a 28-26 edge in faceoffs for the game, and was 0-for-1 on the power play. Lowell was 1-for-3 on the man advantage.
The Minutemen dominated the River Hawks throughout the first period, scoring twice and outshooting Lowell 11-4. T.J. Syner got things started for Massachusetts seven minutes into the frame when he netted his fourth goal of the season off a neutral zone pass from Branden Gracel. Syner took the feed from Gracel and blew past a Lowell defenseman on his way to the net, then flung a backhander through Carr for the score.
Danny Hobbs gave the Mass Attack a two-goal edge with 8:03 to play in the period when he potted his second goal of the year with traffic in front of the cage. Michael Pereira began the play with a pass up to Conor Allen at the blue line. Allen settled the puck, and then fired a shot through a slew of bodies in front of the net, that Hobbs redirected from below the faceoff dot and past Carr.
The River Hawks stormed back in the second period with two goals of their own and held a slight 11-10 lead in shots. Lowell had two overlapping five-on-three power plays early in the frame, and got on the board seven minutes into the stanza on Ryan Blair's first goal of the season. With just seven seconds remaining on the second five-on-three, Blair took a pass from Chris Ickert and blasted a shot from the point that got over Dainton's shoulder and into the top corner.
The Minutemen had chances to extend their lead during the second period, with the best chance coming when Adam Phillips sent a pass over to Syner in the slot from the left on Carr, but the River Hawk netminder was there to turn aside the opportunity. Lowell knotted the score at two with 19 seconds left in the frame on Riley Wetmore's seventh goal of the year. Riley skated into the UMass zone and sent a wrist shot on goal that handcuffed Dainton and got by the Minuteman captain to make it 2-2.
UMass exploded for three goals in the first ten minutes of the third period, beginning with Doug Kublin's third score of the season. 50 seconds into the period, Kublin received a pass from Hobbs at the point. Kublin then waited for teammates to set the screen on Carr before firing a shot through traffic for the score.
The Minutemen made it 4-2 just four minutes later Hobbs tallied his second goal of the day on a nice move in tight. Brian Keane fed Hobbs with a pass in the slot, where Hobbs swiftly got around a sprawled Lowell defenseman, deeked Carr and sent a backhand into the back of the net. Eric Filiou netted his first collegiate goal with 11:14 to play in regulation when he redirected a Kublin shot from the point following a pass from Marc Concannon to close out the scoring.