Smith Leads UMass Lowell Past Quinnipiac, 6-3
Freshman C.J. Smith scores goal and two assists for Riverhawks

Sophomore Michael Kapla scored a goal and an assist for the Riverhawks
Prd Time  Team Score Type Scored By Assists
1st 15:39  UML1-0 EV Chris Maniccia (1)Robert Francis/1, Jake Suter/1
2nd 4:17  UML2-0 EV Michael Kapla (1)C.J. Smith/2, Michael Louria/1
2nd 9:32  QUI1-2 PP Sam Anas (3)Matthew Peca/2, Devon Toews/2
3rd 2:49  UML3-1 PP C.J. Smith (1)Evan Campbell/1, Dylan Zink/1
3rd 7:30  UML4-1 EV GW Robert Francis (2)Jake Suter/2, Chris Maniccia/2
3rd 10:49  QUI2-4 EV Justin Agosta (1)Canon Pieper/1, Bo Pieper/1
3rd 13:26  UML5-2 EV Joe Gambardella (2)C.J. Smith/3, Jake Suter/3
3rd 15:36  QUI3-5 EV Andrew Taverner (1)Matthew Peca/3, Justin Agosta/1
3rd 16:44  UML6-3 SH EN Michael Colantone (1)Dylan Zink/2, Michael Kapla/1
Scoring 1st 2nd 3rd Final
Quinnipiac  0123
UMass Lowell  1146
Shots on Goal 1st 2nd 3rd SOG
Quinnipiac  811827
UMass Lowell  5101126
Team Stats and Records  PP PIM SHGF
Quinnipiac (1-1-0)  1/3 3/6 0
UMass Lowell (2-0-0)  1/2 4/8 1
Quinnipiac Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Michael Garteig (L, 1-1-0)59:385 49720
Empty Net0:221     
UMass Lowell Goaltending MIN GA 1 2 3 Saves
Kevin Boyle (W, 2-0-0)60:003 810624

LOWELL, Mass. - The No. 9 UMass Lowell hockey team won its second straight game to open the season, defeating the No.13 Quinnipiac Bobcats, 6-3, in front of 4,329 fans at the Tsongas Center.

Chris Maniccia (St. Catherines, Ontario) opened up the River Hawks' (2-0-0, 1-0-0) scoring at 15:39, his first goal of the season. Maniccia received a pass behind the net from Robert Francis (San Diego, Calif.) and beat the Bobcat goalie glove-side from right in front of the post.

A few minutes later the Bobcats (1-1-0, 0-0-0) looked to have tied the score on a shot that snuck through Kevin Boyle's (Manalapan, N.J.) but Zack Kamrass (Atlanta, Ga.) cleared the puck off the line. The play was reviewed and the no goal call was confirmed.

Michael Kapla (Eau Claire, Wisc.) gave UMass Lowell the 2-1 at 4:17 of the second period. Michael Louria (Wexford, Pa.) sent the puck to C.J. Smith (Des Moines, Iowa) inside the blueline, where the Bobcats poked the puck off his stick. The loose puck went right to Kapla, who took no time to fire the shot in from in-between the tops of the circles.

Sam Anas cut the lead to 2-1 on a four-on-three advantage for the Bobcats at 9:32. Boyle made the original save off a Matthew Peca shot but Anas was waiting on the stick side to put the puck home past the diving Boyle.

With UMass Lowell clinging on to the 2-1 lead, Smith added an insurance goal at 2:39 of the third period. Evan Campbell's (Port Coquitlam, British Columbia) original shot was saved by Garteig and the rebound went right to Smith who didn't waste the opportunity right in-front of the crease.

Five minutes later Francis added his second of the season to extend the lead to 4-1. Jake Suter (Lac de Flambeau, Wisc.) dished out one his team-high three assists of the night. Quinnipiac would not go down without a fight, once again getting within two with 9:11 remaining in regulation. Justin Agosta received a pass at the side of the net from Canon Pieper, and put the shot off of the left pad of a diving Boyle and into the net.

Joe Gambardella (Staten Island, N.Y.) increased the lead to 5-2 at 13:26 of the third period with assists from Smith and Suter.

The Bobcats scored their third and final goal of the night at 15:36 off the stick of Andrew Taverner, the assists credited to Peca and Agosta. Michael Colantone (Cave Creek, Ariz.) added a short-handed empty net goal at 16:34 to ice the victory for the River Hawks.

Quinnipiac finished the night 1-for-3 on the power play with two shots, and UMass Lowell went 1-for-2 (two shots). Boyle made 24 saves for his second win of the season, Garteig made 20 in net for the Bobcats.

Along with Suter's three assists, Smith ended the night with one goal and two assists, and Dylan Zink (Madison, Wisc.) also had two assists.

Both teams complete and the home-and-home tomorrow night in Hamden, Conn., with faceoff at 7:00 p.m. at High Point Solutions Arena.