LOWELL, Mass.-Goals from seniors Zack Kaiser (Orangeville, Ontario) and Ryan Brushett (Montreal, Quebec) lifted the No. 17 UMass Lowell men's hockey team (7-3-0, 4-1-0 Hockey East) to a 2-0 win over Vermont (2-6-1, 0-6-0 HEA) Saturday night in front of a lively crowd of 4,390 fans at the Tsongas Center.
"We're certainly excited to have a chance to redo last weekend's performance as far as our effort the second game at BU. I thought that was a learning experience, and the guys proved it tonight by coming out with a very good effort on a Saturday and closing out a very good team for the sweep," commented Head Coach Norm Bazin.
Senior Blake Wells (Blackie, Alberta) dished out the lone helper on Kaiser's game-winner. Sophomore Owen Cole (Dunnville, Ontario) and junior Ben Meehan (Walpole, Mass.) each notched an assist on Brushett's first of the season.
Junior Brehdan Engum (Burnsville, Minn.) played a major role on defense for the River Hawks, stifling two Vermont shots for a team-high two blocks. Junior Henry Welsch (Lakeville, Minn.) logged his second consecutive shutout between the pipes, stopping 25 shots to remain flawless this weekend.
UMass Lowell's penalty kill unit completed its perfect two-game stint, shutting down both of Vermont's extra-man opportunities.
"We're very pleased that the special teams were able to do so much for us this weekend. You don't want to rely on that to win games, but it proves a difference at lot of the time. Last night, our power play did the trick. Tonight, the PK stood tall," said Bazin.
The River Hawks kicked off the offense with a heavy push in the opening minutes of the game. Senior Brian Chambers (Weymouth, Mass.) got the first taste of the action with a firm cross intended for his linemate Carl Berglund (Hammaro, Sweden), but the captain was tied up with his defender and missed the shot opportunity.
Sophomore Matt Crasa (South Setauket, N.Y.) fired off several close chances in the slot. He put two firm shots on the right pad of Vermont's Oskar Autio but couldn't find the open space to hit twine. Crasa rushed the net once again on a breakaway, but Autio made the save once again with a quick kick. Senior Jake Stella (Karlstad, Sweden) earned his shot in the slot just after Crasa, firing a quick shot on goal that was denied by the Vermont blueline.
Stella, who ignited UMass Lowell's offense in the first game of the weekend, tried to keep his stick hot with another goal against the Catamounts. Rushing down the slot, Stella took a crack at Autio but was shut down by a chest save. Stella tried to connect with Fowler just after, but it bounced off the pad just wide.
Vermont found their footing on offense and took their turn peppering Welsch with shots midway through the frame. Welsch remained unshaken, knocking down back-to-back grade-A looks from the Catamounts to keep them at bay.
The Catamounts picked up the first power play of the day with 10:05 on the clock. With the River Hawks down a man, the home squad brought out the penalty kill and immediately turned on the heat. Aggressive forechecking by Kaiser kept Vermont unsteady as they fought to break into the zone. Kaiser's relentless defense caused the turnover and gave the senior open ice as he sped down the middle, only to be denied last minute.
UMass Lowell picked up the pace after squelching the first penalty, but Vermont earned another chance on the extra man with less than two minutes on the clock in the first. The Catamounts put a hard shot on net in the slot, but Welsch snagged the puck midair to close out the first with a blank sheet.
Kaiser shattered the scoring drought just 4:04 into the second period. After shutting down a River Hawks scoring run, Vermont settled the puck behind the net before sending it up the boards to kickstart their breakout attempt. Wells and Brushett intercepted the play, however, causing a scuffle for the puck. With help from his classmate Brushett, Wells corralled the loose puck and sailed a cross-ice pass to Kaiser at the point. Kaiser took the chance to fire off a quick wrister that zipped past Autio for the 1-0 advantage moving into the third.
With 20 minutes standing between the River Hawks and back-to-back shutouts, the River Hawks focused on protecting their slim one-goal lead. Crasa, Meehan and sophomore Stefan Owens (Midlothian, Va.) all took their turns testing Autio's netminding throughout the period as they eyed an insurance tally.
"We attacked the game. We harped on that between periods. Last weekend, we sat back and tried to protect the lead. This time, we attacked the game, and we were able to score one," commented Bazin. "I thought if the game lasted a little bit longer, we would've scored another one. I thought as the game progressed, we were getting a little bit better."
Brushett came out victorious, adding the bonus goal to UMass Lowell's lead just 6:42 into the third. The Catamounts crossed into UMass Lowell territory looking for the equalizer but turnover the puck just as they crossed the blue line. The River Hawks redirected movement back in their favor, pushing through a few battles along the boards to maintain possession. A physical battle ensued through the neutral zone with Cole just edging past his defenders to advance into the zone. Facing a wall of defenders, Cole dropped the puck back to Brushett on the chase. With a quick flick, Brushett snuck one through traffic and into the back of the net to call game and solidify the sweep.
The River Hawks earn a well-deserved bye week before traveling to Boston College on Tuesday, Nov. 15, to resume Hockey East action. Puck drop for the midweek tilt is set for 7 p.m.
