BURLINGTON, Vt. – UMass Lowell scored a goal in each period and withstood a late Vermont rally to defeat the Catamounts 3-1 Friday night at Gutterson Fieldhouse in Hockey East action. Friday night was the Catamounts annual Cancer Awareness Night presented by SD Ireland. With the win, the River Hawks improved to 6-8-0 this season while the Catamounts fell to 1-8-2.
 
RELATED LINKS
Box Score (.pdf) | CatamounTV: Highlights | Postgame
 
COACH'S QUOTE
"We feel that we didn't get to our game until the third period – we were sluggish and got caught on long shifts, and had a hard time generating sustained offensive zone time for the first forty minutes," said Head Coach Todd Woodcroft. "The time off from the COVID-19 pause was evident in our game and it is very important that our players get a good rest tonight. We will have a few lineup changes to inject some energy."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• The River Hawks jumped all over the Catamounts outshooting them 15-4 in the opening frame. 11:11 in UML was rewarded with opening goal of the night. A Vermont defenseman tried to go off glass to clear the zone but Seth Barton was able to knock the puck back at the blueline and towards Zach Kaiser. Kaiser skated in alone on UVM's Gabe Carriere and beat him with a quick wrist shot. The goal was reviewed for a hand pass, but it stood.
• UMass Lowell doubled its advantage on the power play midway through the second period. Off a scramble draw Reid Stefanson found Jordan Schulting at the point and he fired a quick shot in the slot past Carriere for his first goal of the season. The River Hawks power play tally came just six seconds into the kill.
• UMass Lowell's Matt Brown appeared to put the game out of reach 2:13 into the third period. Brown stepped in front of a UVM pass in their zone and skated in alone on a breakaway. He fired a shot just under Carriere's blocker for his third goal of the season.
• Tristan Mullin pulled the Catamounts back within two with exactly two minutes left on the clock. Jordan Kaplan took a hit in the neutral zone to get the puck forward and Mullin skated into the zone and fired a shot top corner on UMass Lowell's Owen Savory to spoil his shutout bid. Andrew Lucas earned his third assist of the season on Mullin's third goal as a Catamount.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Senior goaltender Matt Beck played the final two minutes for the Catamounts marking the first regular season action of his playing career. He made one save for Vermont.
• First-year goaltender Gabe Carriere was named Third Star after making 29 saves for the Catamounts.
• Seniors Bryce Misley and Carter Long each had a team-high three blocked shots tonight. For both of them it marked a season-high. As a team Vermont blocked 23 shots this evening.
• With tonight's score of 3-1 Community Bank, N.A. will be adding a donation of $75 to Special Olympics Vermont. Cheer on our Catamounts as they go for the win while creating a special bond with community members! Thank you Community Bank, N.A. for your support of our UVM and Special Olympics athletes!

WHO'S NEXT
Vermont will return to action tomorrow night on Senior Night presented by the UVM Alumni Association. Puck drop between UMass Lowell and Vermont is slated for 7 p.m. and all the action will be aired live for free at go.uvm.edu/csl.
 
Handy Toyota is the presenting sponsor of the 2020-21 men's hockey season