Volume 78 / Number 18
Home > Sports > Men's hockey rebounds with sweep of U-Mass Lowell
Men's hockey rebounds with sweep of U-Mass Lowell
BY ALI DRAVES | STATESMAN STAFF WRITER
The UMD men's hockey team swept the U-Mass Lowell Riverhawks last weekend in a non-conference series, to improve their record to 10-8-6 overall after a disappointing series against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
The Bulldogs took first blood on Friday night, scoring at 1:49 in the first period on a power-play goal by freshman Justin Fontaine, with assists from junior Andrew Carroll and senior MacGregor Sharp, according to the UMD Web site.
Even with several penalties, the Bulldogs were able to hang onto their early lead as they headed into the locker room after the first.
The Bulldogs and the Riverhawks played a clean and uneventful second period, as both teams tried to get an extra edge. Despite their efforts, the score remained 1-0 after the second.
After another scoreless period, the Bulldogs pulled through with the win, according to the Web site.
"We prepared like any other game," senior captain Matt McKnight said. "Just because it was out of conference did not make the game any less important. We were aware of the implications of these games on our ranking in NCAA tournament."
UMD gained another early lead on Saturday night, with a goal at 11:47 by freshman Kyle Schmidt, with assists from sophomore Trent Palm and freshman Rob Bordson. One minute later, McKnight scored for UMD at 12:07, with assists from juniors Michael Gergen and Nick Kemp, to put the Bulldogs up, 2-0.
"We were pretty consistent both nights, and on Saturday, our forecheck led to two goals," said head coach Scott Sandelin. "Also, our goaltending was excellent. Stalock was able to see the puck really well and made some big saves, especially on the penalty kill."
The intensity increased in the second period as UMD continued to defend against U-Mass Lowell's rough play. Despite the increase in penalties, the Bulldogs had a 2-0 lead after the second period.
"Our special teams, especially our penalty killing, remain strong," McKnight said. "Also, we are getting scoring from all four of our lines."
Almost immediately into the third, Carroll scored for UMD at 3:02, with assists from junior Matt Greer and sophomore Drew Akins. U-Mass Lowell fired back within seconds, at 3:49 with a goal by freshman Patrick Cey.
At 5:34, Carroll solidified UMD's victory with his sixth goal of the season, with assists again from Greer and Akins.
"I thought we played two very solid road games," said McKnight. "We tried to dictate the play off the start of both games, and I think we were able to do that."
Stalock had a total of 46 saves, proving once again to be a valuable asset to the Bulldogs' defense.
"Stalock has been playing really well, and our penalty kill is getting better every week," said Sandelin. UMD travels to Madison, Wisc. to battle the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend.
"Our goal from the start of the season was to finish in the top five in the league and have home ice advantage, so we will continue to work at attaining those goals," Sandelinsaid. "It is going to be a dog-fight for the rest of the year."
