Hockey East Roundup: No. 9 UMass Lowell, No. 13 Quinnipiac Battle To 3-3 Tie

Two of the nation’s top-ranked teams fought a heavyweight battle Saturday night, but neither squad could deliver the knockout blow.

No. 9 UMass Lowell (2-0-1) traveled to Connecticut to take on No. 13 Quinnipiac (1-1-1) looking to improve to a perfect 3-0, but the Bobcats gave the River Hawks everything they could handle. UMass Lowell entered the final period with a 2-1 lead, but a power play goal from Quinnipiac’s Justin Agosta evened the score at 2-2. Minutes later, the Bobcats took the lead with a goal from Landon Smith.

With time running out in the third period, UMass forward Evan Campbell’s shot deflected off a Quinnipiac defenseman and into the net to help the River Hawks escape with a tie. UML returns home to take on No. 10 Michigan next Friday night, while Quinnipiac will battle UConn on Tuesday.

Around the League:

Merrimack 2, UConn 1 (2OT): The Warriors (3-0-0) trailed the Huskies (0-2-1) 1-0 entering the third period but sent the game into overtime when freshman forward Brett Seney scored with just 30 seconds left in regulation. After a scoreless first overtime period, sophomore forward Hampus Gustafsson deposited the game-winner in double overtime to help Merrimack remain unbeaten.

Notre Dame 5, Lake Superior State 1: The Fighting Irish (2-2-0) took a 2-0 lead over the Lakers (0-6-0) and never looked back, getting a hat trick from junior forward Mario Lucia to put the game out of reach for good.

Vermont 3, Clarkson 0: The Catamounts (3-0-0) got off to a fast start, scoring two goals in the first period to down the Golden Knights (2-1-0) for the second consecutive night. Goaltender Mike Santaguida recorded 28 saves in the shutout win.

Colgate 3, Northeastern 0: The Raiders (3-1-0) bombarded the Huskies (0-3-0) with 41 shots and converted on three of them en route to their third win of the season. Northeastern goaltender Derick Roy had an impressive effort with a career-high 38 saves, while Colgate netminder Charlie Finn stopped all 28 shots he saw to earn the shutout.

Union 5, Maine 2: The No. 2 Dutchmen (4-0-0) kept it rolling against the Black Bears (0-4-0). The teams were tied at 1-1 early in the second period, but Union poured in four unanswered goals to pull away for the win. Sophomore forward Cam Brown scored both goals for the Black Bears.

UMass Amherst 4, Michigan State 3: The Minutemen (1-2-1) and the Spartans (1-1-0) were locked in a back-and-forth affair when UMass forward Patrick Lee scored with just 9.9 seconds remaining in regulation to give his team a thrilling win.

Boston College 6, RIT 2: The Eagles (1-1-0) came out hot against the Tigers (1-2-0), scoring four straight goals to take a commanding 4-0 lead. RIT fought back with two goals in the third period, but BC netted two scores as well to cruise to its first win of the season.

Michigan 2, New Hampshire 1: One night after the Wildcats (1-2-0) toppled the No. 10 Wolverines (1-2-0) 5-1, Michigan returned the favor. The Wolverines opened up a 2-0 lead with two goals early in the third period, and a shorthanded goal from UNH’s Matt Willows wasn’t enough to complete a comeback for the Wildcats.

Photo via Twitter/@QUChronSports