UMass Lowell men’s hockey edges UMaine in defensive struggle
ORONO, Maine — The University of Massachusetts Lowell’s Gustavs Davis Grigals and the University of Maine’s Victor Ostman showed why they are on the Mike Richter Award watch list for the nation’s top goalie Friday night.
Grigals made 25 saves to lead the No. 16 River Hawks to a 2-1 win over Ostman and the Black Bears at Alfond Arena. Ostman finished with 32 tops.
UMass Lowell improved to 12-8-1 overall and 6-4-1 in Hockey East while UMaine fell to 8-10-2 and 2-6-1. They will play again on Saturday at 7 p.m.
UMass Lowell goaltender Gustavs Davis Grigals blocks a shot by University of Maine’s Didrik Henbrant in the first period of the game at Alfond Arena Friday night. UMass Lowell won the game 2-1. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Senior defenseman Marek Korencik’s goal 6:36 into the game and sophomore defenseman Isac Jonsson’s goal at the 9:00 mark of the second period provided the River Hawks with a 2-0 lead. UMaine freshman center Reid Pabich cut the lead in half with 1:05 left in the middle period.
Korencik’s third goal of the season came off a drop pass by Jon McDonald. The 35-foot wrist shot from the high slot beat Ostman high to the blocker side.
UMaine had a glorious chance to equalize when two simultaneous River Hawk penalties gave the Black Bears a two-minute, two-man advantage.
But the Black Bear power play — a dismal 56th among 60 Division I teams in efficiency at 11.9 percent — didn’t generate a high-percentage scoring chance among its four shots on goal during the two minutes.
Ostman came up with a terrific save off a point-blank one-timer by Stefan Davis early in the second period but Jonsson scored moments later.
He pounced on a loose puck at the top of the straight circle, spun around and wristed the puck through a maze of players into the top short side corner past the screened Ostman for his third goal of the season.
Grigals preserved the 2-0 lead by making a pad save off a Thomas Freel breakaway created by a Luke Antonacci pass and then getting his blocker on Killian Kiecker-Olson’s 25-foot slap shot off a Donavan Houle pass.
UMaine’s Reid Pabich reaches his stick around UMass Lowell’s Marek Korencik for the puck in the third period of the game at Alfond Arena on Friday. UMass Lowell won the game 2-1. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Pabich’s second goal of the season was set up by Jakub Sirota and Brandon Holt.
Sirota passed it across to Holt at the left point and Holt quickly snapped a wrist shot toward the net that Pabich deflected past Grigals.
The River Hawks did a terrific job protecting the lead in the third period, outshooting UMaine 10-4. Ostman made several key stops to keep UMaine within one.