University of Massachusets Athletics
University of Massachusetts
UMass-Lowell
Minutemen Fall At UMass Lowell, 4-0
November 19, 2011 | Hockey
Nov. 19, 2011
LOWELL, Mass. - A pair of goals less than three minutes apart in the second period broke open a scoreless game and led UMass Lowell to an eventual 4-0 victory over the UMass Minutemen on Saturday night at the Tsongas Center. The River Hawks (6-4-0, 4-3-0 HEA) used a shutout performance in goal from Doug Carr and a 34-16 shot advantage to come away with two points. Steve Mastalerz made 30 saves in goal for the Minutemen (4-5-3, 2-5-3 HEA).
The first River Hawks goal came in the second period when David Vallorani scored on the power play, just eight seconds after Oleg Yevenko was sent off for elbowing. Chad Ruhwedel and Riley Wetmore were credited with assists on Vallorani's second of the season with 9:16 left in the period.
With 6:22 left in the second, defenseman Tim Corcoran made it 2-0 when his shot from the right point went through a screen and scored for the senior's first career goal. Joseph Pendenza and Terrence Wallin picked up assists on the play.
Ruhwedel made it 3-0 UMass Lowell lead with 4:59 left in the third period when he scored unassisted on a rush during 4-on-4 action. It was the defenseman's second goal of the season.
Wetmore tacked on one more for the River Hawks with 2:29 left when he scored his seventh of the season from the low slot.
Down two goals, the Minutemen started the third period on the power play, and after another River Hawks penalty, had a two-man advantage for 1:28, but Carr stopped the two UMass shots on goal in the 2:32 of power play, both off the stick of Michael Pereira, keeping it a 2-0 game.
The teams battled to a scoreless first period in which the River Hawks had the lone power play opportunity. The home team finished the first 20 minutes with a 12-2 shot advantage officially, plus one more that hit the post off the stick of Zack Kamrass on the power play, but the Minutemen had scoring opportunities of their own, with a Syner wrister just missing wide on a 3-on-1 being the best.
Mastalerz turned aside all 12 shots he faced in the opening period, including a pair at point-blank range.
Pereira recorded a team-high four shots on goal for the Minutemen.
UMass returns to action on Tuesday when it heads to Burlington, Vt. to face the Catamounts in a 7 p.m. start.
