The UMass-Lowell Riverhawks downed the Northeastern Huskies 2-1 in a Friday
night matchup at Matthews Arena.
 
Northeastern opened the scoring with a first-period blast from the blueline by
Rick Schuhwerk that was deflected in by Justin Kearns.  UMass-Lowell retaliated
in the second period when leading scorer Neil Donovan took the puck in the
right corner put it out to Dave Barrozino at the opposite point who got it to
Brendan Concannon who fired it home.  Later in the period on the power play
Concannon brought the puck over the blue line, ran a delay, and then slid the
puck across to Ed Campbell on the other (left) point.  Campbell quickly found
Jeff Daw at the top of the left circle and Daw fired it home.
 
That was it for the scoring, although Northeastern came very close to tying it
in the waining seconds of the game.  UML had taken a penalty with about 30
seconds left and were facing a 6-on-4 attack with the Huskie's net empty.
Seconds after Hobie Baker candidate Dan McGillis failed to keep the puck in
the offensive zone, he had another opportunity from the point and rang a
slapshot off the post.  Close but no cigar.
 
Some random observations:
 
*  Martin Fillion stopped all but the one deflected shot in the first.  Was he
   *that* good?  IMO he was good, but he continues to make me nervous with the
   large numbers of rebounds he gives up.  It didn't hurt him last night, but
   I have to think that sooner or later they will.  Will he start again
   tonight, or will Coach Bruce Crowder give Craig Lindsey another shot at the
   rotation?  I expected going into this week of three games (Merrimack on
   Tuesday and home-and-home with Northeastern on the weekend) that Fillion
   would get two of the three starts.
 
   But can you sit a goalie who stopped everything reasonable and has played
   well in every game he's started?   It will be interesting to see the choice.
   Of course, I actually saw Coach Crowder at the rink this morning (his son
   plays in the same organization as mine does, only on teams that are one year
   apart) and your crack investigative journalist had the opportunity to ask
   him the pointed question.  But instead I just congratulated him on the win
   and wished his son well, letting him enjoy his son's game in peace.  Which
   is why I'm a nerd and not the next Geraldo Rivera.  :-)
 
   Personally I expect Lindsey, but might go with Fillion if it were my call.
 
*  NU's top line is now Mike Santonelli (LW), Mike Collett (C), and Danny Lupo
   (RW), which has been dubbed the "Catholic line" since Santonelli and Lupo
   are from Matignon and Collett from Archbishop Williams.
 
*  The two teams face off tonight at 7 at Tully.  Mike "Bud" Veisor is
   expected to be in nets for the Huskies.
 
*****************************************************        ,-******-,
* Dave Hendrickson    "Robo"     [log in to unmask] *     *'     ##     '*
*        A Hockey Polygamist and Get-A-Lifer        *   *##   ___##___   ##*
* GO BROONS!!!      Go Red Wings!!      Go Canucks! *  *   ##|   ___  \##   *
* GO UMASS-LOWELL!!!      Go BU!!         Go Maine! * *      |  |___)  |     *
* --------------------------------------------------* *######|   ___  <######*
* Although I can't remember ever having an original * *      |  |___)  |     *
* thought, and am certainly parroting someone who   *  *   ##|________/##   *
* actually has a brain, these opinions are mine,    *   *##      ##      ##*
* not Hewlett-Packard's.                            *     *,     ##     ,*
*****************************************************        '-*******-'
 
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