WALTER LEADS UMASS LOWELL TO WIN
Junior center scores four times to lead River Hawks to 5-3 victory

University of Massachusetts Lowell junior center Ben Walter scored four
goals, including an empty-netter to seal the win, to lead the River Hawks
to a 5-3 victory over Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in a
non-league game at the Houston Field House in Troy, N.Y.  With the win,
UMass Lowell improves to 2-2-0 while the Engineers fall to 3-2-1.  The loss
by RPI denied 11th-year head coach Dan Fridgen his 187th victory, which
would have set a new school record.

The River Hawks jumped out to an early lead when Walter scored his third
power-play goal of the year at 12:18.  Juniors Elias Godoy and Andrew
Martin assisted on the play.  Martin scored the first even-strength goal of
the season for UML at 14:19 to extend the River Hawks' lead to 2-0.  Junior
Bobby Robins collected the puck from behind the Rensselaer net and passed
it out to Martin, who was parked on the left side of the net.  Less than
two minutes later, Walter added his second power-play goal of the game with
assistance from Godoy and Danny O'Brien.

Walter completed his hat trick, the second of his career, at 4:07 of the
second on a tic-tac-toe play from Godoy and junior forward Brad
King.  Rensselaer's Keith MCWilliams put the Engineers on the board at
16:43 with a shot from the top of the circle that found its way into the
net on the short side.  Alexander Valentin and Nick Economakos garnered the
assists on the four-on-four marker.

Rensselaer sophomore forward Oren Eizenman scored RPI's second goal of the
game on a power-play at 8:44 of the third.  Eizenman's shot from the top of
the circle bounced over a Lowell defender and through the legs of UML
goaltender John Yaros.  Valentin and junior forward Chris Hussey assisted
Eizenman on his third goal of the season.  Sophomore forward Kevin Broad
brought the Engineers to within one with his first goal of the season at
13:35.  Valentin earned his third assist of the game on the play.  Walter
ensured the victory with an unassisted, empty-net goal at 19:51.

Yaros made 24 saves to earn the win for UML before being injured.  Chris
Davidson stepped in and stopped six shots to preserve the win.  Freshman
Jordan Alford made 20 saves in the loss for Rensselaer.

Rensselaer and UMass Lowell are right back in action on Saturday
night.  The Engineers will host Mercyhurst while the River Hawks will be at
Union.  Both games begin at 7pm.