The game:
The No. 6 Bulldogs (3-1-2) defeated the No. 7 River Hawks (3-1-2), ending the Hawks’ five-game unbeaten streak by a slim margin of 2-1.
There wasn’t much for the men’s hockey fans to cheer for early in the game. The first period saw just 15 total shots and a lot of neutral zone play.
But the second period proved to be much different. Senior defenseman and Bulldog captain Andy Welinski broke the scoring open six minutes into the period with a one-time slap shot that found the upper left corner of the goal for his second tally of the year. U-Mass Lowell would bounce back just six minutes later with a point shot over the glove of goaltender Kasimir Kaskisuo. Before the period ended, however, UMD regained the lead on a power play goal from Dominic Toninato--his third of the season.
The third period didn’t see any scoring, but both teams had a lot of chances nonetheless. Kaskisuo came up big for UMD on several occasions, including two shorthanded breakaways on the same Bulldog penalty.
The takeaway:
Dominic Toninato’s goal late in the second period of the game came on the man advantage. Prior to tonight’s game, UMD had capitalized on just 2 of their 25 power-play opportunities.
On the defensive end, the Bulldogs’ penalty kill was perfect, killing off all three of U-Mass’ short-handed tries.
Kaskisuo had mixed emotions after his team allowed two breakaways while they were a man up.
“Those were the tough shots,” said Kaskisuo. “I told them I was pissed off--but with a smile on my face. I ended up saving those so that was good.”
The numbers:
+3: UMD’s third line of Kyle Osterberg, Jared Thomas and Adam Johnson combined for a rating of plus-3. Osterberg and Johnson each earned assists on Welinski’s goal.
40: The Bulldogs were able to put 40 shots on goal tonight, including 20 in the second period. They held their opponents to just 27 shots and only allowed 4 shots in the first.
17: As a team, the Bulldogs blocked 17 shots. Had more of those gotten through, UMD would have been outshot but their defense got in the River Hawks’ shooting lanes all night. Andy Welinski led the team with five blocks.
The ceremony
Prior to the game, UMD honored Glenn “Chico” Resch. The team retired the former goaltender’s jersey No. 1, raising it to the rafters alongside the company of Keith Christiansen, Bill Watson and Brett Hull.
Chico was a member of UMD’s inaugural athletics hall of fame class in 1991. Resch went on to play in the NHL and won the Stanley Cup as a member of the New York Islanders in 1980. He also played in three All-Star games.