UMass Lowell hockey team falls to Merrimack in doubleheader – Lowell Sun

BOSTON It was a memorable game that went almost to midnight, but UMass Lowell won’t have a Hollywood ending.

Merrimack would have the final say Friday night when Matt Copponi scored a heartbreaking score at 10:01 a.m. in double OT of the Hockey East semifinal at TD Garden in front of a packed crowd, spoiling a stellar performance by goaltender Gustavs Davis Grigals and ending the season. 20th place UML (18-15-3).

It was the third longest game in UML’s program history.

UML was the better team in overtime, but the River Hawks had to watch 14th-ranked Merrimack (23-12-1) celebrate after Coppon’s goal and Grigals had no chance to finish.

I thought the fans were treated to a pretty good hockey game tonight, said UMass Lowell coach Norm Bazin. I felt both teams had multiple positions. Of course there weren’t many goals, but that was a bit of our story of our season. We haven’t finished as much as we’d like. This is a microcosm of it.

Scott Truman forced overtime. The River Hawks freshman left wing scored the tying goal with 32 seconds left in regulation, and Grigals pulled the sixth skater.

Truman, who was on the brink of relegation, gave his team a second lease of life by burying a pass behind the net past Zachary Borgiel (35 saves), forcing an extra session. Jake Stella and Owen Fowler picked up helpers to save the game.

All in all, though, I’m proud of our guys, Bazin said. There is no stopping in them. We beat them in the last three periods, which doesn’t mean anything, but at the same time they pressed. I thought we would continue as the game went on.

The Warriors advance to face Boston University for the Hockey East championship on Saturday night. The Terriers beat Providence 2-1 in overtime. Quinn Hutson hit the game winner.

Locked in a scoreless tie at two innings as Merrimack outscored UMass Lowell 22-7, both teams were looking for a spark. Jordan Seyfert provided plenty of ammunition by stuffing a tight forehand shot past Grigals (40 saves) at 10:26 of the third period.

Truman isn’t about to go down without a fight. The UMass Lowell freshman winger tied the game at 19:28 and sent the game into sudden death.

In a defensive battle, both teams kept things close to the vest during a pair of scoreless periods. Merrimack outshot the River Hawks 9-3 in the opening stanza, including a 6-0 spurt over the final 10 minutes. However, Grigals was up to the task, turning away every shot, including a couple of tricky screens.

The River Hawks were held to just three shots in the first half of the second period and were completely stunned without a shot on the first power play of the game.

Meanwhile, Merrimacks’ best chance came on a clear breakaway by Ian McDonald that Grigals blocked with 5:50 to go in the stanza.

The Warriors also came up empty on their first power play late in the second period. Grigals hung tough, turning away five shots during the man advantage, including a deflector save on a one-timer.

While UMass Lowell was making its 21st appearance in the Hockey East semifinals — third most in the league — Merrimack was making just its third appearance and first since 2011.

However, the Warriors entered the game on a six-game winning streak, and their second-place finish in the regular season was the best in program history. Armed with seven grad transfers, Merrimack brought a wealth of experience to the table en route to the Hockey East title.

Friday marked the 139th meeting between the schools, which are located about 12 miles apart.

For the UMass Lowell senior class, this was the program’s third trip to the semifinals in the last four years, despite their unusual freshman year. In March, the River Hawks played BC in the semifinals and then UMass in the championship game due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Last year they fell to UMass 3-1 in the semifinals at the TD Garden. UML was the only program to make it to Boston last March to return to the Final Four this year.

According to Bazin, his team faced many challenges.

Every team in Hockey East has been through adversity, Bazin said. – We lost our two best centers and our best defender. When you lose your top two centers for four weeks, you have to work through the deadline, let young bodies grow and probably play some minutes they’re not ready for. It was a tumultuous February.”

“I thought we had an excellent January,” he added. “So we went through some growing pains and some young guys grew as a result, but they weren’t the results we were looking for. That’s why you’re sitting in the position you were sitting in now.”