The 13th-ranked UNH men's hockey team dropped both of its contests this weekend away from Durham, losing 8-3 at UMass-Lowell Friday and 8-6 at Boston College Saturday. The losses drop UNH to 4-4-2 overall with a 2-2-2 mark in Hockey East.
UMass-Lowell's Kory Falite recorded his first career hat trick and added an assist, while Matt Ferreira scored a pair of two goals. UNH's Danny Dries matched a career high with two goals for the Wildcats.
In a four-goal first period, it was UNH striking first as Dries took a pass from Greg Collins at his own blue line and carried it into the zone and broke in to score on a nifty dash to the net at 2:02.
However, it was the River Hawks which would score the final three goals of the first to take a 3-1 lead into the intermission. The first UML tally came just 22 seconds after Dries scored as Sammy D'Agostino scored with assists from Maury Edwards and Ryan Blair at 2:24.
UML stretched the lead to 4-1 at 6:06 as Falite stole the puck at the blueline and skated in all alone to score the one-timer and eventual game-winner.
The Wildcats cut into the lead as Peter LeBlanc scored at 8:36 with an assist from Bobby Butler. The goal was LeBlanc's third in the last four games, he is tied for the team lead with five goals.
Matt DiGirolamo stopped 27 shots for the Wildcats and is now 0-1-1.
UNH was 1-6 on the power play, while UML was 2-5 in extra-skater advantages.
On Saturday Jimmy Hayes recorded his first career hat trick and added an assist, while Brock Bradford had two goals and two assists for the Eagles. UNH's Mike Sislo (2g, 1a), van Riemsdyk (1g, 3a), LeBlanc (1g, 1a) and Joe Charlebois (0g, 2a) all had multi-point games for New Hampshire, while Blake Kessel and Steve Moses each scored their first collegiate goals for UNH.
The Wildcats wasted no time scoring just 22 seconds in to take a 1-0 lead. LeBlanc potted the goal, his team-leading sixth of the season, that was created by a BC turnover in its own end. UNH doubled its lead with a power play goal by Sislo.
The Wildcats made it 3-0 on Sislo's second goal of the game. Charlebois once again had the assist at 1:49.
BC answered with five-straight goals to end the second and take a 5-3 advantage into the break. Hayes, who scored two of the five goals in the period, netted the first goal at 3:57 with assists from Ben Smith and Paul Carey. Carey scored to make it 3-2 at 7:48 with a helper from Hayes. Brock Bradford netted the equalizer just 25 seconds later with assists from Brian Gibbons and Carl Sneep, while Gibbons scored one of his own to put the Eagles ahead at 11:43.
UNH cut into the lead with a goal just 1:06 into the third that made it 5-4. Sislo fought for the puck with a BC defender behind the net and fed van Riemsdyk on the left of the net for the tally. BC regained its two-goal advantage just over a minute later when Matt Lombardi potted the Eagles' sixth goal of the game at 2:27.
Kessel scored his first collegiate goal at 8:54 to trim the lead to 7-5. The goal, which came on a one-timer from the right point, was setup by van Riemsdyk and LeBlanc.
With the Wildcats down two goals late, they left DiGirolamo in favor of an extra skater and the Eagles took advantage with an empty net goal by Hayes, which completed his hat trick.
DiGirolamo turned away a career-high 29 shots including 11 in the second period, but falls to 0-2-1, while BC's John Muse had 31 saves, 14 in the third period, to earn his sixth win of the season.
UNH was 1-3 on the power play, while BC was 1-4 in its extra-skater opportunities.
The Wildcats return to action on Friday, Nov. 21 when they complete their six-game road trip at Northeastern. UNH returns home on Saturday, Nov. 22 when it plays host to Providence College. Game time is 7 p.m. at Whittemore Center.
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