LOWELL, Mass. (January 18, 2025) – The Stonehill College men's hockey team made history on Saturday night, defeating the nationally ranked No. 9 UMass Lowell River Hawks, 3-2, in an overtime thriller at the Tsongas Center. This landmark victory marked the Skyhawks' first-ever win against an NCAA Division I ranked opponent, improving their overall record to 8-19. Meanwhile, the River Hawks' record dropped to 12-7-2 on the season.
 
Highlights

• With the victory over UMass Lowell, Stonehill improves its season record against the Hockey East to 3-3. The other two victories came against Merrimack College on October 6 and November 12, respectively.
• Junior defender Evan Orr scored the overtime winner and dished out an assist on junior Teddy Lagerbäck's game-tying goal in the final seconds of the third period.
• Orr's goal marked his team-leading third game-winning goal and second overtime winner.  
• Sophomore defender Dominick Campione lit the lamp on his second goal of the campaign while registering a career-high five shots on goal.
• Sophomore Charlie Banquier blocked a game-high four shots for the Skyhawks.
• Graduate goaltender Connor Androlewicz picked up his eighth win of the season after holding UMass Lowell to two goals on posted 25 shots faced.
• Sophomore Jak Vaarwerk fueled the River Hawks' offensive output, recording a goal and an assist on the night, while senior Owen Cole netted his sixth goal of the season.
• Graduate netminder Henry Welsch posted 27 saves on 30 shots faced between the pipes for UMass Lowell.

How It Happened
Just four seconds into the matchup, Stonehill earned its first penalty, sending the Skyhawks to the power play for the game's opening two minutes. However, the UMass Lowell penalty kill held strong, successfully neutralizing the Skyhawks' power-play opportunity and keeping the score tied early in the first period.
 
Midway through the opening frame, the River Hawks were awarded their first power play of the game. Despite facing six shot attempts during the two-minute advantage, Stonehill's Androlewicz and the defense stood firm, stifling UMass Lowell's offensive push and preserving the scoreless tie.
 
With just minutes remaining in the first period, Stonehill broke the deadlock. A rebound in front of the net found its way to Campione, who capitalized with his second goal of the season, giving the Skyhawks a 1-0 lead heading into the intermission.
 
The second period began with end-to-end action, and at the 5:10 mark, sophomore Hunter Hastings nearly doubled Stonehill's lead with a point-blank shot on goal. However, following Hastings' scoring chance, UMass Lowell responded by leveling the score at 1-1. Vaarwerk sent a wrist shot through traffic and past Androlewicz for his third goal of the season.
 
At 15:40 in the middle frame, the River Hawks seized their first lead of the game during a power play. After an initial save on a shot from Jonnsson, Cole pounced on the loose puck and netted his sixth goal of the season, putting UMass Lowell ahead 2-1 as the teams prepared for the third period.
 
The final frame was a defensive battle, with both teams registering just five shots on goal in the first 10 minutes. However, in the final 35 seconds of regulation, the Skyhawks managed to tie the game. Following a scramble in front of the River Hawks' net, Lagerbäck poked a loose puck through the five-hole, sending the contest into overtime with the score tied at two.
 
Just 31 seconds into the five-minute, three-on-three overtime period, Stonehill's assistant captain trio of Devlin O'Brien, Henri Schreifels, and Orr connected for the game-winning goal. O'Brien maintained possession on the blue line and passed to Schreifels, who crashed the net and found Orr wide open. Orr made no mistake, scoring his sixth goal of the season and second overtime game-winner for Stonehill.
 
Up Next
Stonehill (8-19-0) returns to action on Tuesday for an out-of-division matchup against former Northeast-10 conference foe, Saint Anselm College. Puck drop from inside the Bridgewater Ice Arena between the Skyhawks and Hawks is set for 7 PM
 
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