Now that the River Hawks’ 2 1/2-month road trip is just about over, we hope they took pictures. Their journey was really that good.
On December 6 the UMass Lowell hockey team began an odyssey that would see them play 14 of 17 games on the road, more than half of them (8) against nationally-ranked teams. The River Hawks were 8-6-0 at the time and stumbled out of the gate, losing their first five games, all by one goal.
But they went 6-1-1 in their next eight road games, in addition to a 1-1-1 record in their three odd games at the Tsongas Arena during that arduous stretch.
The River Hawks were in seventh place in Hockey East after the first game of their journey. Now they’re solidly in fifth and only two points out of third. They are 12-9-2 in Hockey East and 15-13-2 overall.
They have one road game left, at nationally-ranked Northeastern this Friday, before playing their final three games of the regular season at home.
The River Hawks have killed off 27 consecutive enemy power plays over the last five games while tallying three shorthanded goals themselves. Their penalty-killers have also had streaks of 19, 15, and 12 consecutive kills this season.
With his fifth career shutout Saturday night at sixth-ranked Vermont, Carter Hutton has tied teammate Nevin Hamilton for third on the school’s all-time shutout list. Cam McCormick holds the record with eight, and Division II goalie Brian Doyle is second with six. Hutton and Hamilton are both juniors.
The 1-0 victory was the sixth in UML history and first since Hamilton blanked Northeastern 1-0 on Feb. 8, 2007.
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