Sophomore Mark Pandolfo picked up two goals, including the game-winner, bringing his weekend total to three as Mass.-Lowell came back to beat Clarkson 4-2 at Cheel Arena in non-conference action in front of 2,125.
“I had a lot of good chances during the game, and they finally started going in for me,” said Pandolfo on the two-goal evening. “Playing with Elias Godoy and Brad King has really helped me as of late, they’re both great guys to play with, and they have been getting me the puck.”
The two-goal outing is the first of his career for Pandolfo, and his second career game-winner. After losing last night to New Hampshire 4-3, Clarkson dropped a pair of games for the first time this season.
The River Hawks paid for their early penalty trouble, as Clarkson notched the game’s first goal on its second power-play of the game. Mike Nagai took a feed at the right side face off dot and wristed a shot past junior netminder Chris Davidson that beat him high, Nagai’s first goal of the season. The Golden Knights took the 1-0 lead into the locker room, outshooting UML 11-7.
UMass Lowell tied the game at one midway through the second. Freshman Jason Tejchma tapped a shot along the ice from the right-side faceoff circle that nicked the far post and crossed the goal line at 7:59.
The Golden Knights regained the lead at 14:39. Mac Faulkner drove into the River Hawk zone from the right, making Davidson commit low as Faulkner headed towards to the net. With Davidson down, Faulkner fed the puck back to Mike Sullivan, who was steaming toward the goal. The puck on his stick and an empty net in front of him, Sullivan made good on his opportunity, roofing the puck before Davidson could react for a 2-1 Clarkson lead.
Pandolfo picked up the next two goals of the game, both coming in the third period and both on the power play. Pandolfo tied the game at two at 6:09 off a blast from the left side, and added an unassisted marker at 15:49 from the right side, the eventual game-winner.
“Any time you get a power play that late in the game, you want to capitalize,” said Pandolfo on the opportunity. “I really wanted to get out on the ice and get as many shots on net as I can, and it worked out for us.” Pandolfo finished the night with a total of nine shots on goal.
Junior Peter Tormey added an empty-netter at 19:58 when he floated a shot at net from his own zone, his second goal of the season. The River Hawks outshot Clarkson 16-5 in the third, accumulating a 28-10 advantage over the last two frames.
Davidson made 19 saves in the win for the River Hawks, while Kyle McNulty made his first career appearance in net for the Golden Knights, stopping 31 shots. Both teams saw production on the power-play, as UML was 2-for-8 with the extra man, while Clarkson was 1-for-4.
“Coming up here, it was a great weekend for us,” commented UML head coach Blaise MacDonald on the win. “We played well enough to win two games, but a split is a great accomplishment for such a young team. I give the players all the credit in the world for the attitude they had throughout this game, getting it done tonight on the ice.”
Next Sunday UMass Lowell (7-6-3, 4-3-1 HE) plays its last game at Tsongas Arena when they host Niagara, while Clarkson (6-6-3, 3-3-1 ECAC) competes in the Dunkin’ Donuts Coffee Pot against host Providence on December 27.
