Brett Hemingway and Daniel Winnik both recorded a goal and an assist to lead New Hampshire to Saturday night’s 4-1 Hockey East victory against Mass.-Lowell at the Whittemore Center.
UNH improved to 9-6-3 overall and 7-3-2 by capturing the season series from the River Hawks, 2-1. UML is now 4-10-0, 3-7-0.
With the score tied 1-1 through two periods, the duo of Hemingway and Winnik combined to produce a pair of goals 3:32 apart to give the Wildcats a 3-1 lead. Hemingway struck first, at 4:08, when Winnik won the puck in the left corner and skated to the front of the net, where Hemingway picked up the loose puck and scored. Hemingway set up the next tally by blocking the puck at the left point, skating through the neutral zone and firing a cross-ice pass that Winnik converted into a shorthanded goal with a wrist shot at 7:40.
Matt Fornataro scored on a low shot from the left circle to increase the lead to 4-1 at 14:57. Josh Ciocco, with a pass through the neutral zone to Fornataro, and Joe Charlebois were credited with assists.
UML goaltender Peter Vetri recorded a career-high 53 saves, including 24 in the second period. UNH counterpart Jeff Pietrasiak stopped 20 shots.
The River Hawks began the second period with 43 seconds remaining on a power play and took advantage of that opportunity with an Andrew Martin goal 19 seconds into the stanza to take a 1-0 lead. Jason Tejchma and Cleve Kinley were credited with assists.
UNH tied the score, 1-1, at 7:43 of the second period when Thomas Fortney netted a goal on a low shot from the left circle. Trevor Smith set up the tally with a pass from the left point.
In a scoreless first period, UNH recorded a 19-8 shot advantage and was 0-for-2 on the power play.
