LOWELL — The River Hawks are skidding into the Hockey East Tournament.
In a potential first-round preview, UMass Lowell welcomed New Hampshire to the Tsongas Center on Friday night to iron out the wrinkles in their penultimate contest of the regular season. After receiving a 4-0 blanking, the hardships that have plagued the River Hawks all season remain more prevalent than ever.
The Wildcats (18-14-1, 11-11-1 HE) scored two goals in the first 2:41 of the second period, sucking the life out of the Tsongas Center and the 4,986 fans in attendance and putting a damper on Senior Night en route to a 4-0 win in the first leg of the home-and-home series.
Jakob Hellsten was perfect in goal for the Wildcats, posting a 21-save shutout to blank the River Hawks (4-16-3 HE), who were playing on home ice for the final time in 2023-24. UML went just 2-11-3 at the Tsongas this season.
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“Not the game we’re looking for, it’s this season of firsts,” said UML head coach Norm Bazin. “And that’s not the start we’re looking for. Not the type of game that we’re accustomed to playing in our D-zone.”
UML was blanked for the second time in five games. During their five-game losing skid, the River Hawks have netted just five goals.
The only team in the conference to appear in the semifinals in each of the last three seasons, UMass Lowell has a lot of work to do to extend its streak this March. They enter Saturday night’s rematch with the Wildcats in the basement of the Hockey East with 18 points.
“I think we’ll have lots of energy for tomorrow, as will they,” said Bazin. “We’ll look at the film and try to make a few adjustments and start playing because that wasn’t what I expected.”
It wasn’t the start the River Hawks hoped for. After a Scout Truman turnover wound up on the stick of Nick Ring, he didn’t waste the opportunity, finding Nick Cafarelli on the back door for an easy tap-in and a 1-0 lead just 3:10 into the first period.
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After applying some pressure the rest of the frame, UNH capitalized on yet another blunder, this time lighting the lamp at the hands of a Mitchell Becker giveaway in the defensive zone. Robert Cronin picked his pocket, wheeling the puck to the cage and finding an uncovered Harrison Blaisdell in the slot.
That’s when the Wildcats pounced. Potting two tallies in the first 2:41 of the second frame, UNH put the finishing touches on their 2-0 lead to put the River Hawks in a hole. Ryan Conmy went top shelf 1:47 into the period before Blaisdell notched his second of the game on a feed from J.P. Turner. The two-goal flurry marked the end of senior Henry Welsch’s night between the pipes.
Luke Pavicich was perfect in relief, making nine saves the rest of the way.
UMass Lowell wasn’t without its chances. Receiving a pair of power plays in the second period, the 59th-ranked special teams unit in the nation failed to convert on a combined three shot attempts.
“The goaltender change always draws up a little bit of emotion,” said Bazin. “And we played fine after that. But fine doesn’t get it done in Hockey East.”
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The River Hawks missed on two more power plays in the third period, unable to break past Hellsten despite holding a shooting advantage.
UMass Lowell freshman Jak Vaarwerk prepares to take a faceoff Friday night during a Hockey East clash against New Hampshire. (Photo by Rich Gagnon/UML Athletics)
Uncertainty surrounds federal child care subsidies for New Hampshire following a Trump administration announcement that has frozen funding nationwide. On Dec. 30, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Health and Human Services Jim O’Neill announced on X that the Administration of Children and Families will now “require a justification and a receipt or photo evidence” before it […]
A prelicensed therapist who had been practicing in Bow, N.H., was arrested Monday based on an allegation that he sexually assaulted a patient during an in-office visit, police said.
Daniel Thibeault, who faces two counts of felonious sexual assault and one count of aggravated felonious sexual assault, is being held at the Merrimack County jail pending his arraignment, according to a statement from the Bow Police Department.
Daniel Thibeault, a New Hampshire therapist arrested for alleged sexual assault of a patient.Courtesy of Bow Police Department
Thibeault had been a candidate for licensure who was subject to a supervisory agreement since May 2024, according to state records. His arrest comes after the presiding officer of the New Hampshire Board of Mental Health Practice suspended his privileges to practice in the state in late December, citing the alleged assault.
Bow police had notified the state’s Office of Professional Licensure and Certification in early December that Thibeault was accused of sexually assaulting the patient despite her “audible demands to stop,” according to an order signed by an administrative law judge.
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The incident was reported to Bow police in August, prompting an investigation by Detective Sergeant Tyler Coady that led to a warrant being issued for Thibeault‘s arrest, police said.
Efforts to reach Thibeault for comment were unsuccessful Monday. It was not immediately clear whether he has an attorney.
Police said the investigation is considered active and ongoing. Anyone with additional information is encouraged to contact Coady at 603-223-3956 or tcoady@bownhpd.gov.
Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.
The GameStop store at Fort Eddy Plaza will close this week as the struggling chain closes at least 80 of its stores across the country, including those in Claremont and West Lebanon.
The Concord store will be open Tuesday and Wednesday but will shut after that, the company said in an announcement.
Once the world’s largest retailer of video games with more than 3,200 stores around the world, including more than 2,000 in the United States, GameStop has seen sales fall for years as online gaming has grown. The chain closed some 400 stores last year.
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GameStop gained attention in 2021 for reasons not associated with its core business: It was targeted by short sellers and become one of several high-profile “meme stocks” whose price skyrocketed due to attention from a small number of social media influencers, sometimes through pictorial memes pushing for a “short squeeze” to generate large profits at the expense of short sellers and hedge funds.
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David Brooks can be reached at dbrooks@cmonitor.com. Sign up for his Granite Geek weekly email newsletter at granitegeek.org.
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