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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.
“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.
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.”
The River Hawks missed on two more power plays in the third period, unable to break past Hellsten despite holding a shooting advantage.
Crime
A court hearing for Cher’s son Wednesday over allegations he broke into a New Hampshire home this month has been canceled.
Elijah Allman’s arrest on March 1 was his second in New Hampshire in a matter of days. Allman, the 49-year-old son of the iconic singer and actress, was also detained Feb. 27, accused of acting belligerently at a prestigious prep school in Concord.

It is unclear if Allman, of Malibu, California, has any connection to the home in Windham, New Hampshire. He is being held in the Rockingham County Department of Corrections, Superintendent Jonathan Banville said.
The hearing Wednesday was continued until an undetermined date after Allman got an attorney Wednesday morning. The attorney, Sarah Landres, did not respond to a request for comment.
Allman, whose father was the late singer Gregg Allman, is charged with two counts of criminal mischief, one count of burglary and a count of breach of bail for breaking into the home on March 1. Police said in a report that Allman did not have permission to be at the home and forcibly entered it.
Officials at St. Paul’s School said Allman last month identified himself as the parent of a prospective student and slipped into the dining hall as some students were leaving the building. Police responded to reports that he was disturbing people in the building.
He was charged with four misdemeanors in the school incident: two counts of simple assault, criminal trespass and criminal threatening. Allman was also charged with a violation of disorderly conduct, which is illegal in the state but not considered a crime. He was released on bail.
Allman did not respond to an email requesting comment, and a phone number for him was not working.
In December 2023, Cher filed a petition to become a temporary conservator overseeing her son’s money, saying Allman’s struggles with his mental health and addiction have left him unable to manage his assets and potentially put his life in danger.
The petition says the superstar performer’s son is entitled to regular payments from a trust fund. But “given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues,” she is “concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will be immediately spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah’s life at risk,” the petition says.
Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica Uzcategui denied the request, saying she was not convinced that a conservatorship was urgently needed. Allman was in the courtroom with his attorneys, who acknowledged his previous struggles but argued that he was in a good place, was attending meetings, getting treatment and reconciling with his estranged wife.
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
The son of Cher is scheduled to be in court Wednesday for a hearing over allegations he broke into a New Hampshire home earlier this month.
It was the second arrest in a matter of days for Elijah Allman, 49, of Malibu, California, who was detained Feb. 27 after allegedly acting belligerently at a prestigious prep school in New Hampshire. It was unclear if Allman had any connection to either St. Paul’s School or the home in Windham, New Hampshire.
Allman remains in the Rockingham County Department of Corrections in what is called preventive detention, Superintendent Jonathan Banville said.
Allman, whose father was the late singer Gregg Allman, faces two counts of criminal mischief, one count of burglary and a count of breach of bail for breaking into the home on March 1. Police said in a report that Allman did not have permission to be at the home and forcibly entered it .
In the incident at the prep school, Allman was charged with four misdemeanors: two counts of simple assault, criminal trespass and criminal threatening. Allman was also charged with a violation of disorderly conduct, which is illegal in the state but not considered a crime.
At about 7 p.m. that day, Concord police responded to reports that Allman was disturbing people in the dining hall of St. Paul’s School. After charging Allman, police said he was released on bail as his case works through the court system.
Allman did not respond to an email requesting comment, and a phone number for him was not working. It was unclear from the court records if Allman has an attorney.
In December 2023, Cher filed a petition to become a temporary conservator overseeing her son’s money, saying Allman struggles with mental health issues and addiction have left him unable to manage his assets and potentially put his life in danger.
The petition from the singer and actress said Elijah Allman is entitled to regular payments from a trust fund. But “given his ongoing mental health and substance abuse issues,” she is “concerned that any funds distributed to Elijah will be immediately spent on drugs, leaving Elijah with no assets to provide for himself and putting Elijah’s life at risk,” the petition says.
A few weeks later, Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Jessica Uzcategui denied the request, saying she was not convinced that a conservatorship was urgently needed. Allman was in the courtroom with his his attorneys, who acknowledged his previous struggles but argued that he is in a good place now, attending meetings, getting treatment and reconciling with his previously estranged wife.
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