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Brown University
2-4-3, 2-3-2
UMass Lowell
10-1-4, 6-0-3
Men's Hockey Ties No. 4 UMass Lowell, 5-5, in Friendship Four Championship; UML Wins in Shootout
11/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
BELFAST, Northern Ireland – Junior Zack Pryzbek (Niagara on the Lake, Ontario) gave the Brown men's hockey team a one-goal lead, but No. 4 UMass Lowell scored with 39 seconds remaining to secure the 5-5 overtime tie, and then won the shootout to claim the Belpot Trophy in Saturday's Friendship Four championship game at SSE Arena.
Facing a two-goal deficit, seniors Nick Lappin (Geneva, Ill.) and Mark Naclerio (Milford, Conn.) scored back-to-back goals late in the second period to even the score at the second intermission. Pryzbeck scored at 4:05 in the third, but C.J. Smith notched an extra attacker goal to force the overtime, which officially ended in a tie. Dylan Zink made the only goal of the shootout to give UML the Belpot Trophy in the inaugural Friendship Four.
Brown (2-4-3, 2-3-2) advanced to the championship game after a 5-0 shutout win over Colgate in Friday's ECAC semifinal. UML moved to 10-1-4 overall. Rookie Tommy Marchin (Algonac, Mich.) was named the Player of the Tournament after posting six points (4g, 2a) in the two-day event.
Marchin had one goal and two assists against UML, while Nick Lappin also recorded one goal and two assists for "Man of the Match" honors. Naclerio had one goal and one assist to round out the top line, which combined for 15 points during the tournament. Senior Joe Prescott (Norwell, Mass.) scored the other goal for the Bears.
Junior Tim Ernst (Pickering, Ontario) had 35 saves for the Bears, while Kevin Boyle had 19 stops on the other side.
UMass Lowell went right to work to open the contest as Ryan McGrath scored just 1:45 into the game for the early lead. Chris Forney added another goal at 17:09, scoring at the end of a power play to make it a two-goal advantage.
Brown was able to get one back late in the period, however, when Marchin notched his fourth goal of the tournament at 18:40. Nick Lappin was denied on a wraparound attempt, but Naclerio was able to get to the puck before Boyle and tapped it left to Marchin, who fired a shot into the back of the net to trim the deficit to 2-1.
Prescott tied the game at 8:09 in the second period, taking a pass from Max Willman (Barnstable, Mass.) before sending a blast over the shoulder of Boyle to make it 2-2.
Brown's lead did not last long as C.J. Smith scored 24 seconds later with a wraparound to beat Ernst and make it 3-2. UMass Lowell tacked on another goal at 13:25 for the two-goal lead.
The Bears fought back with a pair of goals in the final five minutes of the period, starting with Lappin's sixth goal of the season at 15:17, before Naclerio tied the game at 16:48.
Brown took its first lead of the game at 4:05 in the third, when Pryzbek jammed the puck past the pad of Boyle, which was initially ruled a goal and then confirmed after video review.
UML held a 15-3 edge in shots during the third period and finally broke through Brown's stingy defense at 19:21. C.J. Smith found the back of the net after Boyle was pulled to send the game to overtime, which favored Brown in shots, 4-1.
The River Hawks outshot the Bears, 40-24.
Brown heads back to Rhode Island for a pair of home games next weekend against Princeton (12/4) and Quinnipiac (12/5). Tickets for all Brown men's hockey games can be purchased online, calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or walking up to the Box Office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
