Evan Campbell evened the game late in the third period as Quinnipiac (1-1-1, 0-0-0 ECAC) and Massachusetts-Lowell (2-0-1, 1-0-0 HEA) skated to a 3-3 tie at High Point Solutions Arena on Saturday night.
Campbell’s late goal was his second of the game, leading the River Hawks’ offense. Michael Kapla also had a goal and an assist in the game. Goaltender Kevin Boyle made 35 saves including eight in overtime to push his record to 2-0-1 on the year.
“I didn’t think we had the same energy as we did last night,” Lowell coach Norm Bazin said. “But I liked our net front execution and I thought we made the most of our chances and I thought [Boyle] played well.”
Freshman Landon Smith netted the first two goals of his collegiate career for the Bobcats and sophomore Sam Anas added two assists. Freshman Sean Lawrence stopped 19 shots in his first career start for Quinnipiac.
The River Hawks grabbed the lead midway through the first period with Campbell’s first goal of the night. After a defensive zone turnover by Quinnipiac, Campbell gathered the puck in the low slot and beat Lawrence low to the glove side.
Quinnipiac answered on the powerplay less than five minutes later on Smith’s first career goal. Senior Matthew Peca gained the offensive zone and skated down the right wing. Just after passing the goal line, Peca backhanded a pass into the slot that deflected off Anas’ stick and right to Smith who chipped it past Boyle for the goal.
Lowell capitalized on another Quinnipiac turnover a few minutes later to regain the lead.
“All the way through we just haven’t been very good defensively,” Quinnipiac head coach Rand Pecknold said. “We need to make more saves and we’ve turned the puck over so we need to be better.”
Dylan Zink picked up the puck low in the offensive zone following the turnover and found Kapla at the right point. Kapla then wristed a shot to the top left side of the net to put the River Hawks back on top 2-1. Despite being outshot 11-5 in the period, the River Hawks took the lead into the intermission, something that pleased Bazin.
“It was a feeling of uproar,” Bazin said. “A lot of these new guys are just trying to feel their way through their first road game. For our first road game, I was pleased that they got experience and more importantly get a point.”
The score remained that way until grad student Justin Agosta scored his second goal in as many games early in the third on the powerplay. After working the puck around the offensive zone, sophomore Derek Smith found Agosta positioned in the high slot. Agosta’s shot beat Boyle low to the blocker side to even the game.
Quinnipiac grabbed its first lead of the night off Smith’s second of the game just past the midway point of the period. Smith picked up a rebound off a shot by sophomore Devon Toews and backhanded it into a gaping goal to Boyle’s glove side.
“Honestly I can’t take any credit for either one of [the goals],” Smith said. “I was on the ice with some good hockey players and they seem to make good things happen when they’re out there. I was just fortunate enough to be in the right spot at the time.”
Campbell answered with his second of the game with 1:18 to go in regulation to knot the game up a 3-3. After pulling Boyle for the extra attacker, the River Hawks gained offensive zone possession. Campbell took a shot from a low angle that found its way between Lawrence’s left pad and the post.
“Those guys executed and I was proud of them,” Bazin said. “Getting a point that way when you can come back late in a hockey game says something about your character.”
The teams skated to a scoreless overtime with Quinnipiac outshooting Lowell 8-1 in the extra time.
“I think we deserved a better fate than what we had tonight,” Pecknold said. “I think we deserved to win, we played well enough to win. We just didn’t have that little extra to put it away.”
The Bobcats return to action Tuesday night at 7 p.m. when they take on the Connecticut Huskies at the Webster Bank Arena in Bridgeport, Connecticut.
