One day removed from giving up a three-goal lead in a loss to Clarkson, the UMass hockey team had no such trouble on Thursday.
The Minutemen scored three goals in the second period and locked down defensively, as goalie Henry Graham made 31 saves in his first start of the season to lift the club to a 4-1 victory over Lake Superior State in the consolation game of the Kwik Trip Face-Off in Milwaukee, Wisc.
UMass improved to 8-7-3 on the season, splitting its two games in Wisconsin after dropping a 6-3 decision to Clarkson on Wednesday in game it led 3-0. The Minutemen also beat Lake State when the teams met in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament back in 2021.
Graham was solid throughout for the Minutemen in a spot where he was desperately needed after Wednesday starter Luke Pavicich allowed six goals on 30 shots.
Michael Cameron staked UMass to a 1-0 lead just 3:01 into the second period with a goal, and Aaron Boehlinger doubled the advantage just 2:12 later with assists from Cameron and Cole O’Hara.
Brandon Puricelli got the Lakers on the board with a goal, pulling his side within 2-1 with 8:02 left in the second period, but Boehlinger answered with his second of the night just 51 seconds later to re-establish the two-goal cushion at 3-1.
Taylor Makar notched the insurance tally with an assist from Lucas Mercuri for UMass with 16:28 remaining in the third period, and the combination of Graham and the defense did the job from there.
The Minutemen held a 38-32 edge in shots on goal.
Next up for UMass is a home game on Tuesday night against ECAC foe Brown at 7 p.m.