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BOSTON – The No. 16 Northeastern men's hockey team netted a pair of shorthanded goals and added a power play tally en route to its first-ever outdoor win Saturday afternoon at Fenway Park, battling through sloppy conditions to top No. 9/8 UMass Lowell 4-1 at Citi Frozen Fenway 2014.

Clay Witt turned away 47 shots, Braden Pimm scored a pair of goals and Mike Szmatula added two assists as the Huskies improved to 13-6-3 and 6-4-1 in Hockey East. Matt Benning and Josh Manson also scored for the Huskies, who swept their season series with the River Hawks (14-6-1, 4-3-0 Hockey East) for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign.

Lowell outshot NU 48-31 in the game and dominated the face-off dot, winning 49-of-74 draws. The Huskies were 1-of-4 on the power play while holding the River Hawks to an 0-of-3 showing on the man advantage.

Each team had to adjust to the outdoor conditions in the first period, with UML holding a 20-13 edge in shots on goal. The Huskies created the game's first scoring chance less than three minutes in when Adam Reid centered the puck from behind the net to Dalen Hedges, who tried to sneak a low shot past Carr, but the UML netminder was up to the task. Two minutes later, the River Hawks nearly went up 1-0 when Christian Folin's shot from the point caught the right post.

Coming out of a media timeout, Witt was tested again as Josh Holmstrom received a cross-ice pass for a one-timer in the slot that Witt kicked aside.

Near the midway mark of the period, Tanner Pond battled below the goal line to feed Ryan Belonger in the slot for a high shot that Carr handled, but not before Ryan McGrath was whistled for a hook to setup a Husky power play.

The Huskies' best chance of the opening period came with less than four minutes remaining before the first intermission. Hedges took a feed below the goal line and stuffed a wraparound on Carr, who made the save but was forced to sprawl out across the crease to prevent Reid from banging home the rebound from the low slot.

The River Hawks nearly earned the game's first goal in the final minute of the period. A.J. White sent a cross-ice pass to Joseph Pendenza at the left post, but Pendenza was unable to tap the puck into the open net.

Five minutes into the second period, Pimm navigated his way into the offensive zone before firing a wrister on goal that rang off the left post and into the corner.

Pimm would get redemption two minutes later as the Huskies struck first off a turnover in the neutral zone. The play began when Szmatula stole the puck from a UMass Lowell defenseman near center ice before dishing to Pimm and going in two-on-one. Pimm looked to dish the puck across the Szmatula as they entered the attacking zone, but instead to elected to snap a shot on goal that beat Carr shortside.

With Northeastern on the power play less than a minute after the Pimm tally, the Huskies took a two-goal lead as Benning potted his second of the season. As Kevin Roy entered the offensive zone, he dropped the puck to Szmatula near the blue line. Szmatula then cut towards the left side before tossing a shot on net, and Benning was there to tap home the loose puck. The goal was reviewed and stood as called.

Manson made it a 3-0 lead at 15:49 with his first career shorthanded goal. After Torin Snydeman broke up a Lowell play inside the blue line, Manson carried the puck untouched into the offensive zone and snapped a shot from the left dot under the glove of Carr.

Lowell responded with a late score to make it 3-1 with just 4.8 seconds remaining. After Pendenza's shot was blocked in the corner, he fed a pass to Zack Kamrass in the slot where Kamrass one-timed it over Witt's shoulder.

Coming out of the second intermission, the River Hawks pounded the cage with chance after chance following a hitting from behind minor on Dax Lauwers. UML nearly made it a one-goal game when the Huskies failed the clear the puck after it got caught in a puddle, resulting in a shot from Holmstrom on the doorstep that Witt steered aside.

Pond continued his hard work in the offensive zone midway through the third when he slung a puck across to Dalen Hedges from his stomach, and Hedges toe-dragged around a defender before firing a shot off the shoulder of Carr.

With Roy in the penalty box late in the third period and Carr pulled for the extra attacker, Pimm broke up a pass at the defensive blue line, skated the puck the length of the ice and scored into the empty net to extend Northeastern's lead to 4-1 with 2:16 remaining.

The Huskies will be back in action next weekend when Northeastern hosts Vermont for a pair of games at Matthews Arena, beginning on Friday night at 7 p.m.

Game Notes:
• Northeastern is now 42-57-8 all-time against UMass Lowell, and picks up its second straight victory against a top-ten opponent.

• Due to ice conditions, the teams switched ends every 10 minutes during the game.

• The Huskies scored the first goal of the game for the 13th time this season. They are 9-2-2 this year when scoring first.

• Pimm was named an assistant captain prior to the game. He extended his point streak to five games (six goals, three assists), and he has four goals in his last two games.

• Szmatula's two assists upped his team-leading total to 16. He has three goals and four assists in his last four games.

• Roy extended his point streak to four games (four goals, four assists) with his second period assist.

• Benning scored his first goal since the season-opener against Alabama-Huntsville on Oct. 11, 2013, a span of 20 games.

• Manson's shorthanded tally extended his point streak to a career-long four games (two goals, two assists).

• UMass Lowell's 20 first period shots marked the first time that NU has allowed 20 shots on goal in a period (Dec. 6, 2013 vs. Providence; 25 shots in third period and Dec. 17, 2013 at Vermont; 22 shots in the third period).