Hockey Looks for Revenge Saturday Against the River Hawks

1/24/2009 12:00:00 AM

MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY

Game 22 vs. UMass Lowell

Saturday January 24, 2009 vs. UMass Lowell, 7 p.m. / Game Notes (.pdf) / Watch Live / Live Stats

Tonight's Matchup: Merrimack looks to snap a three-game losing streak with a pair of games against UMass Lowell beginning Thursday night at Tsongas Arena.

Lifetime vs. UMass Lowell: The Warriors are 33-61-8 lifetime against the River Hawks. They snapped a 10-game winless streak (0-8-2) against Lowell last season with a 3-1 win at Lowell on November 1.

Coach Dennehy vs. the River Hawks: Coach Dennehy is 1-8-1 lifetime against UML and 0-4-1 at Lawler Arena.

Earlier This Season vs. UML (11/25/08; 3-1 UML:): Rob Ricci tied the game at 1 on the power play in the third period, but Lowell got goals from Paul Worthington and Kory Falite to upend Merrimack 3-1 at Lawler Arena. Andrew Braithwaite stopped 27 shots in net for Merrimack.

Game #500 Set for Saturday
Merrimack's 500th game in Hockey East is slated for Saturday night, January 24 against Lowell at Lawler Arena.

Penalty Filled Game vs. BU
There were 97 penalty minutes handed out in total in the game against BU on January 16. The 16 penalties taken by Merrimack were the most taken by them in a game since they took 16 against Maine on November 3, 2006. The 51 penalty minutes were the most taken by Merrimack in a game since they took 53 against UNH on February 10, 2007.

Ricci Nominated for Hobey
Captain Rob Ricci was one of 19 Hockey East players nominated for the Hobey Baker Award. Ricci leads the Warriors with six goals and has nine points (four goals, five assists) in his last eight games.

Solid Third Period Play
Merrimack is outscoring its opponents 16-14 in the third period this season, including a 5-2 margin in the last four games.

Robitaille Back in the Scoring Column
J.C. Robitaille scored his first goal since November 21 on January 16 vs. Boston University. Robitaille notched a power play goal late in the third period.

Todd Tallied Three-Game Point Streak
Freshman Jesse Todd had a three-game point streak in which he tallied a goal and two assists snapped against BU. Todd technically had a four-game point streak as he scored two goals in an exhibition game against the U.S. Under-18 National Team.

Oh So Close
After losing twice to #4 Northeastern 2-1 earlier this month, the Warriors are 2-8 in one-goal games this season. Six of Merrimack's last eight losses have been by one goal.

Allan Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Sophomore Fraser Allan's four-point output at the UConn Holiday Classic earned him Hockey East Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week honors on Dec. 30. The runner-up for Hockey East Player of the Month for December, Allan tallied a goal and an assist in each game at UConn and is tied for first among all Merrimack defensemen with eight points.

Allan and Barton 50-for-50
Against Quinnipiac on December 29, Fraser Allan and Chris Barton each played in their 50th straight game since coming to Merrimack. Allan posted two points in the game, while Barton earned an assist.

Cannata Faces First Collegiate Penalty Shot
Joe Cannata faced his first collegiate penalty shot at Northeastern when Steve Quailer scored on him in the second period. It was the first penalty shot against Merrimack since Jim Healey stopped one in the 2005-06 season against Maine.

Barton and BU
Sophomore Chris Barton scored both goals in the October 17 5-2 loss at BU. It was the second time in Barton's career that he notched two goals in a game. The first time also came in a game against the Terriers played on January 18, 2008.

Todd Leads Warriors to 4-2 Win over U.S. National Under-18 Team
Jesse Todd scored twice leading Merrimack to a 4-2 win over the U.S. National Under-18 Team in the first meeting between the two teams. The Warriors struck for three first-period goals by Todd, Francois Ouimet, and Carter Madsen while outshooting the U.S. team 40-21 overall. Joe Cannata, facing his former team, stopped 19 shots in net.

Home Sweet Home
The Warriors will play at least one home game every weekend in the remaining seven weeks of the season. They have eight home games left compared to six on the road.

On Pace to Break the Goals-Against Record Again
Merrimack surrendered just 93 goals last season, 82 in Hockey East, which was the fewest they gave up in a season since joining Hockey East in 1988. This season, they have given up 41 goals in HEA (50 overall) and are on pace to break the record for the second straight year.

Velleca Gets Going
Freshman Jeff Velleca ended his eight-game scoreless streak as he tallied his first collegiate points getting a goal and an assist against Qunnipiac on December 29.

Recapping UConn Holiday Classic
Merrimack placed third at the 2008 UConn Holiday Classic. They lost to Qunnipiac 4-3 in overtime in the first round and defeated UConn 5-2 in the consolation game. Fraser Allan tallied four points while Rob Ricci added three points in the tournament, as ten different Warriors earned points in the 5-2 win against the Huskies. Allan was named to the All-Tournament Team for his efforts.

First Short-Handed Goal
Joe Loprieno's short-handed tally at UConn was Merrimack's first of the season.

Kramer Picking It Up
After scoring his first career goal in his 29th career game at UNH on November 29, Bobby Kramer has continued his offensive success as he registered his first multi-point game, getting two assists against UConn. Kramer was a +3 at the UConn Classic.

Back to Hockey East Play
Seventeen of Merrimack's final 18 games are against Hockey East teams. Merrimack is 3-2-1 this season in non-conference games.

Madsen Nets First Collegiate Goal
Carter Madsen became the eighth Warrior to score his first collegiate goal this season when the center scored at 19:56 of the third period against UConn on December 30.

December Struggles Come to an End
Merrimack snapped a six-game winless streak in December with a 5-2 win over Connecticut. They had not won in December since defeating UMass 3-0 on December 5, 2006.

Ross and Sheen Get First Career Goal
Adam Ross, in his 47th career game, tallied a game-high five shots and his first collegiate goal in a 3-2 loss to Maine on December 7. Against UNH on November 29, Elliott Sheen tallied his first career goal in the win.

Warriors Earn Rare Win at New Hampshire
Behind third-period goals from Rob Ricci and Jesse Todd, Merrimack rallied for a 4-3 victory at UNH. The Warriors are now 3-35-5 against the Wildcats since 1995 and are 3-22-2 at the Whittemore Center in Durham.

Cannata Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Joe Cannata earned the Hockey East Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week on December 1 after stopping 33 shots in the win at UNH. It is the second time Cannata has earned a weekly honor from Hockey East this season.

Win #25 for Coach Dennehy
The 4-3 win over New Hampshire was the 25th for Coach Mark Dennehy at Merrimack.

Stollery 2nd Among HEA Newcomers on the Blue Line
Freshman Karl Stollery is tied for second among all Hockey East freshmen defensemen with nine points and first among Warrior defensemen.

Win #725, Goal #6500
Merrimack's win at  New Hampshire was the 725th in school history, and Jesse Todd's game-winner was the 6,500th goal in school history.

Strong on Saturdays
Merrimack is 4-2-1 on Saturdays this season and 1-10-2 total on all other days.

Points in Maine
The Warriors snapped a six-game losing streak in Maine dating back to a 2-2 tie on December 3, 2004 with a 1-1 tie on November 22. Merrimack snapped Maine's six-game winning streak as well.

Solid at Even Strength
Almost half of the Warriors' goals allowed (22 of 50) have been power-play tallies.

Scoring Early
J.C. Robitaille's goal 46-seconds into the first at Maine on Nov. 21 was the Warriors' quickest goal in a HEA game since Mickey Rego scored 44 seconds in against PC on March 4, 2006. Jesse Todd scored 1:40 into the first against UMass on November 8.

Cannata Listed Among Central Scouting Rankings
Freshman netminder Joe Cannata was listed as a “B level” goaltender in the Central Scouting Rankings released on November 18. Cannata is ranked the highest among all NCAA goaltenders and is just one of two “B level” players listed from Hockey East.

Jamieson in the Scoring Column
Sophomore walk-on John Jamieson tallied his first two collegiate goals in a 5-5 tie with Boston College, snapping a 28-game goalless streak to begin his career. Jamieson earned his first assist of the season on Jesse Todd's game-winner at UNH on Nov. 29.

Warriors Earn Tie with Eagles
Merrimack tallied two third-period goals to salvage a 5-5 tie with #5 BC on November 14. It marked the first point the Warriors earned against BC at Lawler Arena since February 5, 2004, seven games ago, when they tied 4-4. Merrimack scored five goals against the Eagles for the first time since Feb. 15, 2003.

Fast Starts
Merrimack is outshooting its opponents 192-171 (+21) in the first period.

Scoring First
The Warriors have scored first in 10 of their 20 games this season and are 5-3-2 when they take the 1-0 lead. Last season, Merrimack was 9-3-3 when they scored first and 5-1-3 when they led after the first.

Braithwaite Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week
Junior Andrew Braithwaite was named the Pure Hockey Defensive Player of the Week by Hockey East after leading the Warriors to the 3-1 win over #19 UMass by making 34 saves. Braithwaite was a three-time honoree last season.

OT Loss
Merrimack's 4-3 OT loss to #2 Boston College was its first overtime defeat at home since losing to Lowell on January 16, 2004.

Freshmen Todd and Stollery Notch First Goals
Jesse Todd and Karl Stollery, both of whom played in Camrose (AJHL) last season, notched their first collegiate goals in the November 8 win over #19 UMass. Todd scored just 1:40 into the game while Stollery added an empty-netter at 19:18 of the third period. Todd led the Warriors in draws, winning 13 of 21 against the Minutemen.

Oh Canada
All three goals against #19 UMass were scored by Canadian-born players. Merrimack has 15 players and two coaches from Canada, more than any other Hockey East school.

First Hockey East Win
The Warriors earned their first Hockey East win of the season, defeating #19 UMass 3-1 on Nov. 8 at Lawler Arena. Andrew Braithwaite stopped 34 shots for the win, including 14 in the third period. The Warriors killed off a two-man advantage for the full two minutes with 2:50 remaining to preserve the victory.

Cannata's Even Strength Streak Ends
Brock Bradford's overtime goal marked the first even strength tally Joe Cannata allowed this season, spanning 228 minutes over four games. The Wakefield, MA native was the runner-up for Hockey East Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Month for October.

1-0 Games
The Warriors played two 1-0 games against Army and Niagara, marking the first time they have played back-to-back 1-0 games in school history.

Travelling Early and Often
Merrimack has completed one of its longer Hockey East road trips, travelling to Vermont and Maine in back-to-back weekends. The Warriors also travelled to Army and to Buffalo to play Canisius and Niagara back in October, marking one of their more hectic travel schedules in a Merrimack season in recent history.

Cannata in the Record Books
Joe Cannata saw his shutout streak end at 101:09 to start the season when he gave up a third-period goal at Canisius. Cannata stopped the first 55 shots he faced, setting a Merrimack record, and turned aside 66 of his first 67 shots. He was named the Pro Ambitions Rookie of the Week after becoming the first goaltender in school history to register a shutout in his first start.

Rego Chips in
Mickey Rego notched an assist on Kimball's goal against Army. It was Rego's first point since January 20, 2007.

Excellent Penalty Kill
In its first five games, Merrimack killed off 33 of 37 short-handed situations. Against Robert Morris, the Warriors killed off all nine man-down situations, including two two-man advantages of over 1:40. Merrimack's penalty kill is 32-for-36 against non-conference teams.

Non-Conference Update
Merrimack's nine-game unbeaten streak against non-conference opponents came to an end with a 1-0 loss at Niagara. The Warriors are 9-2-2 in their last 13 games against non-Hockey East teams.

Merrimack in 40+ Save Performances
Incredibly, over the last two seasons, Merrimack is 3-0-2 when its goaltender stops 40 or more shots. Joe Cannata became the first goaltender to stop 40+ shots this season with his 44-save performance at Army. Last season, Andrew Braithwaite did the deed three times with Merrimack going 2-0-1 in those games. Pat Watson stopped 41 shots in a 3-3 tie at BC last season.

Ouimet Leads Merrimack to Opening Night Win
Sophomore Francois Ouimet tallied two goals in Merrimack's 3-1 win over Robert Morris on opening night. It was the first career two-goal game for Ouimet, who posted four shots in the victory.

Braithwaite Named to Preseason All-CHN Team
Junior goaltender Andrew Braithwaite was named to the Preseason All College Hockey News Team as a Player to Watch.

Hot in Home Openers
The Warriors are now 5-1-2 in their last eight home openers.

Captains
Juniors Joe Loprieno and Rob Ricci will serve as co-captains for the 2008-09 season.

Cannata, Stollery Among Top Prospects in INCH's Recruiting Rankings
Freshmen Karl Stollery and Joe Cannata have been included among the top incoming recruits according to Inside College Hockey. Cannata, who spent last season with the U.S.A. Under-18 Development Team, is ranked seventh among incoming goaltenders and second among incoming Hockey East goaltenders. Stollery, who led the Camrose Kodiaks to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships, is slated 19th among incoming defensemen and fifth among Hockey East blue liners.

20 Deep in Hockey East
Merrimack enters its 20th season in Hockey East. After having its most successful season since 2002-03, the Warriors will look to build on that momentum this season, having lost just two key contributors from last season's team.

McGill Recap
Merrimack dropped a 2-1 preseason game to McGill at Lawler Arena. Chris Barton scored the Warriors' lone goal on the power play in the second. Merrimack outshot the Redmen 33-17, including 24-10 in the final two periods.

Camrose Connection
Chris Barton, Karl Stollery, and Jesse Todd all played junior hockey with the Camrose Kodiaks of the AJHL. Barton, who was a sophomore while Stollery and Todd were freshmen, helped Camrose to two straight AJHL and Doyle Cup Championships in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

The Alberta Pipeline
Eight players are from Alberta on this year's Merrimack squad, tied with Massachusetts for the most from one province or state. Besides the Camrose trio, Carter Madsen, Elliott Sheen, Grant Farrell, Brandon Sadlowski, and Adam Ross hail from Alberta.