Hockey Opens Season at #6/8 North Dakota on Fox College Sports
MERRIMACK COLLEGE HOCKEY
Game #1: at #6/8 North Dakota, 8:30 p.m. EST / Listen Live / Game
Notes
Game #2: at #6/8 North Dakota, 8 p.m. EST / Listen Live / Game
Notes
Photo
Gallery
TV INFO: The first ever Warrior-Fighting Sioux
match-up will be broadcast on Fox College Sports (FCS) (Comcast
Massachusetts Channel 262 (Atlantic) on Friday/261 (Central) on
Saturday; DirecTV Channel 617; Verizon Fios Channel 300 Friday/301
Saturday).
Tonight's Matchup: Merrimack opens the
2009-10 season at #6/8 North Dakota, the defending WCHA regular
season champions.
Lifetime vs. North Dakota: The Warriors have
never faced North Dakota.
Coach Dennehy vs. the Fighting Sioux: Coach
Dennehy has never faced UND.
For Openers
Merrimack has won its last two openers and is 6-1-1 in its last
eight openers. The Warriors last opened on the road in 2006-07
losing to Alaska Anchorage.
Stollery and Todd Look to Improve off Stellar Freshmen
Campaigns
Karl Stollery and Jesse Todd, who emerged as two of
Merrimack's best players as
freshmen last season, look to continue their success as
sophomores. Stollery, who was first among freshmen defensemen and
ninth among all defensemen in Hockey East games with 15 points, was
the only defenseman named to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team. Todd
was second among freshmen forwards in scoring in Hockey East games
with 21 points and tied for the team lead with 23 points. Both
players played their junior hockey with Camrose in the AJHL.
Braithwaite Named a Lowe's Senior CLASS
Finalist
Andrew Braithwaite is one of 20 hockey student-athletes named a
finalist for the 2009-10 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. To be eligible
for the award, candidates must be classified as an NCAA Division I
senior and have notable accomplishments in four areas of excellence
- classroom, character, community, and competition. Braithwaite,
named the Hockey East Co-Scholar Athlete of the Year in 2008 for
the second time in the three years, is one of four players from
Hockey East listed as a finalist and is the only goaltender. The 20
candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the
regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official
ballot.
Breaking the Goals-Against-Record for Second Straight
Year
In 2007-08, for the second straight year, the Warriors set a
school record for fewest goals allowed in a season with
eighty-nine. Merrimack returns six defensemen, including Stollery,
captain Pat Bowen, and assistant captain Adam Ross from last
year's team.
One-Goal Struggles Set a School Record
Despite finishing with an 9-21-4 record, the Warriors were in
virtually every game last year, as they lost 14 games by one goal,
most in the country and most in school history.
Sophomores (Now Juniors) Led the Scoring Race
Last year's sophomore class, led by Chris Barton and Joe
Cucci, accounted for 39% (76 of 191) of the team's points.
The juniors were next with 29% of the points, followed by the
freshmen with 28% of the scoring. Merrimack's departed senior
class accounted for just 4% of the points. As charted below,
Merrimack's returning players accounted for 81% of last
year's scoring.
Warriors See Two Selected in NHL Entry Draft
For the first time since 2002, Merrimack had two players selected
in the 2009 NHL Entry Draft. Freshman Kyle Bigos was picked in the
fourth round (99th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers, while sophomore
Joe Cannata was picked in the sixth round (173rd overall) by the
Vancouver Canucks.
Perfect Attendance for Barton
Chris Barton is the only upperclassman to have played in every
game since arriving at Merrimack. Barton played in all 68 games in
his first two seasons. Jesse Todd and Karl Stollery played in every
game last year as freshmen.
More Barton
Barton scored five of Merrimack's 22 power play goals last
year. Five of Barton's nine goals last season were on the
power play.
Strong on Saturdays
Merrimack was 5-7-2 on Saturdays last season and just 4-15-2 total
on all other days.
Non-Conference Wrap Up
The Warriors finished last year 4-2-1 against non-conference
teams. Joe Cucci led the team with six points while Francois Ouimet
and Fraser Allan each tallied five in these matchups. Joe Cannata
was 3-0-1 w
ith a 0.74 goals-against and a .973 save percentage. Merrimack is
10-2-2 in its last 14 games against non-conference foes.
Game #500 in the Books
Merrimack's 500th game in Hockey East was a 3-2 loss on
January 24, 2009 against Lowell at Lawler Arena.
Win #25 for Coach Dennehy
The 4-3 win over New Hampshire on November 29, 2008 was the 25th
for Coach Mark Dennehy at Merrimack.
Win #725, Goal #6500
Merrimack's November 29, 2008 win at New Hampshire was the 725th
in school history, and Jesse Todd's game-winner was the 6,500th
goal in school history.
Fast Starts
Merrimack outshot its opponents 306-289 (+17) in the first period
last season.
Cannata's Even Strength Streak Ends
Brock Bradford's overtime goal on October 31, 2008 marked
the first even strength tally Joe Cannata allowed in his collegiate
career, spanning 228 minutes over four games.
Cannata in the Record Books
Joe Cannata saw his shutout streak end at 101:09 to start last
season when he gave up a third-period goal at Canisius on October
26, 2008. 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. His 2.35 goals-against-average as a freshman is the
second-best in school history for a single season.
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 last season with his 44-save
performance at Army. In the 2007-08, Andrew Braithwaite did the
deed three times with Merrimack going 2-0-1 in those games.
Hot in Home Openers
The Warriors are 5-1-2 in their last eight home openers.
Warriors Welcome Six Newcomers
Merrimack welcomes six freshmen to the squad, highlighted by
defenseman Kyle Bigos and forward Stephane Da Costa. Two newcomers,
Brandon Brodhag and Rob Morton hail from New York, while Nick Drew
and John Heffernan are local products.
Captains
Senior defenseman Pat Bowen and junior forward Chris Barton will
serve as captains for the 2009-10 season. Junior defenseman Adam
Ross will be an assistant captain.
Scouting the Schedule
Twenty-seven Hockey East games and first-ever trips to North
Dakota and Wisconsin highlight a challenging 2009-10 schedule. The
Warriors open its season with four-straight non-conference games,
including two straight on the road against #8 North Dakota and home
games against Holy Cross and Army. Merrimack plays a total of seven
non-conference games this year, five of them in the first 16 days
of the season. The Warriors will host 13 conference games while
traveling to fourteen conference road contests, all against tough
Division I competitors. Conference play kicks off at home against
Vermont on October 23. Merrimack's longest road trip is a
seven-game excursion from December 5 - January 22. The Warriors
close out their 2009-10 slate with two home games against Maine and
a home-and-home with Providence.
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
Seven 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,
Brandon Sadlowski, and Adam Ross hail from Alberta.
Lawler Renovations
Over the summer, Merrimack committed 1.2 million to install a new
ice bed and compressor system as part of the Lawler Completion
Project. The press box was also expanded. Future plans call for the
removal of all bleachers in favor of chairback seats as well as the
redesign of the Volpe Complex lobby.
Warriors on TV
Merrimack is scheduled to appear on TV three times, once more than
last season. Both games in North Dakota will air on Fox College
Sports, while the February 20 game at UMass will be carried by
NESN.
Warriors on the Internet
All Merrimack home games will be webcast online at
www.merrimackathletics.com courtesy of B2 Networks (pay-per-view
video and free audio). All road games can be heard live online for
free at www.merrimackathletics.com.
2009-10 Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll
The Warriors were picked to finish tenth in this year's
preseason poll, voted on by the coaches of Hockey East.
Rank Team (1st place votes) Pts.
1. Boston University (6) 84
2. UMass Lowell (2) 79
3. Boston College (2) 76
4. New Hampshire 59
Vermont 59
6. Northeastern 57
7. Massachusetts 47
8. Maine 32
9. Providence 24
10. MERRIMACK 23
