Merrimack Improves to 6-0 at Home after 6-3 Win over #17 Boston University
NORTH ANDOVER, MA. - The Merrimack hockey team rattled off
five unanswered goals, improving to 6-0 at home with a 6-3 victory
over the defending National Champion Boston University in front of
a sellout crowd of 2,990 at Lawler Arena Friday night.
With the win, Merrimack improves to 6-3 overall, 3-1 in Hockey
East, while the Terriers fall to 2-6 overall, 1-5 in the
conference. The teams will rematch Saturday night at Agganis Arena
with a 7 p.m. faceoff.
The Warriors' win is their first over Boston University since
February 12, 2004, snapping a 15-game losing streak. Merrimack
snapped a 22-game skid against Boston College on November 1.
After Wade Megan netted his first collegiate tally 12:30 into
the first, the Warriors responded as freshman Brandon
Brodhag (Brooklyn Park, MN) tallied his third goal in as
many games as he put home a rebound off a Chris Barton
(Calgary, AB) shot at 17:10 of the first.
The hosts took the lead for good 54 seconds into the second as
freshman Stephane Da Costa (Paris, France) found a
loose puck in front of Kieran Millan and fired it home for his
seventh of the season, assisted by Simon Demers (St.
Etienne de Lauzon, QC) and Jeff Velleca
(Waterbury, CT).
Matt Moulakelis (Barrington, IL) netted his
first since February of 2007 as he took a pretty feed from
Elliott Sheen (Lethbridge, AB) and redirected it
into the net just 4:15 later to give Merrimack the two-goal lead.
Merrimack's top-ranked penalty kill then went to work, killing
off four minor penalties over a 1:57 span and killed them all as
Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) made 17 saves on BU's
12 power plays tonight. In all, the Warriors killed 6:24 of a
two-man down situation, 4:24 in the second period.
"We did a great job killing," said head coach Mark Dennehy. "We
used the kills to open up the ice a little afterwards with some
momentum.
Kyle Bigos (Upland, CA) picked up the eventual
game-winner at 2:34 of the third on the power-play as he wristed a
shot through traffic from the point, getting his second of the
year, with Fraser Allan (North Battleford, SK)
earning the primary assist, his third of the night. Sheen ended
Millan's night 22 seconds later taking feeds from John
Jamieson (Billerica, MA) and Brandon Sadlowski
(Red Deer, AB) and burying it for his third of the season.
The Terriers added two late power-play goals, with Brodhag
adding his second of the game in between, assisted by Joe
Cucci (Melrose Park, IL) and Francois Ouimet
(Lorraine, QC).
Merrimack finished 2-for-7 on the man advantage, with the
Terriers converting on three of 12 chances.
Cannata stopped 31 shots in the victory, earning the second star
of the night, as both teams registered 34 shots while combining for
70 penalty minutes.
Allan (three assists), Brodhag (two goals), Cucci (two assists),
and Sheen (goal, assist) all tallied multiple-point performances in
the victory, as the hosts have scored at least four goals in each
of their last five home games.
A sellout crowd of 2,990 watched the Warriors improve to 6-0 at
home, marking the first sellout since February 9, 2002.
