Hockey Upsets #5 Vermont 3-2; Rematch is Saturday Night at Lawler Arena
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Notes from Friday
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – The Merrimack hockey team scored three
times in 2:17 late in the second period to upend fifth-ranked
Vermont 3-2 Friday night at Lawler Arena.
With the loss, the Catamounts drop to 16-7-4 overall, 11-6-3 in
Hockey East. With its second straight win, Merrimack improves to
7-17-3 overall, 3-15-2 in conference. These two teams will take the
ice again Saturday at Lawler Arena at 7 p.m.
The Warriors trailed 1-0 late in the second period but rallied to
take a two-goal lead behind goals from Karl Stollery
(Camrose, Alberta), Ryan Flanigan (Rochester,
NY) and Chris Barton (Calgary, Alberta).
Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) stopped 35 shots for
his fifth win of the season.
With the Warriors on the power play, Stollery wristed a shot that
beat a screened Rob Madore for his third of the year at 14:12.
Flanigan and Jesse Todd (Camrose, Alberta) earned
the assists on the game-tying goal.
Sixty-eight seconds later and with the Warriors back on the man
advantage, Flanigan picked up his first collegiate tally as he went
hard to the net and swatted home a rebound off a Rob Ricci
(Brampton, Ontario) shot. Ricci and Stollery did a great
job to keep the puck in at the blue line, negating a possible
Catamount clear, and got it quickly to the net where Flanigan was
waiting.
Barton made it 3-1 69-seconds later after Ricci worked the puck
down low to Francois Ouimet (Lorraine, Quebec),
who battled in the corner with a Vermont defender before centering
it to Barton, who buried it for his eighth of the year.
Viktor Stalberg added his 19th of the season with 7:51 remaining
in the game, but the Warriors held on from there for their second
straight victory.
The Catamounts outshot Merrimack 14-3 in the third period, and
37-22 overall, but Cannata stood tall, stopping 13 of 14 shots,
while his defense blocked another ten. The Warriors blocked 18
shots overall to eight for Vermont.
For the third straight game, the Warriors' power play netted
two goals. Meanwhile, the penalty kill was perfect stopping all
seven opportunities for the Catamounts, including three straight in
a 7:01 span early in the second.
Tonight's win marked the first time Merrimack has beaten the
Catamounts at Lawler Arena in six career games.
Madore finished with 19 saves for Vermont, while Dan Lawson took
feeds from Matt Marshall and Chris Atkinson for his second of the
season at 6:33 of the second to give the visitors the 1-0 lead.
