Hockey Edged by #5 Vermont 4-3
Boxscore
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Adam Ross (Red Deer,
Alberta) and Pat Bowen (Marshfield, MA)
gave the Warriors the 2-0 lead, but fifth-ranked Vermont took
advantage of four power-plays in the second period and came from
behind for the 4-3 win Saturday night at Lawler Arena.
The Warriors (7-18-3, 3-16-2 HEA) host Providence College next
Saturday at 7 p.m., while Vermont (17-7-4, 12-6-3 HEA) hosts UMass
Lowell Friday night at 7 p.m.
One night after the Warriors defeated Vermont 3-2, Ross continued
the hosts' momentum, as his wrist shot from the blue line
beat Mike Spillane at 10:45 of the first. Grant Farrell
(Calgary, Alberta) did a great job to keep the puck in at
the blue line, and he worked it down low to Jesse Todd
(Camrose, Alberta), who drove to the net before dropping
it to Ross, who got the Warriors on the board with his second of
the season.
Just 1:32 into the second, Merrimack made it 2-0 as defenseman
Bowen took advantage of a rare breakaway attempt with the teams
skating four aside and beat Spillane for his first of the year.
Chris Barton (Calgary, Alberta) backhanded the
puck out of his own zone, and Bowen beat both Catamount defenders
down the ice to give the Warriors the two-goal lead.
But Merrimack's momentum came crashing down as the Warriors
took two penalties 35-seconds apart just one minute later, and the
Catamounts took advantage as Peter Lenes scored his first of two
goals of the evening at 4:18 of the second toward the end of the
two-man advantage.
Lenes added his second of the night at 7:02 at the end of another
Vermont power play to even the score at two. Viktor Stalberg then
gave the visitors their first lead of the night at 15:35 as he took
passes from Kevan Miller and Brian Roloff and beat Joe
Cannata (Wakefield, MA) for his 20th of the season.
The Warriors responded 68-seconds later as Jeff Velleca
(Waterbury, CT) scored his third of the year on a
breakaway as the freshman took feeds from Ross and Farrell and
backhanded it past Spillane with a pretty move to even the score at
three.
But Dean Strong regained the lead for Vermont 67-seconds later as
his shot took a strange bounce in front of Cannata and sneaked past
the goaltender for his third of the season.
After a six-goal second period, the third period was scoreless
despite the Warriors' attempts to even the score. Rob
Ricci (Brampton, Ontario) fired one off the cross bar at
3:30 of the third, while Todd was robbed with a glove save by
Spillane with 6:30 to play.
Vermont outshot the Warriors 29-21, with Cannata stopping 25 shots
in the losing effort. Spillane finished with 18 saves and improved
to 7-2-1 on the season.
In addition to Lenes, Stalberg also had a multi-point game with a
goal and an assist. Roloff also had two assists in the victory.
Ross tallied a goal and an assist for the Warriors, while Todd and
Farrell each had two assists.
