Hockey Edged by #3 Northeastern 4-3; Warriors Host Brown Saturday
Boxscore
BOSTON, MA – The Merrimack hockey team scored two power
play goals and led 3-2 midway through the third, but third-ranked
Northeastern rallied for the 4-3 win Friday night at Matthews
Arena.
Fraser Allan (North Battleford, Sask.), Pat Kimball
(Framingham, MA) and Chris Barton (Calgary,
Alberta) each scored for Merrimack as the visitors outshot
Northeastern 25-24.
With 2:44 remaining in regulation, Joe Vitale redirected a Wade
MacLeod pass past Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) for
the game-winner. It was Vitale's fifth of the year and
improved the Huskies' record to 19-6-2, 14-4-1 in Hockey
East.
Merrimack led 3-2 midway through the third after Barton broke a
2-2 tie knocking in a rebound off a Pat Bowen (Marshfield,
MA) shot to give the Warriors their first lead of the game
at 9:52 of the third on the power play. Barton, who has netted
seven goals this season, has scored five of them while on the man
advantage.
But just 1:22 later, Northeastern responded, as J.P. Maley evened
the score at three, batting home a rebound off a three-on-one break
for his first collegiate goal. MacLeod took the original shot,
which was stopped by Cannata, but Maley was there to knock the
rebound past Cannata.
After MacLeod gave the Huskies the early 1-0 lead, Merrimack
evened the score with 1:08 remaining in the first on the power play
as a wrister from the blue line from Allan beat a screened Brad
Thiessen for his third of the season. Bowen got the puck to Allan
who threw it at the net, as Barton provided the screen in front of
Thiessen.
Chris Donovan regained the lead for Northeastern at 1:59 of the
second with a shorthanded tally. Donovan stole the puck from
Cannata behind the goal and buried it into the vacated net for his
seventh of the year.
But the Warriors answered right back as Kimball ended an 18-game
goalless streak as he took feeds from his linemates John
Jamieson (Billerica, MA) and J.C. Robitaille (Des
Ruisseaux, Que.) and one-timed it past Thiessen for his
fifth of the year at 14:50 of the second.
The shorthanded goal aside, Merrimack controlled play in the
second, outshooting the Huskies 8-5. Justin Bonitatibus
(Arlington, MA) and Carter Madsen (Calgary,
Alberta) each had excellent scoring chances, but both were
thwarted by Thiessen. Meanwhile, Rob Ricci (Brampton,
Ontario) had a slapper go off the post in the final minute
of the second.
The Warriors netted two power play tallies for the first time
December 7 against Maine, while Bowen extended his point streak to
three with his first multi-point game of the season. Allan also
tallied two assists and is now tied for the team lead for scoring
among defensemen.
Cannata finished with 20 saves, while Thiessen turned aside 22
Warrior shots.
Merrimack (5-17-3, 2-15-2 HEA) hosts Brown University Saturday
night in a non-conference matchup at Lawler Arena with faceoff
scheduled for 7 p.m. The Warriors' yearly Alumni Day is also
on Saturday featuring alumni games beginning at 11:50 a.m. at
Lawler Arena.
