Stollery Scores in OT to Give Merrimack Thrilling 3-2 Win
Boxscore
NORTH ANDOVER, MA – Karl Stollery (Camrose,
Alberta) netted the game-winner with 24 seconds left in
overtime to give Merrimack the thrilling 3-2 come-from-behind
victory over Massachusetts on Senior Night at Lawler Arena.
The win puts the Warriors (9-20-4, 5-18-3 HEA) into ninth place in
Hockey East, while the Minutemen (14-18-3, 9-14-3 HEA) remain
locked in seventh despite the loss. The Warriors and Minutemen will
close out the regular season Saturday night at 7 p.m. at the
Mullins Center with Merrimack looking for the season sweep.
Merrimack, who is tied with Providence for ninth, owns the
tie-breaker over the Friars.
The game was tied 1-1 entering the third, but T.J. Syner gave the
Minutemen the 2-1 lead at 9:25 of the third as he found a loose
puck in front of Joe Cannata (Wakefield, MA) and
buried it for his seventh of the year.
But Merrimack stormed back as Jesse Todd (Camrose,
Alberta) evened the score with 4:17 remaining with his
seventh of the year. Chris Barton (Calgary,
Alberta) set up Todd perfectly with a pretty cross ice
pass, and Todd one-timed it past Paul Dainton, who was way out of
position for the tying marker.
With James Marcou in the penalty box for tripping, the Warriors had
the final 34 seconds to tally a power-play, game-winning tally. But
the hosts needed just ten seconds, as Stollery one-timed a rocket
of a shot over the blocker of Dainton, with Joe Cucci
(Melrose Park, IL) and Todd getting the assists. It was
Stollery's fifth of the year, and 14th Hockey East point,
tops among freshmen defensemen, and marked the first overtime win
for Merrimack since March 4, 2006.
While on a five-on-three advantage, the Minutemen broke the
scoreless tie as Marcou blasted a shot past Cannata with seven
seconds remaining in the first period.
The Warriors responded in the second as Rob Ricci
(Brampton, Ontario) teamed with Elliott Sheen
(Lethbridge, Alberta) for a short-handed goal at 12:49 of
the second. Sheen found Ricci streaking down the left side, and his
wrist shot beat Dainton glove side for his team-leading 11th of the
season.
On what could be his final home game as a Warrior, Ricci tallied a
goal and an assist giving him 23 points in 30 games this season and
83 points in his 98-game career. Todd posted another multi-point
game and has 22 points in what has turned out to be a stellar
freshman campaign.
Cannata was solid again, stopping 30 shots, including 11 in the
second. Dainton made 28 saves for UMass, who outshot the Warriors
32-31.
Before the game, the Warriors honored their six-member class of
2009, equipment manager Rob Coppola, John Goebel (Parma,
OH), Mickey Rego (Hudson, MA), Grant Farrell (Calgary, Alberta),
Pat Watson (Waltham, MA) and Ricci.
