Merrimack Outshoots BU 43-27 but Falls Late, 6-4
Video of
Cucci's Goal
BOSTON, MA – Merrimack outshot Boston University 43-27 but
behind 39 saves from Grant Rollheiser, the Terriers prevailed,
edging the Warriors 6-4 Saturday night at Agganis Arena.
Merrimack (7-12-0, 4-8-0 HEA) concludes its season-long
seven-game, 49-day road trip next Friday at UMass Lowell at 7 p.m.
from the Tsongas Arena. The Warriors return home next Saturday to
battle Providence College at 7 p.m.
Chris Barton (Calgary, AB) led the way with a
goal and two assists, while Karl Stollery (Camrose,
AB) tallied two assists in the loss. Stephane Da
Costa (Paris, France) also had a multi-point game on a
goal and an assist.
With the game tied at three in the third, Pereira gave the
Terriers the lead as he found a loose puck just outside the crease
and backhanded it home for his fifth of the year with 8:07
remaining. Chris Connolly added what proved to be the game-winner
four minutes later, as BU improved 7-10-3 overall and 5-8-2 in
Hockey East.
Barton added a late tally at 18:46 to cut the lead to one, and the
Warriors nearly tied it as a shot from Stollery trickled through
Rollheiser and just wide with 30 seconds remaining. Seconds later,
Rollheiser stopped Jesse Todd (Camrose, AB) from close range, and
BU won the ensuing faceoff and tallied an empty-netter from Vinny
Saponari.
“We played really well for large stretches of the
game,” said head coach Mark Dennehy. “This time of the
year, you want to be playing well and we played well. A couple of
bounces were the difference. But you earn those and we're in
the process of earning those.”
Rollheiser's 39 saves were a career-high as the sophomore
made numerous point-blank stops in the third, including shots from
Justin Bonitatibus (Arlington, MA) and
John Jamison (Billerica, MA). Merrimack outshot BU
in each of the three periods, including 17-13 in the third.
After Ross Gaudet gave the Terriers the early 1-0 lead, the
Warriors evened the score behind the first goal of the season from
sophomore Carter Madsen (Okotoks, AB). Madsen took
advantage of a Terrier defender falling over and found himself on a
breakaway, and he beat Rollheiser over his blocker to tie the game
at 12:56 with an unassisted tally. Colby Cohen added a power play
tally at 15:42, giving BU the 2-1 lead at the intermission, despite
Merrimack holding an 11-6 advantage on the shots.
The Warriors evened the game 32 seconds into the second as Da
Costa notched his 11th of the year just as a BU power play expired.
Barton was looking for a streaking Stollery, but his pass went off
a defender stick and right to Da Costa, who buried it past
Rollheiser, who was caught out of position.
With two Warrior defenders in the penalty box, Boston University
had a two-man advantage for 1:53, and Cohen notched his second of
the game on a one-timer, 42 seconds into the power play at 7:39
from Kevin Shattenkirk andde Nick Bonino.
But Merrimack responded tying the game for the third time as
Joe Cucci (Melrose Park, IL) redirected a pretty
pass from Barton just outside the crease for his third of the year
at 10:59 on a four-on-three power play. The visitors then killed
off two straight minor penalties to head into the locker room after
two periods tied at three and outshooting the hosts 26-14.
Making his second straight start, senior goaltender Andrew
Braithwaite (Kingston, ON) stopped 21 shots.
Cohen finished with two goals, while Bonino had four assists.
Merrimack was 1-for-5 on the power play and killed off four of the
Terriers' six man-advantage opportunities.
